I like to do a lot of discussion with other people when I begin a project. I think a collaborative atmosphere is one of my favorite things about design. In order to better communicate my ideas to the group, or think out an idea by myself, I use quick sketching with pen and paper, or quick paper models. While I am skilled at computer modeling, I like using it more for final dimensioning and description of the design, or for rendering presentation drawings. As soon as possible, I build a prototype which includes as much of the final design as I have. I like to have a physical prototype, because there are all kinds of problems that don't show up well in sketching or computer modeling.