A sketch is often made for what purpose in the design process?

A sketch is primarily used in the design process to draft a more polished final product. Sketching serves as a visual tool that allows designers to quickly explore ideas, concepts, and layouts without the constraints of finalizing details. It encourages free expression and creativity, enabling the designer to convey thoughts and refine them into a more developed form. Sketches can capture the essence of an idea that can later be translated into a more detailed and complete design.

The other choices address concepts that are more specific to later stages of the design process or different aspects of project management. For example, while creating quantitative data could be part of a research phase, it does not pertain specifically to the act of sketching. Finalizing details typically occurs after sketching, when the design is produced with refined elements and specifications. Outlining necessary resources is related to planning, which can occur at various stages but does not directly correlate with the role of sketches in conceptualization and design evolution.