L3 - Design Ideas

L3 Design Overview

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L3 Design Refinement

I orea te tuatara ka patu ki waho

A problem is solved by continuing to find solutions

Why Design Ideas Matter

Design ideas are where your thinking becomes visible. Instead of going straight to building, this stage is about exploring different ways your outcome could work and look before committing to one direction.

Generating a range of ideas helps you:

explore different possibilities rather than settling on your first thought
make informed decisions based on your requirements, research, and conventions
identify strengths and limitations early
gather useful feedback to improve your design

Strong design ideas lead to stronger outcomes. Taking the time to develop and compare ideas means your final design is more considered, more effective, and easier to build successfully.

I don’t know what to draw / where to start....

When you’re generating design ideas, the goal is not polished artwork — it’s to get your thinking down quickly so you can explore options.

Start by breaking things into basic shapes (circles, rectangles, triangles, and lines). Sketch with light, rough linework to show the main layout/parts and how the idea might work. You can refine proportions and details later once you choose a direction.

At this stage, keep it simple. Clean lines, shading, and colour can come later when you’re refining a selected design.

Quick Creative Tasks to get ideas flowing…

1) Mash-up Generator

Get given (or choose) two random words.
Combine them into one idea.
Sketch 2–3 different ideas based on the mash-up (keep them rough and quick).
Add 1–2 labels per sketch explaining what it is or how it works.

Examples: octopus + vending machine, library + game, umbrella + speaker, robot + garden.

2) Bad Ideas Only (then rescue one)

Set a timer for 2 minutes.
Write 5 deliberately terrible ideas (the worse the better).
Circle one.
“Rescue” it by changing the user and/or the purpose so it becomes a good idea.
Write a 1–2 sentence description of the improved idea.

3) How far does your creativity go?

You’ll be given a sheet of o or x o Ts.
Set a timer for 2 minutes.
Turn as many shapes as you can into objects, icons, characters, or symbols.

4) Character Mascot Pitch

We have a new product and need a mascot.

The product is: “MoodFuel” — a pocket-sized snack + drink combo made for teens (energy without the crash).
It has different “modes” (Focus, Chill, Boost), and each flavour has its own vibe.

Come up with 3 mascot characters for MoodFuel (anything).
For each character, include:
- Name
- What it looks like (3–5 descriptive details)
- How it relates to the product (what mode/flavour it represents and why)
Do a quick sketch for each (rough is fine) and add 2–3 labels.

Optional twist: One character should be designed for Focus, one for Chill, and one for Boost.

Generating a range of Ideas

Now it is time to start sketching out your design ideas.

At this stage, you should explore a range of possible directions rather than jumping straight to one final solution. The goal is to generate enough ideas that you can compare them, get feedback, and decide which direction is strongest.

You should create at least three design ideas. For some projects, this might mean three clearly different overall ideas. For other projects, it might mean exploring different parts of the outcome, such as layouts, features, characters, scenes, or visual styles.

Your sketches do not need to be polished or perfect. They are simply a way to communicate your thinking. Short annotations can also be very helpful, especially if they explain what the idea is, how it works, or why it could be suitable.

Specific examples of what you might need to include are provided in the slides on the right.

L3 DT | Design Ideas

Task 1: Generate Ideas

Create at least three ideas.

These can be three different overall directions, or several smaller idea explorations depending on your project. For example, you might generate ideas for:

layouts or screen designs
colour schemes or style directions
product forms or structures
characters, props, or environments
interactions, features, or mechanics

Your design ideas should show:

what the idea is
how it would function
how it would look
any key features, parts, or components

Remember, these sketches are meant to communicate your ideas clearly - they do not need to be finished drawings. Add short annotations where needed to explain your thinking.

Feedback

At this point, you need to get feedback — especially if you have a few options and you’re not yet sure which direction to develop.

Giving and receiving design feedback can feel awkward, but good feedback should:

help you improve the work
move the design forward
help you make decisions with more confidence

We’ll use a simple tool called the Feedback Matrix to keep feedback constructive and useful.

Feedback needs to be constructive… and honest

When giving feedback use the matrix headings:

Something you like
Didn’t like (or something that’s missing)
Ideas
A question

The Feedback Matrix.pdf

Task 2: Feedback Carousel (speed-dating style)

In the classroom

You are going to speak with 3 people, one at a time, in short timed rounds.

How it works

Each round is 5 minutes
Person A talks through their design for 2.5 minutes
Then swap: Person B talks for 2.5 minutes
Use the Feedback Matrix to keep comments focused and useful

The Three People

The aim is to talk to a range of people so you get different perspectives and types of feedback:

Person 1: Encourager → highlights what’s working and what to keep

A supportive classmate, often someone you sit near or feel comfortable talking to. They tend to give warm, positive feedback and help you notice what is already working well.

Person 2: Feasibility checker → helps you simplify and make the build realistic

Someone making a similar type of outcome, or someone confident with the tools and skills you are using. They can help with practical feedback about what is realistic, what might be too complex, and what could be simplified.

Person 3: Fresh eyes → tests clarity and reveals gaps in explanation

Someone you do not usually talk to about your work. They bring a different perspective and will often ask lots of questions, especially if parts of your design are unclear or underdeveloped.

Goal: Get feedback on clarity, user fit, and feasibility - not just “do you like it?”

What to show during your 2.5 minutes

Keep it short and clear:

your purpose + who the outcome is for
your three design ideas or directions
what you’re leaning towards and why
what you want feedback on (e.g., “Which direction is strongest?” “What’s confusing?” “What would you simplify?”)

After each round (30sec)

Before you move to the next person, quickly think about:

What they thought should stay the same (what feedback confirms is working)
What they thought needs changing (what is unclear, unrealistic, or not meeting user needs)
What question you still need to answer (what you must test or check during refinement)

Why: If you don’t make decisions as you go, feedback becomes a list of opinions instead of evidence you can use to improve your design.

Outside the classroom

Strong projects usually include feedback from:

your end users (or people similar to them)
people with relevant experience (teachers, whānau, coaches, peers with expertise)

You may need to seek these people out.

Task 3: Record your feedback

In your doc record the feedback you received for each person you spoke to:

Who & role

they might be your classmate but are they an end user? or an expert in the area/software?

Feedback they gave (use the matrix headings if needec):

Something they liked
Didn’t like / missing
Ideas
Any questions

What I will do next (and why)

Decision: I will keep / change / remove …
Reason: because it affects user needs / clarity / feasibility / quality / implications
Next step: what I will focus on in refinement (e.g., redraw layout, simplify mechanic, test with users)

Selected Idea(s) for further Development

Choose the idea (or combination of ideas) you will take forward. This matters because it sets your direction for refinement, helps you focus your time, and makes it clear how your decision links to end user requirements, feedback, and feasibility.

Task 4: Your selected ideas

After your feedback table, explain which idea(s) you will develop and why this is the most suitable direction. Use your end user requirements, the feedback you received, and the strengths/limitations you identified to justify your decision. This will guide what you focus on during refinement.

Here is a structure you can use (copy & paste) to write this:

am taking forward idea _____ / a combination of ideas _____
I am combining these features/parts from my ideas: …
This is the strongest direction because…
It best meets these end user requirements: …
Relevant implications I need to consider as I refine: accessibility / inclusion / privacy-IP / safety (as applicable)
Based on feedback, I will keep… / change… / remove… because…
Next step for refinement: the first thing I will improve/test is…

Further Sketching Help

◀️ How to draw anything guide by Julia Bausenhardt

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