Think of your design journal as a written and visual scrapbook where you collect your inspiration, and a place to gather your prototypes.
16 | 17 |We expect to see evidence that you're up to date with what is happening on the web and in our industry. Don't over-rely on Google, look beyond the web, consider books, magazines, newspapers and other media. We expect to see something along the lines of The Standardistas' site, where inspiration is gathered and reflected upon. In short, something that shows us that you're interested in web design and have a passion for it.
18 | 19 |Please overwrite this content to show us that you have read and understand what we expect of you in your design journal. You can replace this content with introductory material of your own, however, we would ask that at the very top of the page you kick off with a 50 word pen portrait that introduces yourself.
20 | 21 |If you are unclear of what is expected, please ask a lecturer during the lab sessions or after the lectures. We don't want to hear, "But my friend told me this was how we should do it." Your friend is usually wrong.
22 | 23 | 24 |This week we expect to see evidence of initial market research. We expect to see you undertaking the groundwork that will form the basis of the project as we progress through the semester.
29 | 30 |During the lecture we looked at the evolution of ‘digital product design’ and how many designers are starting to use their skills to develop product ranges: icons, prints, themes… We’d like to see you exploring this area and laying the foundations for this semester’s project work.
31 | 32 |Remember this module is a 20 Credit module, we expect to see 200 hours of work.
33 | 34 | 35 |This week we expect to see evidence of three product categories – for example icons, prints, or themes – with an analysis of them. This might be three designers who are creating icon sets, for example: Dan Cederholm’s IconShoppe icons; Drew Wilson’s Pictos icons; or Adam Whitcroft’s Batch icons.
40 | 41 |We’d like to see some thought given to each of your three choices. How are the products being marketed? Who’s the target market? How are they priced? If they’re $40, why are they $40. If they’re free, why are they free? This research will inform your research in Week 3, when we start to build some user personas, which represent your typical customers.
42 | 43 | 44 |This week we expect to see research into your target market. We’d like to see a finished user persona that encapsulates your typical customer. Our friends at MailChimp have created a lovely article on User Persona Research, you might like to start by reading that, but we’d like to see you doing your own research into this area.
49 | 50 |Put some thought into how you design your personas. MailChimp’s, linked to above, are particularly nice, but how would you execute them?
51 | 52 | 53 |This week we expect to see evidence of initial skills acquisition. You will probably need to learn new skills to get your product idea off the ground: this might mean learning Illustrator (you could take a look at Veerle Pieters’ excellent tutorials to leverage up your Illustrator abilities); or it might be learning how to theme Wordpress (you could explore WordPress’s documentation to grow your skills in this area).
58 | 59 |In short, we expect to see evidence of you learning new skills. Your work in these early weeks will enable you to fulfil the brief.
60 | 61 | 62 |This week we expect to see further evidence of skills acquisition. You all need to widen your skills base in order to: 1. Fulfil the brief; and 2. Prepare yourself for placement. Focus on your weaknesses. What skills do you need to improve? Identify these and provide prototypes that clearly show us what you have been working on.
67 | 68 |It’s worth stressing at this point that we are expecting sustained work undertaken throughout the semester, don’t ease off the gas, maintain the momentum. You all have skills gaps, now is the time to address these gaps and learn something new.
69 | 70 | 71 |This week we expect to see your initial digital product prototypes. We’d like you to focus on building a Minimum Viable Product, you will iterate on this over the remainder of the semester. The quicker you give your product form, the quicker you can iterate upon it. We’d like to see evidence of your product idea and some thought given to target market and pricing. (Remember, your price might be ‘free’.
76 | 77 | 78 |This week we expect to see your product ideas taking shape and becoming further refined. We’d like to see further evidence of your thinking and how it is evolving, reflect upon this so we can see your thinking.
83 | 84 |At this point you should have a product idea and be at a stage that you can gather feedback on it from your peers and the wider market. Be proactive and start to consider how you’re framing your product’s story.
85 | 86 | 87 |Your product’s need a home. We showed some examples of these during the Week 2 lecture, ‘From Service to Product’. We’d like you to take a look at the examples we showed and consider how your product’s story is told. Examples to consider include: Dan Cederholm’s IconShoppe; Gavin Elliot and Vic Bell’s Gump Inc.; or Dan Mall’s Site Map Kit.
92 | 93 |We’d like to see consideration give to pricing and target markets, as outlined in your Week 3 and Week 4 research. Consider the product narrative. How are you telling the story?
