Minor Project
Design Innovation
Week 1 (14/04/20)
For this week, we were asked to complete two tasks based on provided materials.
#1 Describe what design innovation is based on this article and to cite some examples to elaborate our understanding.
Design innovation is simply a way of improving the product through its design - it could be the way a user interacts with the product and doesn't necessarily have to focus on the more technical aspects. Innovation could be what takes the product from simply being functional to something that is more familiar and comfortable for a user. It involves understanding exactly what the user's perspective is and empathising with their situation to innovate the product so it has real value.
Innovating a product does not always have the user as the first priority but could also focus on business goals. One such example is the redesign of the Coca Cola bottle in the early 1900's. Coca Cola's aim was to differentiate their product packaging from other drinks in the market and to ensure that consumer knew they were buying the original and not just a knockoff. What started as a generic bottle evolved to the iconic cocoa pod shape it is today.
#2 We also had to watch a documentary about Design Disruptors and write a short essay about what they are with examples.
This documentary shed light into a different perspectives on the role design plays in our society and how a design disruptor acts as a catalyst for change. A design disruptor is someone who strives to change the normal and do the the unthinkable - a solution, be it small or big, that goes a long way to solve issues. They develop creative solutions for problems by thinking outside the box and seeing it from a different perspective.
It is emphasised in the documentary that designers are essentially problem solvers, who play an equally important role in an organisation, right from making the initial decisions to the finishing touches. They could be inventors, who create a solution to a problem that went unnoticed that people can't now live without or could also be innovators who challenge and bend the rules to come up with a creative, better solution. Design disruptors not only focus on innovation and creation, but also sustainable solutions that are just as effective.
There were a few examples discussed in the documentary, one being about e-hailing services such as Lyft and Uber. These apps were created with the intention to reduce the number of cars on the road and to reduce waiting times. The thought that went into creating such a service is immense - a driver would only have one free hand to control their phone and accept pickup requests and a customer should be able to find their ride with ease and get dropped off at the right time. The user experience and user interface is something that should reflect the needs of both parties. This goes to prove how important the role of a designer is in disrupting the industry in order to come up with creative solutions that make an impact.
Week 4
This week, were reminded to start compiling our ideas on Miro, including our initial sketches, moodboards and any other references that we wanted to include in the planning phase. We began establishing an art direction and looked into some references that would work for our content and started adding them to Miro. It was quite fun looking into them and watching videos to find references for our animations and illustrations. I quite liked and was familiar with the work of a Youtube channel and studio called Kurzgesagt and suggested that to Sangeetha and Rausha. Their videos used bright visuals that I thought would be interesting to incorporate into our theme, but their animation might be a might of a stretch for us to achieve.
https://kurzgesagt.org/youtube/
I also started working on the storyboard sketches for the liquefaction activity based on some research into the process and also the content we received.
 |
| Initial storyboard sketches for Liquefaction |
These were the references we added for our illustration and animation style. We decided to go for something that is bright and lively to explain the concepts in a manner that would be fun for the students despite it being a virtual experience. We primarily referred to the work of Kurzgesagt for our visuals as it felt it looked very distinct and exciting and would work well for our content.
We also decided on the colour combinations we will be using as well as the typeface combinations.
 |
| References for illustration style, colours & animation references |
 |
| Overview of our colour palette and typography |
I started working on digitising our assets for the activities and followed an isometric design style so that the landscape and the soil composition could be seen better. Below are the finalised visuals for each stage in the activity –
 |
| Layer 1 - water & bedrock |
 |
| Layer 2 - bedrock + fine sand and silt |
 |
| Layer 3 - Sand and silt |
 |
| Layer 4 - Landmass |
 |
| Layer 5 - Post-earthquake, sunken buildings |
This was the revised storyboard before the presentation to Petrosains. Sangeetha worked on the background for the screen space as I was having a hard time with it.
Week 6
Our slides for this week's presentation with Petrosains.
Week 7
This week, I started working on the user interface for the activity and tried out some options for the layout with the buttons that Sangeetha first made –
There was an issue with the colours of the elements and Mr. Mike felt it could be improved much more – we were told to look into references for the UI and to find something that was compatible with the style we were going for for the rest of the visuals. There was also nothing that unified the differences in the look and feel of the Liquefaction and Fossil casting activities.
Week 8
 |
| Progress of adjusting the pop-ups in Ai |
 |
| Progress of adjusting the pop-ups in Ai |
 |
| UI Progress - fossil casting |
 |
| UI Progress - liquefaction |
 |
| UI Progress - fossil casting |
Mr. Mike still felt that the UI sort of seemed to blend into the background and did not stand out enough to feel like the interface of a game. He suggested looking into ways to make the design pop against the background. There were also a few changes to be made to the background for the fossil casting activity on Rausha's end so I still had to figure out a set of colours that would work for both.
