WNM700 Module 13

Wednesday, January 9th, 2019 | Module

Design Project Two Evaluation

Remember, in WNM 700, you will be evaluated not on the polish of the form of the interface in your proof of concept, but rather on the thinking that got you there. Your journal documents your process, thinking, and production — the proof of concept is the result of that work.

The way to receive a high score for Design Project Two is to ideate a variety of solutions and focus on impact and innovation. After testing these concepts, some (or all!) may fail. Document your learnings from these tests, present the results, and analyze the findings as they relate to the people you are trying to reach. These are the real “deliverables” of WNM 700. Use all of the results of these lightweight tests in subsequent rounds of design solutions, refining as you go. This is the core of the human centered design process.

If you find yourself overwhelmed, bogged down by bloat, anxious about getting the “right” results, or shying away to an “easier” aspect of your topic because you encounter roadblocks, just do simpler work. Never shy away from going back to pencil and paper. You can test a design without an interface! Simply talk through the interactions with target users and track observations in a notebook.

 

Presentation Prep

You will be presenting Design Project Two to your peers and instructor next week. Here’s the expected final deliverables.

  1. Slideshow Overview of Research, Justification, Ideation, and Testing (PDF, max slides 10 “Lastname_first_slideshow.pdf”) Should be presented in 5–8 minutes.
  2. Proof of Concept Most recent “final” version (individual JPEG images, GIFS, or rich prototypes in a sequence with labels and supporting imagery, max 20 images, “Lastname_first_POC.pdf”) should be presented in 5–8 minutes
  3. Journal All modules  (Doesn’t have to be “pretty”, includes all documentation of Design Project Two. “Lastname_first_journal.pdf”)
  4. Concept Video (Optional)  (.mp4 format, name: “Lastname_first_concept-video.mp4”)

 

Evaluation Criteria

Here’s how we will evaluate the success of Design Project Two. If’ it’s not already apparent, these are also the Course Learning Outcomes (“CLOs”).

Design Thinking 

  • Conduct appropriate and cited market research with clear evidence in well-justified user-centered design decisions that focus on real target users. 
  • Create interactive architecture that best reflects the needs of the project’s functionality. 
  • Created and strived for new and unique design patterns and interactions. Innovation was accomplished.

Visual Communication 

  • Effectively utilize grid, hierarchy, typography, color, and composition to effectively implement/display interactivity appropriate to the project.

User Experience 

  • Demonstrated a realistic consideration of potential users, using the various tools of UX practice. 
  • Applied testing results to refine project throughout the design process and demonstrated iteration. 
  • Created appropriate tests and methodology to validate and objectively evaluate design solutions.

Professional Readiness 

  • Produced a cohesive and professional presentation, free of spelling and grammatical errors that is executed to the same standards as the project itself.

 

Don’t forget to add to your journal!

1. Raw artifacts of your process 

Document the work session today and “data dump”. Sketches, research articles, URLS, inspirations, photos, audio recording with users, raw data, etc. Think of these as the “data dump”. You don’t need to spend a lot of time organizing them, but populate your journal with the “artifacts” of all of the work you did that week.

2. A brief summarization of findings

For each week, write a minimum 1–2 paragraph summary of the work that you undertook that week, and what you learned. Be sure to list surprising anecdotes, any findings of data analysis, or break throughs that you achieved! 

3. Scheduling and goal setting

For each week, write a minimum 1–2 paragraph plan of the week to come. What are the priorities in the design for the upcoming week? What needs to be found out, and why? What needs to be validated, and what needs to be tested? List your goals for the upcoming week, and briefly write about how you’ll accomplish them, and when. Try and be specific, and use a calendar. On what days will you get what done?