L3 - Design Final

appropriateness of your design

How is your design is fit for purpose and end users? How has your design considered; 

• End User Considerations

• Relevant implications

• Use of suitable UX methodologies

1. Introduction

• Clearly state the chosen digital outcome (e.g. a 2D platformer game, website, animation, 3D model).

• Identify the intended end-users and explain the purpose of the outcome.

• Outline what this evaluation will cover:

  • • The appropriateness of the design

    • How user experience methodologies were used and why they were chosen

    • How the design addresses relevant implications

    • Justification of the design’s suitability

    • Suggestions for future development

2. Justify the Designs Appropriateness

• Explain why this design was the best choice for the purpose and the target users.

• Compare with other potential design options you considered and explain why they were not chosen.

• Provide evidence (e.g. from feedback or testing) showing the design is a good fit.

Example:
“I chose a side-scrolling 2D platformer style for my game because younger players are already familiar with this format. Other options like top-down RPGs required more complex navigation, which feedback showed was less intuitive for this audience.”

3. Evaluating and Justifying User Experience Methodologies

• List the UX methodologies used (e.g. surveys, usability testing, observation, A/B testing, persona development, wireframing, journey mapping).

• Explain how they were used during the development process.

• Evaluate their effectiveness (Did they give useful insights? Did they lead to changes?)

• Justify your choice of methods – why those ones were best for your context and users.

Example:
“I used playtesting with a small group of 12–14 year olds during early prototyping. This helped identify pain points in level design. I chose this method because it provided direct observation of how users interacted with the game rather than relying on self-reported data, which can be less reliable in younger users.”

4. Relevant Implications  

Evaluation of How the Design Addresses Relevant Implications. Focus on those most relevant to your outcome – choose at least 3–5.

Use examples and reflect on their impact.

What implications did you have to consider that apply to your outcome:

• Cultural: Did you represent a culture respectfully in your design? Why was that important? Example: "I used Māori motifs in the animation and checked with a cultural advisor to ensure respectful representation."

• Legal: Did you follow copyright rules? Did you use royalty-free assets? Why does that matter? Example: "I avoided copyrighted images and used royalty-free assets to meet legal requirements."

• Social: Does your outcome avoid harmful stereotypes? Does it promote a positive message? Does the outcome influence behaviour, relationships, or communication? Example: "My poster promotes positive mental health among teens by using inclusive imagery and uplifting messages."

• Ethical: Is your product safe and responsible to use? Is the content appropriate and responsible? Example: "I removed violent content from my game to ensure it was suitable for 12–14 year olds."

• Accessibility: Have you considered users with impairments? Can people with disabilities use or interact with the outcome? Example: "I added alt text to images and used high contrast colours for users with visual impairments."

• Intellectual Property: Did you create original content or use others’ work legally? Example: "All graphics were drawn by me, and I credited the font creator under Creative Commons licensing."

• Privacy: Are you collecting any user data or using personal information? Example: "The website does not collect personal information, ensuring user privacy is protected."

• Usability: Is the outcome easy and intuitive to use? Example: "I used icons and consistent navigation menus so users could quickly find what they needed."

• Functionality: Does it work as intended? Are features reliable? Example: "The game's pause and save features were tested thoroughly to ensure they worked on all levels."

• Aesthetics: Does it look good and appeal to users? Example: "I followed a blue and orange complementary colour scheme to create visual interest and energy."

• Sustainability and Future-Proofing: Is the outcome efficient, environmentally responsible, or designed to last? Did you minimise waste or energy use? Example: "My 3D model was designed with minimal supports to reduce plastic waste in printing."

• End-User Considerations: Have you addressed the needs, preferences, and context of your users? Example: "Because my target audience is 10–12 year olds, I used simple language and fun sound effects."

• Health and Safety: Is the outcome safe to use or consume? Example: "I ensured my interactive display used rounded edges and low-voltage components to reduce risk."

Example:

“I used Creative Commons music in my game to avoid copyright issues, which is important because distributing a game with unlicensed music could lead to legal problems. I also credited the creators on the title screen.”

“The colour scheme was evaluated for accessibility using online contrast checkers. This ensured the interface was usable by users with colour blindness. After testing, I adjusted the palette to improve contrast, which also enhanced the visual clarity for all users.”

5. Future Development

Based on your evaluation, suggest meaningful improvements or next steps.

Justify how these would make the design more effective, sustainable, or user-friendly in the future. Consider:

• • Extending features

  • Supporting more users

  • Adapting to new technologies

  • Refining accessibility or aesthetic

  • Improving performance

Example:
“In future development, I would implement adaptive difficulty in the game, based on user performance. This would enhance engagement and personalise the experience, especially since user feedback showed varied skill levels among the target age group.”

6. Conclusion

• Reflect on the overall success of the design and development process.

• Summarise how the design:

  • • Met user needs

    • Was guided by effective UX methodologies

    • Addressed relevant implications

    • Followed conventions and best practices

• Restate how the design is appropriate for the purpose and end-users.

• End with a final reflection on your learning or what you would do differently next time.