For my voiceover, there was a bit of background noise that needed to be fixed but otherwise it was okay. We were also considering if we should add a background music to the activities as well as the videos
Week 9
This week I made some revisions to the UI and we managed to figure out to achieve some form of consistency with the two activities and Mr. Mike approved and commented that it looked much better than before.
 |
| Finalised UI elements - menu buttons |
 |
| Finalised UI - Screen 1 |
 |
| Finalised UI - Screen 1 |
 |
| Finalised UI - Screen 2 |
 |
| Finalised UI - Screen 3 |
 |
| Finalised UI - Screen 4 |
 |
| Finalised UI - Screen 5 |
 |
| Finalised UI - Screen 6 |
 |
| Finalised UI - Screen 7 |
 |
| Finalised UI - Screen 8 |
 |
| Finalised UI - Screen 9 |
 |
| Finalised UI - Screen 10 |
Finalised UI screens for both activities by Rausha and I -
This week, Rausha and I compiled the animation videos that Sangeetha sent over to us and I added the edited voiceovers. However there were a few minor adjustments to be made to the keyframes so it aligns with the voiceover better.
Week 12
This week Sangeetha worked on the main screens for our activity screen's welcome page.
FEEDBACK
Week 1
No feedback this week.
Week 2
No feedback this week.
Week 3
No feedback this week (public holiday)
Week 4
We received most of the content for Liquefaction but still had to receive the content for Paleontology. We were reminded to relate the art direction of our content to our age group, which was students between 10-17 years old. We were also told to start working on a Miro board where we should start posting our initial sketches, moodboards and any references we find.
Week 5
Mr. Mike approved of our idea for the Liquefaction activity and commented that it sounded rather engaging for students but would be more interesting if we could add a Richter scale as a part of the UI or have an option to select the intensity of the earthquake. This way, we'd be able to show how the effect truly has on the landscape and how the liquefaction process would also differ under different circumstances. We also had to start working on visual guides for the entire UI to see what works. For next week, we had to start working on the storyboards for the Fossil casting and Liquefaction activities.
Week 6
After our proposal presentation this week, we didn't receive much feedback and we were told that it was pretty straightforward and easy to comprehend. However, Mr. Mike suggested some changes we show make in our visuals – the illustrations in the activities did not stand out enough so he suggested finding more references, maybe to try including outlines to make it stand out more.
Week 7
We were told to try making the visuals more saturated and colourful to get the same intensity and excitement as the visuals in the Kurzgesagt videos. Right now they appeared rather flat and dull, so we should focus on making them more vibrant for the target audience.
Week 8
There was still an issue with our UI that needed to be figured out by next week so we were told to finalise it by next week for a final review. Mr. Mike commented that the voiceover was okay but we would have to adjust it according to our video’s timing and pace. There was also a bit of background noise that needed to be fixed before the final compilation of the animations. We were also reminded that we should be following our Gantt chart and keeping up with the deadlines for each task.
Week 5
Mr. Mike approved of our idea for the Liquefaction activity and commented that it sounded rather engaging for students but would be more interesting if we could add a Richter scale as a part of the UI or have an option to select the intensity of the earthquake. This way, we'd be able to show how the effect truly has on the landscape and how the liquefaction process would also differ under different circumstances. We also had to start working on visual guides for the entire UI to see what works. For next week, we had to start working on the storyboards for the Fossil casting and Liquefaction activities.
Week 6
After our proposal presentation this week, we didn't receive much feedback and we were told that it was pretty straightforward and easy to comprehend. However, Mr. Mike suggested some changes we show make in our visuals – the illustrations in the activities did not stand out enough so he suggested finding more references, maybe to try including outlines to make it stand out more.
Week 7
We were told to try making the visuals more saturated and colourful to get the same intensity and excitement as the visuals in the Kurzgesagt videos. Right now they appeared rather flat and dull, so we should focus on making them more vibrant for the target audience.
Week 8
There was still an issue with our UI that needed to be figured out by next week so we were told to finalise it by next week for a final review. Mr. Mike commented that the voiceover was okay but we would have to adjust it according to our video’s timing and pace. There was also a bit of background noise that needed to be fixed before the final compilation of the animations. We were also reminded that we should be following our Gantt chart and keeping up with the deadlines for each task.
Week 9
The animatic and the UI was better than before and stood out more against the background, like that of real game's interface.