94 | 95 | 96 |This week we’d like you to develop your product web site and move it towards completion. This is your opportunity to tie up loose ends and undertake essential QA (Quality Assurance). We expect you to have tested your product web site across multiple browsers and in multiple contexts (desktop and mobile), it should work everywhere, not just on the computer you developed it on.
101 | 102 |This is your chance to showcase your skills as they are evolving on the course. You should be aiming to include this project in your portfolio, take some pride in it.
103 | 104 | 105 |This week we expect to see your work on the Keynote or PowerPoint you’ll use to pitch your digital product idea to us in Week 12. We’d like to see evidence of well-designed slides and a carefully considered pitch. Your Keynote or PowerPoint needs to provide:
110 | 111 |In short, we’ll be looking for a well-designed slide deck that tells us the product story. We’ll also need you to provide a PDF of your slide deck to assist us with the assessment.
119 | 120 | 121 |In this, the final week of the semester, you’ll be pitching your product ideas to the DES staff. We’ll provide feedback during the pitch sessions and offer some suggestions to improve your ideas.
126 | 127 |We’ll run through presentation skills during the lecture programme, this will be opportunity to show us what you learned and to practice your pitching skills.
128 | 129 | 130 | 131 | -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- /Year 3/1. Placement Year.md: -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 1 | Placement 2 | ========= 3 | 4 | + __Year:__ 3 5 | + __Semester:__ N/A 6 | + __Credits:__ TBC 7 | + __Delivery:__ Work Placement Visits 8 | + __Co-requisites:__ None 9 | 10 | 11 | ##Rationale 12 | 13 | We believe that placement experience is important, we've seen this borne out in previous students we've worked with. We hope to partner with companies, both nationally and internationally, to help facilitate this. Students are supported on their placement year through staff engagement with industry and we envisage this offering additional opportunities to build strong connections between academia and industry. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- /Year 4/1. Major Project Prototyping/1. Major Project Prototyping.md: -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 1 | Major Project Prototyping 2 | ========================= 3 | 4 | + __Year:__ 4 5 | + __Semester:__ 1 6 | + __Credits:__ 40 Credits 7 | + __Delivery:__ Lectures, Seminars, Workshops and Self-Directed Study 8 | + __Co-requisites:__ Research and Writing 9 | 10 | 11 | ##Rationale 12 | 13 | This module focuses on equipping students with the idea generation and prototyping skills required to produce a substantial and challenging body of work for the Major Project module in the following semester. It is intended to form a springboard for the students’ final outcome and is very closely linked to the deliverables of that module. 14 | 15 | The module aims to equip students with a comprehensive understanding of the various aspects of idea generation, project preparation, management and delivery, required to undertake a substantial piece of project work. The module is designed to help students develop their individual design skills, identities and direction, enabling them to develop a realistic and meaningful piece of work during their final year. 16 | 17 | Through an emphasis on developing iterative prototypes at a range of fidelities – including sketches, paper prototypes, wireframes and functional prototypes – and testing these extensively, students are equipped with the building blocks required to bring ideas into form and embark on their Major Project successfully. 18 | 19 | A structured lecture programme, coupled with a series of idea generation workshops, paper-prototyping workshops and applied lab sessions, equips students with the skills required to prototype their ideas and test their validity before embarking on the Major Project. 20 | 21 | 22 | ##Aims 23 | 24 | The essential aims of this module are: 25 | 26 | + To introduce students to a range of design research approaches. 27 | + To add to the students’ idea generation repertoire. 28 | + To further develop students’ paper-prototyping skills, ensuring they complete the programme with a clear understanding of the importance of thinking through paper. 29 | + To equip students with the skills required to convincingly pitch their ideas in a confident and reasoned manner. 30 | + To develop students individual design skills and identities, informing their Major Project module in the final semester. 31 | + To build a series of prototypes that will inform and guide the construction of their Major Project. 