Level 2 Design Overview

L2 Project Management

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L2 Design Ideas

He iti te mokoroa, nāna i kati te kahikatea

The mokoroa (grub) may be small, but it cuts through the Kahikatea

Design is the stage where you turn your proposal into a clear, user-focused plan that shows what you are going to make, why it matters, and how it will look and function. A strong design helps you make informed decisions early, consider relevant implications, and use conventions that suit your outcome type and context - so your development time is spent building with purpose, not guessing and redoing work.

This video shows how designers move from ideas to tested concepts - a process you will follow in your own project.

You will work through this process across four stages: researching, generating ideas, refining them through feedback, and developing a final design ready to build.

2d ⟹ 3d

Sketches ⟹ Computer generated

A little colour ⟹ Fully rendered

Purpose & Requirements of the End Users

Your design must clearly show the purpose of your outcome and the requirements of your end users.

This may already be developed from your inquiry or proposal. However, it must be clearly included in your design section so it directly links to the outcome you are creating.

Your purpose explains the overall goal of your outcome.

Your requirements explain the specific things your outcome must do or include to be successful for your users.

This section should be clear, specific, and directly linked to the outcome you are designing.

Task #1 - Write the Purpose and Requirements of the End Users

There are two ways you can complete this section:

Option 1: You completed the inquiry

Copy your purpose and end user requirements from your inquiry into your design section.

Then:

check they still match what you intend to design and make
update or refine anything that has changed

Option 2: You did not complete the inquiry

You will need to write your purpose and end user requirements now. You can go to the L2 Proposal page for more help.

Include:

Purpose → What your outcome is trying to do or achieve
End user requirements → What your outcome needs to have or do to meet the needs of your users

Website Example

Purpose: To create a website that helps junior students understand basic coding concepts.

End user requirements:

- Easy to navigate
- Clear explanations with visuals
- Works on mobile devices

Game Example

Purpose: To create an engaging platformer game for casual teenage players.

End user requirements:

- Simple and responsive controls
- Increasing difficulty levels
- Visually appealing environment

Product Example

Purpose: To design a desk organiser that helps students keep their workspace tidy.

End user requirements:

- Holds multiple items securely
- Fits on a standard desk
- Durable and easy to manufacture

Design Planning

DESIGN SPRINT | Pitch your Idea!

Break down design sprint into smaller tasks to help you manage your time.

The goal of the design sprint:

Clearly define the purpose and end users
Identify key features and requirements
Generate and model a range of design ideas
Refine ideas using feedback and conventions
Select and justify a final design

The design should clearly show how the outcome will function and look, and be ready to build.

Design Sprint Task Breakdown

Existing Outcomes + Conventions

Copy existing outcomes research into design section (if already done)
Copy conventions research into design section (if already done)
Identify 2–3 useful things from existing outcomes
Identify 2–3 conventions that apply to your outcome
Highlight which conventions you want to use in your own design

Idea 1

Create design idea 1
Label or annotate idea 1
Show how idea 1 will function
Show how idea 1 will look

Idea 2

Create design idea 2
Label or annotate idea 2
Show how idea 2 will function
Show how idea 2 will look

Idea 3

Create design idea 3
Label or annotate idea 3
Show how idea 3 will function
Show how idea 3 will look

Feedback

Show your ideas to a range of people
Record feedback on idea 1
Record feedback on idea 2
Record feedback on idea 3
Identify what feedback is most useful

Idea Decision Point

Compare your ideas against purpose and end user requirements
Identify strengths and weaknesses of each idea
Choose a direction to develop further (this may combine parts of multiple ideas)

Refinement

Focus on specific parts of your design - don’t try to refine everything at once.

Decide what parts of each idea are worth keeping
Combine the strongest parts of your ideas
Identify specific aspects to develop further (e.g. layout, colour, mechanics, animation, UI, materials)
Explore and test different options for these aspects
Get feedback on these specific elements
Refine your design using feedback
Refine your design using conventions
Check that the design still meets end user requirements
Check that the design is realistic to build

Final Design

Produce your final design
Add labels or annotations to the final design
Show clearly how it will function
Show clearly how it will look
Explain why this design is the best option
Explain how conventions have been used
Explain how implications have been considered

Task #2 - Set up your Design tasks

Open your Trello Design Board and add all the tasks you need to complete for the design sprint into the To Do column. Use the Design Sprint Task Breakdown above to help you decide what tasks to include.

Break the design process into small, manageable cards rather than a few large tasks. For example, instead of writing “do ideas”, create separate cards such as:

create design idea 1
label idea 1
show how idea 1 will function
show how idea 1 will look

Your board should include tasks for:

existing outcomes and conventions
idea generation
feedback
choosing a direction
refinement
more feedback
final design
an evaluation

Use the suggested timeline below to help you decide what should be completed each week. As you work, move your cards across the board from To Do → Doing → Done so your progress is clear and easy to track.