Week 10
Since things were rather unclear with the SOCIT students, Mr. Mike said we should figure out how exactly they would be executing it and to what extent, so we were told set a meeting with them as soon as possible to figure it out before we progress any further.
Week 12
There were a couple of minor adjustments to be made with our final animations as they did not seem to completely align with the voiceovers. Mr. Mike also suggested adding an additional screen as a landing page for users to select the activity or to play the animation video first.
Week 14
Not much feedback this week, we were pretty much good to go but there was still a bit of delay from the Unity side so we will have to continue preparing for our final presentation until the date is confirmed.
REFLECTIONS
Week 3
I’m really looking forward to seeing how everything will tie together in this project. There would be quite a bit of work on our hands, with the art direction and illustration once we receive the content from Petrosains, but I’m sure that if we delegate tasks properly within our design team it will be attainable.
Week 4
It was exciting seeing our proposal come together on the Miro board and understanding what would work and what wouldn’t. After our consultation session, we were told it was doable, since these are programs that we had worked with in the past. We also need to think about the animation and how the camera angles would be, considering this is an infographic. However, we still need to look into how we can improve the quiz section and make it more interactive instead of going with this traditional classroom approach.
Week 5
Mr. Mike approved of our idea for the activities, which meant we could start working on the samples and the storyboard for our proposal. There were some suggestions on how we can do the animations for the earthquake stage; by adding a Richter scale but I’m still not very certain on how we could execute that. We were told to create more screens for the interface as it wasn’t very clear at the moment. But it was good to see that we were progressing in the right direction, and also to see the environment for the gallery coming together well.
Week 6
After our proposal presentation earlier this week, the lack of feedback we got from Petrosains was rather concerning. We were unsure if the content we had for our instruction video and our art direction was okay and if we can move on to executing it. However after our consultation, it was good to know that they simply didn’t have much to say about what we had and it was all good to go. But we were given some pointers on how we can further improve our UI and make it more suitable to a younger audience and make it easier for them to read. We were also told our illustrations needed a bit more work to make it like our reference (Kurzgesagt).
Week 7
It was good to see that our work was approved for this week and we were progressing, considering we are moving onto week 8 now. The fact that we had different colour palettes and illustration styles among Rausha, Sangeetha and myself was rather troubling and I hoped it would all work out in the end and would appear more cohesive. There were also other elements and screens in the UI that we had to look into that I felt were missing. We still need to work on the UI elements as they haven’t been finalised yet - we were reminded to test it on a full screen to ensure that it works accordingly. Once the animatic has been finalised by Sangeetha, we will have to start working on the animations for the activities as well as the videos and I was rather unsure of how this would work and also including the animations in the activity.
Week 5
Mr. Mike approved of our idea for the activities, which meant we could start working on the samples and the storyboard for our proposal. There were some suggestions on how we can do the animations for the earthquake stage; by adding a Richter scale but I’m still not very certain on how we could execute that. We were told to create more screens for the interface as it wasn’t very clear at the moment. But it was good to see that we were progressing in the right direction, and also to see the environment for the gallery coming together well.
After our proposal presentation earlier this week, the lack of feedback we got from Petrosains was rather concerning. We were unsure if the content we had for our instruction video and our art direction was okay and if we can move on to executing it. However after our consultation, it was good to know that they simply didn’t have much to say about what we had and it was all good to go. But we were given some pointers on how we can further improve our UI and make it more suitable to a younger audience and make it easier for them to read. We were also told our illustrations needed a bit more work to make it like our reference (Kurzgesagt).
Week 7
It was good to see that our work was approved for this week and we were progressing, considering we are moving onto week 8 now. The fact that we had different colour palettes and illustration styles among Rausha, Sangeetha and myself was rather troubling and I hoped it would all work out in the end and would appear more cohesive. There were also other elements and screens in the UI that we had to look into that I felt were missing. We still need to work on the UI elements as they haven’t been finalised yet - we were reminded to test it on a full screen to ensure that it works accordingly. Once the animatic has been finalised by Sangeetha, we will have to start working on the animations for the activities as well as the videos and I was rather unsure of how this would work and also including the animations in the activity.
Week 8
We continued to work on the UI and to figure out what will work for both activities. We also had to figure out how to make the UI stand out better against the background and the game content which was going to be rather tricky considering how they look rather different visually. We still had to keep in mind our target audience and think about what will appeal to them and look exciting. Again, with inconsistencies in our colour palette, this was proving to be a rather difficult task. On a brighter note, after Sangeetha worked on the narration script, I started working on recording the voiceover and Mr. Mike commented that it was okay but we would have to adjust it according to our video’s timing and pace. There was also a bit of background noise that needed to be fixed before the final compilation of the animations.
