This article compares and contrasts the use of haptic and digital sketching in the design process. It investigates the preferred sketching method of final year design students. In addition, it examines the relationship between effective communication and the use of haptic and digital sketching. A case study involving ten final year students studying product design courses at Nottingham Trent University was undertaken. The text explores the current literature and identifies the benefits of using the two methods. The inclusion of digital sketching tutorials in the undergraduate curriculum is discussed as well as the option of replacing haptic with digital sketching. The study concludes that while a wider survey with students from other design courses would be useful, the results provide strong evidence that final year students currently prefer haptic to digital sketching as an essential part of the design process.