Week 1 – Understanding + Starting Ideas

Add purpose and end user requirements
Review existing outcomes and conventions (copy if already done)
Identify useful features and conventions
Create idea 1 (and possibly idea 2)

Week 2 – Generating Ideas + Feedback

Complete idea 2 and idea 3
Show how each idea works and looks
Gather feedback on all ideas
Start identifying a direction to develop

Week 3 – Refinement

Choose a direction (may combine ideas)
Refine your design using feedback
Explore specific aspects (e.g. layout, colour, mechanics, animation, UI)
Get feedback on these specific elements
Continue improving your design

Week 4 – Final Design

Produce your final design
Clearly show how it works and looks
Add labels/annotations
Explain why your design is appropriate
Show how conventions and implications have been considered

Trello Tips

You can set up labels if you want to help you with breaking each task down
You can add dates and set reminders

Task #3 - Evidence

Take a screenshot or gif (using screen to gif) of your board:

at the start of your design sprint and put it under Design planning
at the end of your design sprint and put it after your Appropriateness of Design

This should show how your managed your time and completed a sucessful Design Phase

Relevant Implications

A relevant implication is a possible effect of a project/assessment that is actually related to your project.

This area has to be addressed in your own design.

For websites check WCAG guidelines (Web Content Accessibility Guidelines & Video

Relevant Implications Poster

Task #4 - Identify and explain your relevant implications

Using the information above, choose the implications that are most relevant to your project and complete the table in your document.

You do not need to cover every implication listed. Instead, select the ones that are most important for your specific outcome, audience, and context.

For each implication you choose:

write the implication
decide its priority (High / Medium / Low)
explain why it is relevant to your project
explain what you need to consider in your design and how you will address it

Choose implications that will actually affect the way you design your outcome. For example, these might influence:

how it functions
how it looks
how easy it is to use
how accessible it is
how safe, appropriate, or respectful it is for your users

Aim to identify the implications that will have the biggest impact on your design decisions. Your explanations should be specific to your project, not just general definitions.

Relevant Implications Example

Research Conventions

Conventions are the accepted ways of doing things in a particular area. They help outcomes feel clear, consistent, appropriate, and easier for users to understand.

You only need to research the conventions that are relevant to your type of outcome. Focus on the ones that will actually influence the way your outcome looks, works, or is presented.

If you already researched conventions as part of your inquiry, you can copy them into your design section and update or refine them if needed.

Visual / Media
(graphics, animation, video, UI)

visual hierarchy
design elements/principles
usability heuristics
composition methods
film/genre conventions

Interactive / Digital
(games, apps, websites)

usability heuristics
navigation patterns
game design conventions
UI conventions

Technical / Systems
(programming, electronics, DFM)

system block diagrams
schematic diagrams
circuit symbols
naming conventions
data modelling

How to research conventions

When researching conventions, avoid searching just the word “conventions” on its own, as this often brings up results about events (e.g. comic or anime conventions).

Instead, use more specific search terms like:

animation principles (12 principles of animation)
game design principles / game mechanics
website design best practices
UI design patterns / usability heuristics
graphic design principles
film genre conventions examples
composition techniques in design
schematic diagram standards
CAD drawing standards / conventions
naming conventions in programming
data modelling examples / ER diagrams

You can also improve your results by adding words like:

design
principles
best practice
examples

Helpful reminder: Make sure the results you are using are about how things are designed and presented, not events or general definitions.

Some Good Links

Task #5 - Research relevant conventions

Choose the conventions that are most relevant to your outcome and record them in your document.

There are two ways you can complete this section:

Option 1 – You completed the inquiry

Copy your conventions research into your design section
Check that it still matches your current idea
Update or refine it if needed

Option 2 – You did not complete the inquiry

Research the conventions that are relevant to your outcome
Record the most useful ones in your document

What to include

For each convention you choose, explain:

what the convention is
where it is used
why it is relevant to your project
how you will apply it in your design

You do not need to research every convention listed on this page. Focus on the ones that are most useful for your specific outcome, audience, and context.

You can either write small paragraphs or do a table following a similar format

Research Existing Outcomes

Researching existing outcomes gives you a starting point for your own design. It helps you understand what already exists, what works well, what could be improved, and what users might expect from an outcome like yours.

Looking at a range of existing outcomes can help you:

identify useful features and design ideas
notice strengths and weaknesses
understand relevant conventions
see how similar outcomes function and look
recognise the limits of available tools, software, materials, or equipment
gather reference material for inspiration

The goal is not to copy an outcome, but to use what you find to make better-informed design decisions for your own project.

Task #6 - Research existing outcomes

Choose a range of existing outcomes that are relevant to your project and record what you learn from them in your document.

There are two ways you can complete this section:

Option 1 – You completed the inquiry

Copy your existing outcomes research into your design section
Check that it still matches your current idea
Update or refine it if needed

Option 2 – You did not complete the inquiry

Research existing outcomes that are similar to the one you want to create
Record the most useful findings in your document

What to include

For each existing outcome you choose, identify:

what it is
who it is for
what works well
what could be improved
what ideas or features might be useful for your own design
what conventions you notice

You should investigate a range of existing outcomes rather than relying on just one example.

Helpful reminder: Do not just describe existing outcomes. Make sure you explain what you have learned from them and how that will influence your own design decisions.

You can either write small paragraphs or do a table following a similar format

How the Design Phase looks

Additional Sketching Tips

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