32 | 33 | 34 | ##Content 35 | 36 | Students are supported through a weekly lecture programme that is designed to broaden their knowledge and understanding. Lecture and seminar content are centred on developing students’ understanding of the idea generation process, with a focus on learning from international models of excellence. 37 | 38 | Models developed in both industry (IDEO, Frog Design) and academia (d.school, Hyperisland) are introduced and explored, forming a basis for evolving a solid idea generation process and methodology. 39 | 40 | Indicative lecture content includes: 41 | 42 | + The Myths of Innovation 43 | + Idea Generation 44 | + Brainstorming 45 | + Six Thinking Hats 46 | + Radiant Thinking and Widening the Frame of Reference 47 | + Randomness 48 | + Collaborative Approaches and Hot Teams 49 | + Space as Creative Facilitator 50 | + Paper- and Digital-Prototyping 51 | 52 | 53 | ##Reading List 54 | 55 | ###Required 56 | 57 | + Kelley, T., and Kelley, D., 2013. [Creative Confidence: Unleashing the Creative Potential Within Us All.](http://www.amazon.co.uk/exec/obidos/ASIN/0007517998/monographic-21) London: William Collins. 58 | + Fried, J., and Heinemeier Hansson, D., 2010. [Rework.](http://www.amazon.co.uk/exec/obidos/ASIN/0091929784/monographic-21) London: Vermilion. 59 | + Cooper, A., 2004. [The Inmates Are Running the Asylum: Why High Tech Products Drive Us Crazy and How to Restore the Sanity.](http://www.amazon.co.uk/exec/obidos/ASIN/0672326140/monographic-21) London: Sams. 60 | + Noble, I. and Bestley, R., 2011. [Visual Research: An Introduction to Research Methodologies in Graphic Design.](http://www.amazon.co.uk/exec/obidos/ASIN/2940411603/monographic-21) 2nd ed. Lausanne: AVA Publishing. 61 | 62 | 63 | ###Recommended 64 | 65 | + Kelley, T., 2002. [The Art Of Innovation: Success Through Innovation the IDEO Way.](http://www.amazon.co.uk/exec/obidos/ASIN/186197583X/monographic-21) London: Profile Books. 66 | + Berkun, S., 2010. [The Myths of Innovation.](http://www.amazon.co.uk/exec/obidos/ASIN/1449389627/monographic-21) San Francisco: O’Reilly Media. 67 | + Friedman, V., Ed., 2013. [Smashing Book #4.](http://www.smashingmagazine.com/smashing-book-4-new-perspectives/) Freiburg: Smashing Media. 68 | + Shaughnessy, A., 2010. [How to Be a Graphic Designer Without Losing Your Soul.](http://www.amazon.co.uk/exec/obidos/ASIN/1856697096/monographic-21) 2nd ed. London: Laurence King Publishing. 69 | -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- /Year 4/2. Research and Writing/2. Research and Writing.md: -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 1 | Research and Writing 2 | ==================== 3 | 4 | + __Year:__ 4 5 | + __Semester:__ 1 6 | + __Credits:__ 20 Credits 7 | + __Delivery:__ Lectures, Seminars, Workshops and Self-Directed Study 8 | + __Co-requisites:__ Major Project Prototyping 9 | 10 | 11 | ##Rationale 12 | 13 | This module is intended to consolidate the students’ knowledge and understanding of history and theory, by providing an opportunity for students to generate a body of unique research, tailored to their specialist area. 14 | 15 | The module is taught through a series of lectures and seminars that provide an awareness of the changing context of interaction design, exploring how the subject area is expanding and evolving. Lecture content adopts a less technology-focused approach, instead focusing on context. 16 | 17 | Students are expected to undertake a substantial piece of writing informed by the lecture and seminar programme to contextualise their practice. Through an emphasis on a substantial piece of written work, students are equipped with the skills required to reflect upon their practice and its theoretical underpinnings. The module aims to equip students with an understanding of the importance of reflective writing and how it can be mapped onto, and benefit, practice. 18 | 19 | The module explores a range of research and writing strategies through a series of seminars that identify and explore several key areas of contemporary practice. The emphasis is placed upon evolving the high-level research and writing skills necessary to meet industry’s needs. 20 | 21 | 22 | ##Aims 23 | 24 | The essential aims of this module are: 25 | 26 | + To develop specialist knowledge of emerging technologies, and their possible uses, related to interaction design. 27 | + To develop a deep understanding of the context in which we consume media, and explore how these media are evolving. 28 | + To develop research, evaluation, reporting and presentation skills. 29 | + To develop skills in providing a critique of research performed by others. 30 | 31 | 32 | ##Content 33 | 34 | Students are supported through a weekly lecture programme that is designed to broaden their knowledge and understanding. Lecture content adopts a less technology-focused approach, instead focusing on context, including: disruptive pricing models (‘Free’, ‘The Long Tail’); shared creation (‘Wikinomics’); underlying shifts in our industry, for example the shift from service to product; varying startup approaches (‘The Lean Startup’); and the psychology of digital design. 