On Friday the 27th we all sat down and prepared a question sheet for the Student Designers team. Below is our listed questions along with our interpretation of required outcomes.
Discovery:
___ Where and how will this feedback tool be implemented? As part of the student designers web site, as a stand alone feature or as a micro site accessed through student designers?
The feedback tool will inhabit the current student designers site at a heading page in it’s own right. www.studentdesigners.co.uk/feedback
___ Who can view and post feedback? Only registered users, anonymous/guest options with limited posting viewing rights or open to all?
Currently the tool will be used exclusively by student members who have a registered account. In future this feature may open up to include industry professionals, recent graduates or lecturing staff.
___ How is it built/who builds it? The brief is vague here, see week 3 working prototype.
Student designers intend to create one working prototype.
___ How many prototypes? One for each group or one across the whole year group?
One working prototype has been suggested. We assume this means that by week four all teams are developing one tool rather than developing separate solutions?
___ Feature overlaps? Is this a crowd sourcing operation where majority rules or is the client genuinely looking for innovative new ideas?
As student Designers operate a working policy of “lean startups” meaning that information is gathered from a wide group of respondents to identify key strengths and popular choices. Whilst this method of working is always in danger of favouring the most average solution it by no means assumes that exciting, innovative ideas won’t make the final cut if they are correctly communicated during their inception.
___ What user base will have access to the finished project? Number of registered users, traffic currently for the site, open to all? This is very important for considering the how likely these users are to visit the page, how long they will view it, how regularly they will look back.
Exact numbers are difficult to pin point given that one a year members will graduate and move on to employment, freelance etc. last year roughly one third of student members reached the end of their course. How many members are currently active?
___ Will the page be moderated by active admin staff? In order to police the site, keep conversation going or promote a feeling of community will there be regular admin postings, inspiring discussion etc...
Ideally there will be no need for active moderation. By relying on the community to police themselves to a degree this would suggest that a report abuse or up/down vote comments would be welcome.
Creative:
___ Are we working within Student Designers brand architecture? If not then do we have free reign or influences/constraints to work within?
The feedback tool is intended to seamlessly integrate itself within the current brand architecture of www.studentdesigners.co.uk. The client is looking for a clean intuitive tool which at its heart is user friendly and where appropriate is styled ‘on brand’.
___ How in depth should the feedback look to go? One click “like” system, multiple choice questions, conversational, ranking system, up voting? Are we given free reign?
At this stage we are given free reign over the depth of feedback required. This may become more focused as the brief continues. Our first response would be to suggest a more targeted system than a like or numeric system will provide better quality of feedback.
Process:
___ Following the advice of Student Designers we will operate using the “double diamond” strategy.Discover, Define, Develop & Deliver.
Technical/Deliverables:
___ What size/dimensions will the feedback tool inhabit?
Student designers operate on the 978 grid system. As time goes by they will look to a responsive solution allowing them to develop a singular fluid site through css media quires rather than the traditional route of creating separate sites for a variety of browsers.
___ Mobile first? Are we expected to design for multiple sizes/formats? If so what specifics?
Although it is up to us we would suggest that a mobile first approach to the interface design is of great importance. This is key in order to create a considered tool that remains aesthetically consistent and relevant for a number of years to come.
___ File formats/deliverables.... What file formats are we expected to provide?
.psd .pdf etc.
Visuals will be provided in JPEG format and uploaded to Blogger. Work undertaken in Adobe Photoshop or Illustrator/InDesign. Wire framing may be created in Omni, more research needed by students on this piece of software.
