Communicating the Design
Communicating the Design
DUE: Wednesday, 5/9 by 11:59pm (tentative).
Initial Website Redesign
DUE: November 24 by 11:59pm.
Initial Video Prototype
DUE: November 24 by 11:59pm.
Communication Critique
DUE: December 1 by 11:59pm.
Project Pitch, Final Website, Final Video
DUE: December 4 by 11:59pm.
Initial Website Redesign
DUE: November 24 by 11:59pm.
You have been filling in your Project Website throughout this semester as a means to submit deliverables. Now is your chance to redesign the website in a more professional manner promoting a consistent narrative. Although this is in an initial website redesign on which you will get feedback and will be able to update, you should submit a complete and high-quality version of your website. The purpose of this website is to form the back drop for your Project Pitch as part of the Communicating the Design deliverable.
It is also necessary to provide a way for your instructor to download a copy/clone of your website's static files, so that these may be added to a CS376 course GitHub account, for future versions of this course to visit as an example.
Your website should have a main page which provides a very brief overview of your project (see examples below), as well as the interactive & video prototypes. Be sure to move unnecessary files to an 'Appendix' page that links to the various deliverables you have submitted throughout the semester. Most of these should no longer be directly accessible from the main page (nor navbar) of your website, although the Appendix page/tab should be.
You do not need to use a new website template, unless you want to! It is possible to adapt the Beautiful Jekyll index.html to satisfy the requirements of this deliverable.
Examples from Prior Offerings
Examples from prior offerings include:
Williams:
Spring 2018:
External:
Note that these examples are from prior (and external) offerings, so some reports may not map to our current project (i.e., Appendix page). Also note these samples are intended to illustrate a variety of approaches, none of which is intended to be ideal or exemplary. Be sure to understand and carefully consider project requirements and feedback from the instructor in the context of your own work.
Submission
Post to the appropriate Slack channel, including BOTH a link to your Project Website and a link to your Project Website GitHub repository.
Grading
This milestone will be graded on a scale of 8 points:
Completeness of Content
Includes all of the points listed above (motivation/problem, value, key functionality, design process insights)
Key features of the design are clear
Gives insight into the design process
Links to your Appendix, appropriate links to relevant deliverables
Video prototype, and interactive prototype (both embedded into website)
Interactive Prototype, Video Prototype Embedded in the Website
Appropriately Polished Presentation
Ability for Instructor to Download Your Website
Your website should be complete and will be evaluated as such. But later critique and refinement will help further improve it before the final presentation.
Initial Video Prototype
DUE: November 24 by 11:59pm.
Submit your video prototype in a portable and playable format to GLOW (or via a link on Slack if GLOW doesn't work). It should be sufficiently high-resolution for projection, but sufficiently compressed that it can be played on a typical laptop. Specifically, it should be playable on a Windows laptop and Mac OS laptop without special codecs installed (e.g., H.264 in an mp4 container). It should be less than 50 MB in size.
Remember it should probably not be more than 2 minutes long.
You may wish to try encoding video using the open-source tool HandBrake together with its iPad preset.
If you contact me regarding early drafts of your video, I will test that they play properly.
Samples from Prior [External] Offerings
Samples from external prior offerings include:
Note that these examples are from external offerings, so their reports may not map to our current project. Also note these samples are intended to illustrate a variety of approaches, none of which is intended to be ideal or exemplary. Be sure to understand and carefully consider project requirements and feedback from the instructor in the context of your own work.
Submission
Submit your video prototype in a portable and playable format to GLOW, here (or via a link on Slack if GLOW doesn't work).
Grading
This milestone will be graded on a scale of 6 points:
Conveys Problem, Design, Context, and Satisfaction
Appropriately Polished and Timed
Your video prototype should be complete and will be evaluated as such. But later critique and refinement will help further improve it before the final presentation.
Communication Critique
DUE: December 1 by 11:59pm.
This is a flexible critique day. The purpose of this day is to help you refine whichever of your remaining deliverables you feel needs feedback. Be prepared to present your video, website, and/or pitch at the critique. This is the last opportunity for you to get in-class critical feedback, so use it wisely.
Some portion of this day will be dedicated to project pitches, so you may wish to read about them in the deliverable detailed below.
Submission
Bring at least one of your artifacts to class (e.g., be prepared to show them on a laptop or computer).
Project Pitch, Final Website, Final Video
DUE: December 4 by 11:59pm.
Finalize your video prototype and website so the instructor can finalize grading and you can use the content during your project pitch.
Examples
There are not useful examples for the project pitch, but here's some additional resources:
Here's a video with a bunch of entrepreneurs pitching their start-up projects. What works well, what doesn't?
Tips/Pointers: "How to pitch a project" by Monteiro on Dear Design Student
Submission
Website: Post to the appropriate Slack channel, including BOTH a link to your Project Website and a link to your Project Website GitHub repository. Your Final Project Video & Interactive Prototype should be embedded in your Project Website. You should include insights into the design process (aim for no longer than your problem/motivation) - convince readers that there's evidence for what you designed.
Video: Your Final Project Video should be uploaded to GLOW, here (and also included on the website).
Pitch: On the last day of class, your team will give a two minute elevator pitch for your project. 1-3 members of your team may present, Your pitch should include: Project Title, Your Names, The Problem, Value Proposition, and Key Functionality. Show your project. Use content from your Project Website as needed. Convince us that your project is worth pursuing on a deeper level! I will be using the following rubric for assessing your project pitches: Rubric - Project Pitch
Grading
Your final video, final website, and project pitch will each be graded on a scale of 10 points.
Pitch
Content: (7 points)
Includes all of the points listed above
Key features of the design are clear
Motivation for why this project is a good idea
Presentation: (3 points)
Presenter makes eye contact with the audience.
Presenter projects their voice well and is audible throughout the room.
Presenter feels casual and engaged with the content, not just reading it.
Presentation covered the required scope within the allowed time period
Video Prototype
Content: (7 points)
Conveys the problem addressed by the design
Conveys the design itself
Conveys the context of interaction
Conveys the satisfaction of the design
Presentation: (3 points)
Reasonable level of production value
Appropriately edited and paced
Website
Content: (5 points)
Includes all of the points listed above (motivation/problem, value, key functionality, design process insights)
Key features of the design are clear
Gives insight into the design process
Links to your Appendix, appropriate links to relevant deliverables
Video prototype, and interactive prototype (both embedded into website)
Presentation: (5 points)
Looks professional and is something you would consider including in a design portfolio