35 | 36 | Indicative lecture content includes: 37 | 38 | + The Shift from Services to Products 39 | + The Rise of the Digital Product Designer 40 | + Wikinomics and Mass Collaboration 41 | + Riding the Long Tail to Free 42 | + Steve Jobs vs. The Word of Minimum Viable Product 43 | + Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs and the Psychology of Delight 44 | + The Internet of Things 45 | + Wearable Computing 46 | + Talkaboutability 47 | 48 | 49 | ##Reading List 50 | 51 | ###Required 52 | 53 | + Armstrong, H., 2009. [Graphic Design Theory: Readings from the Field.](http://www.amazon.co.uk/exec/obidos/ASIN/1568987722/monographic-21) Princeton: Princeton Architectural Press. 54 | + Lupton, E. and Abbott Miller, J., 1999. [Design Writing Research: Writing on Graphic Design.](http://www.amazon.co.uk/exec/obidos/ASIN/0714838519/monographic-21) London: Phaidon. 55 | + Collins, H., 2010. [Creative Research: The Theory and Practice of Research for the Creative Industries.](http://www.amazon.co.uk/exec/obidos/ASIN/2940411085/monographic-21) Lausanne: Ava. 56 | 57 | 58 | ###Recommended 59 | 60 | + Truss, L., 2009. [Eats, Shoots and Leaves – The Zero Tolerance Approach to Punctuation.](http://www.amazon.co.uk/exec/obidos/ASIN/0007329067/monographic-21) London: Fourth Estate 61 | + Crystal, D., 2006. [The Fight for English: How Language Pundits Ate, Shot, and Left.](http://www.amazon.co.uk/exec/obidos/ASIN/B009JCVFIG/monographic-21) Oxford: Oxford University Press. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- /Year 4/3. Major Project/3. Major Project.md: -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 1 | Major Project 2 | ============= 3 | 4 | + __Year:__ 4 5 | + __Semester:__ 2 6 | + __Credits:__ 40 Credits 7 | + __Delivery:__ Lectures, Seminars, Workshops and Self-Directed Study 8 | + __Co-requisites:__ Design Presentation and Reporting 9 | 10 | 11 | ##Rationale 12 | 13 | This module focuses on equipping students with a combination of skills, centred on the design and build of a sustained piece of coursework, which enables them to showcase what they have learned throughout the entirety of the course. The aim of the module is to highlight the depth and breadth of knowledge students have acquired whilst on the course. 14 | 15 | The module offers students support and feedback towards the development of a sustained body of work, which comes together in the form of a Major Project, designed to showcase the student’s abilities. 16 | 17 | The module allows students to identify and focus on a topic that interests them, enabling them to demonstrate what they have learned throughout the course. Within the project the student is expected to integrate and apply their learning from other modules on the course through the completion of a high level piece of work. 18 | 19 | Through the creation of a substantial piece of work students demonstrate an understanding of both the project management and quality assurance skills needed to work within industry, assisting them in the process of securing employment. 20 | 21 | 22 | ##Aims 23 | 24 | The essential aims of this module are: 25 | 26 | + To give the student an opportunity to carry out a significant body of workthat integrates the various topics covered on the course. 27 | + To develop students’ project management, and time and resource management skills. 28 | + To equip students with an understanding of the importance of quality assurance throughout a project’s different phases. 29 | + To develop the students’ ability to work independently and advance their critical assessment abilities. 30 | + To equip students with the skills required to present their work and engage in critical discussion. 31 | 32 | 33 | ##Content 34 | 35 | Students are supported through a weekly lecture programme that is designed to broaden their knowledge and understanding. Lecture and seminar content are centred on developing students’ understanding of the project development and marketing process, with a focus on learning from international models of excellence. 36 | 37 | Indicative lecture content includes: 38 | 39 | + Strategic Marketing 40 | + Idea Viruses and Purple Cows 41 | + Storytelling and Social Media 42 | + Hollywood Launch 43 | + Developing Successful Press Campaigns 44 | + The Art of the Press Release 45 | + Dealing With the Media 46 | 47 | 48 | ##Reading List 49 | 50 | ###Required 51 | 52 | + Knowlton, B., 2012. [A Practical Guide to Managing Web Projects.](http://www.fivesimplesteps.com/products/a-practical-guide-to-managing-web-projects) Penarth: Five Simple Steps. 