Calico: A Tool for Early Software Design Sketching

In numerous design disciplines, the role and importance of sketching are well understood and appreciated. Mechanical engineers, architects, and graphic designers, to name a few, all are known to use sketching as a way of exploring and working out initial ideas towards a proposed design. Software engineers sketch, too. Indeed, they too can be found doodling on a piece of paper, or discussing a vague drawing of sorts at a whiteboard. One of the times when such sketching is particularly prevalent is during early software design, when a solution is not readily obvious and must in fact be "Found". During this time, designers rapidly consider and evaluate many ideas, potential approaches, and alternatives, without necessarily working out each of these in a great amount of detail.