OUGD504 review

Studio Brief 1:

1. Did you analyse/ interpret the brief?
For this task I constantly referred back to the brief to ensure my outcome would be approved by Megan. As it was a brief set by someone else I found it more important to keep reminding myself of Megan's expectations to make sure she approved of the final outcome. There wasn't much to the brief and it was pretty straight forward therefore it didn't take long to analyse, the main points were that it was aimed at cyclists and was focusing on the art and architecture of Krakow.

2. Did you think about the contexts of the brief?
Yes I thought about the fact it would be used by cyclists therefore I made sure it was small enough to be put in someones back pocket so they could access it at any time. I also added a bit of mystery to each place mentioned in the book to encourage people to visit, rather than showing them everything there was to offer straight away I collaged the photos I was using so they could reveal the missing bits when they arrived at the place.

3. Did you outline the problem?
Yes the problem was that the guidebook market is full of the same old standard guidebooks which we all have and use, however there is nothing different out there to attract people to buy one. In today's society people are more likely to use google to find out about a place rather than buying a guidebook therefore I needed to create something that stood out from the crowd and was inexpensive.

4. Was your research thorough and meaningful?
Most of my research was into Krakow as it is a place I haven't been to before. I found out about its history and how it has a large Jewish community that boasts a lot of traditional shops and cafes. I found it very interesting and wanted to encourage the readers to visit the places so they could experience them. I also researched into what colours to use and found that the national colour of Krakow was blue and the national colour of Poland was red. As well as this I research into common typefaces used in Poland as a lot of the words/ place names I was putting in the book were Polish therefore I wanted a nice typeface to compliment them. I also research into Krakow from a cyclist's point of view and found some attractions catered to them.

5. Did you arrive at some ideas through research?
Yes, the idea to add a tyre track/ journey line throughout the book was from researching biked and their patters. As mentioned above the typeface I used was derived from research as I wanted something to compliment the Polish language. Colour use was also inspired by research.

6. Did you generate more than 1 conceptual idea?
Yes I had multiple ideas in terms of layout and bind for the book, I wanted something interesting that hadn't been used before. Most guidebooks feature a small image along side a lot of text therefore I decided to go for the complete opposite of this and have a large image with a small amount of text.

7. Did you generate multiple visual/ creative solutions?
I think I could've done more in terms of creative solutions as I was rushing for most of this brief therefore wanted to get my idea done as soon as possible.

8. Did you develop several possible solutions?
Yes I had multiple solutions which tested different binds as well as different layouts however I believe the one I went for was the most suitable.

9. Did you go through an iterative process of experimentation and improvement?
Yes I had a lot of suggestions in crits in terms of the bind used and the material for the front cover, I took all of this feedback on board and tried to make changes where possible.


10. Did you propose a number of possible solutions as prototypes?
No I only provided one outcome as a prototype as I felt through my own opinion and the opinion of others during crits that this was the best outcome.

11. Did you develop your prototypes further?
Yes I changed the bind slightly as well as the front and back cover

12. Did you test and experiment with your production process?
I experimented with paper stock as well as the bind. The paper stock was chosen as it was the cheapest possible and the bind was chosen to reflect the wires and pattern found inside a bike tyre.

13. Did you leave enough time to ensure your final outcome was as good as it could be?
Yes as I produced it 3 weeks before it was supposed to be handed in therefore I had time to make any alterations if necessary but they weren't.


Studio Brief 2:

1. Did you analyse/ interpret the brief?
As this task was a brief set by myself I found it easy to interpret it and remember the essential requirements for it, however I still made sure I looked back over it from time to time to make sure I was on the right track in terms of design.

2. Did you think about the contexts of the brief?
Yes, I knew that the app would be used by amateur bakers therefore it had to be simple and easy to use. Anything daunting would put them off and prevent them from baking therefore every button and step was simple. I used a tab bar which wasnt too different from the ones used on pinterest and instagram to make it more familiar again making the app easier to use.

3. Did you outline the problem?
Yes the problem was that more people are being encouraged to bake from watching cooking shows such as The Great British Bake Off however they are not very good at it and don't know where to start. Gone are the days where your grandparents or parents teach you to bake, it is now a generation of finding recipes online and on apps therefore my app is fitting.

4. Was your research thorough and meaningful?
Yes my research was focused on existing apps on the market as well as things such as google home which makes baking easier by simply reading a recipe to you so that you dont have to touch anything with dirty hands. I decided to add a similar feature onto my app which allowed you to skip to the next step by using your voice rather than swiping the screen.

5. Did you arrive at some ideas through research?
Yes, as mentioned above the voice recognition idea came from doing research. As well as this the colours used were also inspired by research, apparently being happy makes you hungry therefore I used the colour yellow to encourage happiness. A long side this I used grey which is a calming colour therefore calming the user down so they don't get too flustered when baking.

6. Did you generate more than 1 conceptual idea?
Yes I had multiple ideas however they were all on similar lines as the app needed to be very simple and minimal therefore there was only so far I could push the boundaries.

7. Did you generate multiple visual/ creative solutions?
Yes I had slight variations to my designs and after showing these at crits I went with the ones that people found most suitable.

8. Did you develop several possible solutions?
Yes I had multiple solutions which tested different layouts and imagery etc .

9. Did you go through an iterative process of experimentation and improvement?
I could've experimented more and been more ambitious however it was difficult to do so when the requirement of the app was to be simplistic and easy to follow.

10. Did you propose a number of possible solutions as prototypes?
No I only provided one outcome as a prototype as I felt through my own opinion and the opinion of others during crits that this was the best outcome.

11. Did you develop your prototypes further?
After my final crit I decided not to develop my idea further as the suggestions were very minor and didn't have much justification therefore no alterations were made.

12. Did you test and experiment with your production process?
production was simple as everything was designed to an iPhone 6 size.

13. Did you leave enough time to ensure your final outcome was as good as it could be?
Yes I had enough time to make the app look nice and consistent as well as making a mock up of the app in use.