53 | + Osterwalder, A., and Pigneur, Y., 2010. [Business Model Generation: A Handbook for Visionaries, Game Changers, and Challengers.](http://www.amazon.co.uk/exec/obidos/ASIN/0470876417/monographic-21) London: John Wiley & Sons. 54 | + Ries, E., 2011. [The Lean Startup: How Constant Innovation Creates Radically Successful Businesses.](http://www.amazon.co.uk/exec/obidos/ASIN/0670921602/monographic-21) London: Portfolio Penguin. 55 | + Fried, J., and Heinemeier Hansson, D., 2010. [Rework.](http://www.amazon.co.uk/exec/obidos/ASIN/0091929784/monographic-21) London: Vermilion. 56 | + Murphy, C., 2014. [Talkaboutability.](http://tinybooks.org) Belfast: Tiny Books. 57 | 58 | 59 | ###Recommended 60 | 61 | + Long, J., 2013. [Design Evolution.](http://www.fivesimplesteps.com/products/design-evolution) Penarth: Five Simple Steps. 62 | + Hall, E., 2013. [Just Enough Research.](http://www.abookapart.com/products/just-enough-research) New York: A Book Apart. 63 | + Chimero, F., 2011. [The Shape of Design.](http://shapeofdesignbook.com) New York: Frank Chimero (Kickstarter Funded Publication). 64 | + Zambonini, D., 2012. [A Practical Guide to Web App Success.](http://www.fivesimplesteps.com/products/web-app-success) Penarth: Five Simple Steps. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- /Year 4/4. Design Presentation and Reporting/4. Design Presentation and Reporting.md: -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 1 | Design Presentation and Reporting 2 | ================================= 3 | 4 | + __Year:__ 4 5 | + __Semester:__ 2 6 | + __Credits:__ 20 Credits 7 | + __Delivery:__ Lectures, Seminars, Workshops and Self-Directed Study 8 | + __Co-requisites:__ Major Project 9 | 10 | 11 | ##Rationale 12 | 13 | Design Presentation and Reporting equips students with the skills – both written and verbal – to confidently articulate their ideas, pitching them to an audience in a manner that is both reasoned and persuasive. 14 | 15 | The module allows students to expand upon their research skills to further a deeper understanding of the subject area in general, and to help in evidencing concepts, ideas and rationales relating to the work undertaken for the Major Project in the same semester. The module develops advanced analytical skills vital in the rapidly evolving field of interaction design. 16 | 17 | The module, which is tightly coupled with the Major Project module, is intended to enable students to develop the pitching skills necessary to present their ideas in an industry context. Equipping them with the abilities required to do this, students make a formal structured presentation that sets out the rationale, analysis, conclusions and critical appraisal of their Major Project. 18 | 19 | 20 | ##Aims 21 | 22 | The essential aims of this module are: 23 | 24 | + To introduce students to the skills required to present their work in a clearly structured manner. 25 | + To develop the necessary skills and methodologies for the creation and presentation of ideas. 26 | + To develop students’ understanding of the visual materials required to support a structured presentation. 27 | + To develop students’ formal presentation abilities, equipping them with the personal qualities required to pitch ideas confidently. 28 | 29 | 30 | ##Content 31 | 32 | Students are supported through a comprehensive lecture and seminar programme that equips them with the skills needed to confidently articulate their thinking, both verbally and in supporting written form. Lecture content is geared towards equipping students with an understanding of how to support and make an argument in a persuasive manner, whether verbal or written. 33 | 34 | Indicative lecture content includes: 35 | 36 | + Structuring a Narrative 37 | + Presentation Zen 38 | + The Art of the Pitch 39 | + Building Confidence 40 | + Don’t Die On Stage 41 | + Working the Room 42 | + Offstage Engagement 43 | + Taking the Presentation Online 44 | 45 | 46 | ##Reading List 47 | 48 | ###Required 49 | 50 | + Bayley, S. and Mavity, R., 2008. [Life’s a Pitch.](http://www.amazon.co.uk/exec/obidos/ASIN/0552156833/monographic-21) London: Corgi. 51 | + Duarte, N., 2012. [HBR Guide to Persuasive Presentations.](http://www.amazon.co.uk/exec/obidos/ASIN/1422187101/monographic-21) Harvard: Harvard Business Review. 52 | + Reynolds, G., 2011. [Presentation Zen: Simple Ideas on Presentation Design and Delivery.](http://www.amazon.co.uk/exec/obidos/ASIN/0321811984/monographic-21) San Francisco: New Riders. 53 | + Murphy, C., 2014. [Don’t Die On Stage.](https://github.com/fehler/books) Belfast: Uncommon Knowledge. 54 | 55 | 56 | ###Recommended 57 | 58 | + Duarte, N., 2008. [slide:ology: The Art and Science of Creating Great Presentations.](http://www.amazon.co.uk/exec/obidos/ASIN/0596522347/monographic-21) San Francisco: O’Reilly Media. 59 | + Berkun, S., 2011. [Confessions of a Public Speaker.](http://www.amazon.co.uk/exec/obidos/ASIN/B002VL1CGM/monographic-21) San Francisco: O’Reilly Media. 60 | 61 | 71 | --------------------------------------------------------------------------------