Week 9
Everything was coming together slowly – there was only a bit left to work on for the final UI. The animatic was approved of as well so we can start working on the final animations for the videos. However, I was rather anxious about how the animations in the game would be like and how Rausha and I would do them because there were quite a few but it was something that would take a while to figure out on our end. However, I’m excited to see how things will turn out, now we need to hear from Petrosains and see if there’s something that we should work on further in the animatic.
Week 10
Since our game assets and UI files were all good to go and ready to be handed over to the SOCIT team, it was a bit of a relief since we can focus on the animation videos. However it was still rather unclear how exactly they would be executing it and to what extent so we were told set a meeting with them as soon as possible to figure it out before we progress any further.
Week 11
As Sangeetha ran into a couple of technical issues, it was decided that she would send over the animation videos to Rausha and I so that we could compile it along with the voiceover and add any music if needed. I still had to fix the sound quality and I wasn’t very sure if I was doing it the right way as it had been quite a while since I worked with Audition. There was also the issue with the in-game animations and how we would do them, the role of the SOCIT students was still rather unclear and how much they were willing to do for the final presentation. I hope the final deliverables will live up to our expectations and still turn out well, despite the current hurdle we’re caught in.
Week 12
This week, Sangeetha sent over the final animation videos so Rausha and I could compile them, which went without much of a hitch but there were a couple of minor adjustments to be made as the voiceover did not seem to align completely with our animations. It was also decided that we would be creating a landing page for the main activity screens so they can choose to start their animation or begin their activity straightaway.
Week 13
Everything was coming together slowly – there was only a bit left to work on for the final UI. The animatic was approved of as well so we can start working on the final animations for the videos. However, I was rather anxious about how the animations in the game would be like and how Rausha and I would do them because there were quite a few but it was something that would take a while to figure out on our end. However, I’m excited to see how things will turn out, now we need to hear from Petrosains and see if there’s something that we should work on further in the animatic.
Week 10
Since our game assets and UI files were all good to go and ready to be handed over to the SOCIT team, it was a bit of a relief since we can focus on the animation videos. However it was still rather unclear how exactly they would be executing it and to what extent so we were told set a meeting with them as soon as possible to figure it out before we progress any further.
Week 11
As Sangeetha ran into a couple of technical issues, it was decided that she would send over the animation videos to Rausha and I so that we could compile it along with the voiceover and add any music if needed. I still had to fix the sound quality and I wasn’t very sure if I was doing it the right way as it had been quite a while since I worked with Audition. There was also the issue with the in-game animations and how we would do them, the role of the SOCIT students was still rather unclear and how much they were willing to do for the final presentation. I hope the final deliverables will live up to our expectations and still turn out well, despite the current hurdle we’re caught in.
Week 12
This week, Sangeetha sent over the final animation videos so Rausha and I could compile them, which went without much of a hitch but there were a couple of minor adjustments to be made as the voiceover did not seem to align completely with our animations. It was also decided that we would be creating a landing page for the main activity screens so they can choose to start their animation or begin their activity straightaway.
Week 13
It was decided that we would have to start working on a walkthrough of the games ourselves and show a recording as the SOCIT students wouldn’t be able to create a fully functioning prototype. However, since Rausha, Sangeetha and I rather pressed for time we would probably be handing over the files over to Aaron and Enos so they can help us out for the animations. We also had to decide if we would be adding background music for our animations or not. Hopefully, we would be able to wrap up everything on time and wouldn't run into anymore last minute changes.
Week 14
This module has been quite the journey for all of us but at the end of week 14, I can easily say it was an experience where we gained much knowledge from – what the future holds for design in the current time and despite the unpromising situation the world is in at the moment. Despite a few hitches here and there (due to unavoidable miscommunication and misunderstandings) in our group, I feel we managed to adjust fairly well and worked together well as a group and we managed to overcome the hurdles that we faced along the way. Now all that’s left is to proceed with the final presentation to Petrosains.
Week 14
This module has been quite the journey for all of us but at the end of week 14, I can easily say it was an experience where we gained much knowledge from – what the future holds for design in the current time and despite the unpromising situation the world is in at the moment. Despite a few hitches here and there (due to unavoidable miscommunication and misunderstandings) in our group, I feel we managed to adjust fairly well and worked together well as a group and we managed to overcome the hurdles that we faced along the way. Now all that’s left is to proceed with the final presentation to Petrosains.
Comments
Post a Comment