Design - L2 & 3

There are always many good possibilities for solving design problems. If you focus on just one before looking at the alternatives, it is almost certain that you are overlooking a better solution. Good designers try to generate as many possible solutions as they can. This can be done in a range of ways but the primary way is sketching with paper and pencil.

From your proposal you need to develop a design for a digital outcome, it should be informed and effective.

2d ⟹ 3d

Sketches ⟹ Computer generated

A little colour ⟹ Fully rendered

Defining the purpose and end users for the digital outcome (See Proposal )

You should already have the purpose and end users from your proposal.

You need to copy and paste them in to the design part of your doc. You may need to adjust if something has changed.

Research

Research - Conventions

You need to understand which conventions (a way in which something is usually done) will be most suited to the type of outcome you are designing. Click on the following to get more specific information about that convention:

usability heuristics - should look at for UI (Anything a user uses to interact with a computer)
visual hierarchy
Design elements / design principles
game design conventions
film genre conventions
system block diagrams

relevant composition methods
schematic diagram conventions
circuit schematics with component symbols
scale drawings of enclosures
naming conventions and naming schemes
object-relationship mapping and data modelling.

When researching these it can also be useful to look for "principles of <topic>" for example:

https://www.thedesigngym.com/seven-principles-of-game-design-and-five-innovation-games-that-work/

https://www.creativebloq.com/advice/understand-the-12-principles-of-animation

Research - Existing Outcomes

Research provides us with the information and knowledge needed for problem solving and making decisions. It can help you to innovate and introduce new products and services or to improve existing offerings.
To begin with it gives you a starting point when designing and an understanding of what you need to be considering along the way. This allows you to design an outcome that is well thought out and minimise the issues you could come across when you develop a prototype.
You should investigate a range of existing solutions
You should also investigate conventions
Look up tutorials or find people able to help you with your project
The equipment and software are you using will put limits on your design
What materials you have access to
Reference materials that you can look at for inspiration

L3 - User Experience Methodologies

User Experience (UX) methodologies are the set of techniques and approaches used to understand and improve the user experience of a product, service, or system. Here are some of the commonly used UX methodologies:

User Research: This methodology involves studying the users' behavior, needs, and motivations through techniques such as surveys, interviews, and observations.
Usability Testing (or Usability Evaluation): This involves testing the usability of a product or system by observing users as they perform tasks and measuring their performance.
Information Architecture: This methodology involves organizing information and content in a logical and easy-to-use way, usually through techniques such as user flows and sitemaps. IA is used in physical spaces like museums or department stores, as well as in websites and applications.
Interaction Design: This involves designing the interactions between the user and the product or system, such as the design of buttons, forms, and other interactive elements.
Visual Design: This methodology involves the creation of visual elements that make up the user interface, such as color, typography, and layout.
User Interface Design (UI): This is the process designers use to build interfaces in software or computerized devices, focusing on looks or style.
User Persona Creation: This involves creating fictional user profiles that represent the different types of users that a product or system may have.
Agile Methodology: This involves breaking down development into smaller, more manageable parts and testing and iterating on those parts frequently.
Lean UX: This methodology involves quickly prototyping and testing ideas in order to validate assumptions and improve the user experience.
Content strategy: This is a high-level plan that guides the intentional creation and maintenance of information in a digital product.
Accessibility: is the concept of whether a product or service can be used by everyone—however they encounter it. Accessibility laws exist to aid people with disabilities, but designers should try to accommodate all potential users in many contexts of use anyway.
MDA Framework: Mechanics Dynamics Aesthetics Framework

These methodologies can be used individually or in combination to create a comprehensive UX design process that leads to better user experiences.

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

Generating A RANGE OF Ideas

Now you should start sketching out your designs. This could include a wide range of possible solutions and make enough designs that you can get effective feedback. At a minimum you should have three designs of what you can make. Some projects can be broken down into smaller elements so for these you may have multiple designs for these instead. Some examples of things that you could design are:

Name of your product
Colours your product could be
Layouts of elements in games and websites

When you are sketching out your designs they do not have to be perfect. It is simply trying to get an idea across to possible end users. It can also be highly valuable to put annotations (written descriptions) on your drawings.

Some more specific design ideas are given below:

L2&3 DT | Design Ideas - Burnside High School Examples

Feedback - Optional at this point (expand for info)

At this point you may want to get some feedback, especially if you have options but not quite sure which path to follow.

Giving and receiving design feedback is tough. Feedback should be helpful, could improve the work, move things forward and bring about confidence. Quite often feedback is unconstructive and can be ill-aimed, irrelevant, antagonistic.

Feedback needs to be constructive… and honest

But what does it mean to be constructive?

Adjective

1. serving a useful purpose; tending to build up

Refining Your Design Ideas

The point where you challenge your ideas and create opportunities to make them better!

It is a powerful stage to revisit and reassess your ideas.

Now you should start going back through your designs from the feedback given and refine the designs.

You might then get feedback on how:

the end users feel with the outcome - Attitudinal
the end user uses or wants to use - Behavioral

Innovation vs Optimisation

are you discovering a whole new way for something to be done - Innovative
are you using existing experiences to up the performance - optimisation

L2&3 DT | Design - Refined Ideas - Burnside High School Examples

Feedback (expand for info)

At this point you may want to get some feedback, especially if you have options but not quite sure which path to follow.

Feedback needs to be constructive… and honest

But what does it mean to be constructive?

Adjective

1. serving a useful purpose; tending to build up

Final Conceptual Design

Take your all your ideas, refinement and feedback and present your preferred idea. Note that depending on your outcome this might look slightly different (some examples on next few slides).

Your final design idea should be presented to a high standard with how you show your idea.
Justify how the chosen design addresses design principles and elements and relevant implications
Justify, with evidence, how your chosen design is suitable for the purpose and end user/s

L2&3 DT | Design Final - Burnside High School Examples

Evaluation

Appropriateness of your design

Think about how your design is fit for purpose and end users eg if your purpose was to make people aware of... how does your outcome design do this? How has your design considered;

End user considerations eg have you designed an outcome that the user wants, that your users will be able to use (eg old people need bigger fonts, young people may view on phones), appropriate content for gender, age, ethnic groups
What conventions have you considered in your design that will make your outcome suitable for your end users?
What implications have you considered in your design that will make your outcome suitable for your end users?