Plan

Probably the most important part of creating an ICT product is the first step of planning; making clear your what you are trying to achieve, deciding on the most appropriate method / format, and selecting the software tool.

1. Purpose and Audience - you must be clear on what you are trying to achieve with the product and which group of people you are aiming it at.
2. Objectives - it may be helpful to specify exactly what you want the product to achieve, what message you want it to convey, what will make it successful. These are often known as success criteria.
3. Method / Format - you then need to consider how you are going to achieve these objectives and which method or format will do this best. There are an ever-changing range of formats to choose from but a few potentials include:
   • Word processing - for predominately text based documents (e.g. Word)
   • Dext Top Publishing - for documents that will be printed but contain pictures and other creative design elements (e.g. Publisher)
   • Website / web-based
   • Animation
   • Mind mapping
   • Audio and visual
   • Storyboard
4. Software - the final stage of planning is to decide which specific piece of software you will use. There are an innumerable number of alternatives to choose from, with new options coming out all the time. The slide show below gives some suggestions followed by slides summarising each of them: