Final Year University Projects

In my opinion, having a good user experience is extremely important in the design and overall functionality of a product. Regardless of whether this is a chair or a mobile application, if the user experience is pleasant and simplistic, the audience will continue to interact with the product. Positive experiences with a product can result in the target audience becoming loyal to your product or brand. When we look at user scenarios, personas, and behavioural segmentation these are all additional elements that we can use to understand the target audience and their needs. A user journey can help us determine which parts of the products the audience are most likely to interact with and the number of steps it takes for the user to reach their end goal.  Making sure that my degree project has a good user experience is important. The target audience may be worried or stressed either being recently diagnosed with IBS or have suspected that this is the cause of their medical problems. My we...

(Media tool kit, n.d.) My Experience with the brand Sainsbury's brand identity has become vital when advertising their products and services. Their signature orange colour are what the audience relates to Sainsbury's. They have included their branding outside their stores, on simple elements such as their bags for life which are orange with white copy and their delivery vans. Previously, their tagline was, 'Try something new Today' however this was updated to, 'Live Well for Less' which both deliver the same message in a slightly different way. The first tagline explains that Sainsbury's stock a variety of products and specialist items that other competitors may not; which gives the audience the feel of a premium service. Meanwhile the second tagline is simply saying that their high-quality products are affordable. I imagine that this tagline has changed because Sainsbury's was beginning to gain a reputation of being very expensive and not good value for...

I have decided to write about three popular brands to discover why their brand appeals to consumers. Writing about popular brands may help me identify their differences in terms of appeal compared to my own brand created forr my degree project. (The Token logo | McDonald's Corporation, n.d.) They create resturants in differing locations with affordable fast-food that can be ordered in-store or via the drive-thru ensuring not only families but a large variety of individuals enjoy good quality food and a fast, welcoming experience. (Media tool kit, n.d.) They create supermarkets in various locations with a large range of produce and products ensuring adults and families enjoy a high-quality shopping experience. (File:MarvelLogo.svg - Wikimedia Commons, n.d.) They create  movies, TV shows and merchandise  with fictional superhero characters and elements ensuring  children, adult superhero and Marvel comic-book fans  enjoy e xciting action-packed experiences. Grumble Tum...

I've been using the audience agency to define myself and my target audience to gain a better idea of who my project is targetting.  I believe I most closely relate to the 'Kaleidoscope Creativity'  segment with some elements of the  'Experience Seekers ' category.  Kaleidoscope Creativity is described as,  " Mixed age, low level engagement, free local events, outdoor arts and festivals"  (Kaleidoscope Creativity, n.d.)  while  Experience Seekers  are described as, " Highly active, diverse, social and ambitious, engaging with arts on a regular basis"  (Experience Seekers, n.d.)  type of individuals. The reasons why I relate to this segment is due to my: Low cultrual engagement Enjoyment of music events/festivals High internet and online streaming usage Home-based leisure activities such as playing computer games and internet browsing Heavy viewing of subscription services The Experience Seekers  segment does explain my liv...

I have sketched some concepts for the types of illustrations that I would like to have on my website/app. My drawing style uses a lot of shading and texture which varies significantly compared to the clean illustrations I will attempt to create digitally.

(Unity & Motion, n.d.) Unity and Motion are a successful video production company based in Shoreditch in London. Ashley and Charles started the company only a year after graduating. Ashley gave us some insight into the company and how they worked hard to build a client-base. Ashley bought the first e-mail domain in 2015 and landed his first project filming a music event in his hometown in return for free entry. The organiser liked the video and wanted it to be monetised which gave Ashley the opportunity to hone his craft.  Ashley mentioned the positives of communication and networking during and after University as networking groups allowed them to meet more businesses and build relationships. They successfully gained clients and projects through the Agency collective and by attending different events. He suggested that finding events on Eventbrite to network with others in the field and to speak with people that you may want to connect with, will benefit us hugely when leaving...

I have created a Gantt Chart estimating the amount of time it will take me to complete the numerous tasks needed to finish my degree project. Adding continency time after each implementation phase will allow me to make any necessary amendments to the code without becoming too close to the deadline date. I hope to complete some of these tasks before the dates listed but for now this is my plan for next semester.

Since my last brand names post, I have decided to explore the name  Grumble Tum and it's connotations for use in my project.

I have been applying for part-time positions since September to coincide with studying. Before going on placement, I was working as a Web & Graphic Design Assistant at Hertfordshire Students' Union where I updated and designed graphical elements for the Union's website. Once I had returned back from placement, my job role should have been secured for my return. However due to coronavirus, the Union haven't been able to employ any students until potentially semester B. Having part-time employment forces me to be motivated and use any free time sparingly on my University projects as well as the added bonus of having an income. My previous role required a large amount of coding which sometimes would frazzle my brain. This meant in the evening I would find it a little difficult to work on intense coding tasks for my projects. Therefore when looking for jobs this time, I decided to look for a retail position. The last time I actually worked in retail was in 2017 for McDonald...

I found this book from the libray which was a really interesting read. I have written my favourite quotes below: "Design is the means by which we order our surroundings, re-shaping natural materials to suit our needs and purposes." (Rawson, 1987, p.10) "The evolution of the human race depended on our developing successful ways of relating to our environement. Our brain evolved a special intelligence that enables us to plan and apply techniques for dealing with specific challenges posed by the natural world." (Rawson, 1987, p.10) "We can think of design as a kind of mental modelling, a varety of abstract thought derived from basic human activity in manipulating and reshaping the physical world. Some kinds of formal thinking, such as mathematics, are highly abstract. But the designer has to conceive forms that can be turned into realities with the available resources." (Rawson, 1987, p.13) "A good design solution can be complex, although the best design...

I decided to put together some demographic charts based on fixed characteristics such as generation (age groups) and targeted users based on their motivations. 

What are your Goals, Commitment? In general, my current goals are to finish my degree with preferably a first classification and successfully simultaneously work part-time to start saving for my postgraduate course. I'm commited to this course and caring for my friends and family. Why do you make work? I find this field of study interesting and enjoy problem-solving challenges. Completing projects that are either personal to me or family/friends are rewarding and motivating. Do you consider yourself an Intellectual? Prior to University, I would not have considered myself an intellectual. In school, my intellectual abilities were slightly above average but this wasn't my strength. I much prefered logically thinking about situations which lead to my decision to study engineering and computer science at college. Although I loved studying these courses, I really missed the creative expression in Fine Art. Due to the lack of apprenticeships in design, I decided that going to Univesi...

This mood board is a reflection of the different types of art that have influenced me personally. A large majority of this mood board is music related and displays some of my most memorable cultural experiences which include: Comic-con exhibition at Excel Harry Potter Studios Tour Seeing The Ambassadors painting at The National Gallery in London Local Civic Hall pantomime Secondary School GCSE Fine Art pieces Hairspray and HMS Pinafore live shows in Windsor The Kinks: Sunny Afternoon live show in London 180 the Strand exhibition in London Kingdom Hearts Orchestra at the Hammersmith Apollo  The Royal Philharmonic Orchestra at the Royal Albert Hall ft. scores from West Side Story First live music concerts ft. Greenday, Marmozets, The Hunna, Black Peaks, The Faim and Blackpink

It has been quite difficult to communicate with my other team members thus far, as one is currently living in Malaysia which has a time difference of twelve hours while the other has other commitments and reached the final of a hackathon - which they needed to focus on.  In the meantime I decided to create a Trello board to list the tasks that we needed to complete for our project. I thought this would be a useful way for other members to complete their assigned tasks in their own time. This has proven successful so far with the team member in Malaysia.   (Fashion Team, 2020) I have began coding the homepage adding the navigation, site name and css elements. I'm still working on coding the structure of each page and therefore placeholder images are still being used currently. (Gattuso and Falegan, n.d.) The idea for the brand name was a collaborative effort from both me and my other team member. She began to research the translations for fashion in different languages where sh...

Creating user personas are important in helping us understand the needs and behaviours of our target audience. This aids the design process as this gives us an example of users who would use Grumble Tum.

While I was researching, I discovered this video on creating an eight step customer journey map. I really liked the concept of this diagram and thought it was a good marrketing tool in creating a good customer experience for the user and a good end-result for the company. Therefore I attempted to create this map using the same steps as the video. Obviously this will be slightly different as the website is mainly informative. (DigitalMarketer, 2019) DigitalMarketer, 2019. The 8 Steps To Creating A Customer Journey Map. [video] Available at: <https://youtu.be/qlcmM6w5cPc> [Accessed 18 October 2020].

Brand Touchpoint Matrix These are the main touchpoints I have identified as being substantial to the user experience. Desired Customer Path I imagine that the user will use a searrch engine such as Google using the keywords 'IBS' or 'Irritable Bowel Syndrome'. Ideally you would want to have a high ranking Google AdWord to properly market the  website as well as some Search Engine Optimisation elements written in the code of the website so that the search engine marks it as a good, trustworthy website. This journey may then be backed-up with Facebook advertisements for those individuals who meet the specifications of the target audience or have searched IBS related terminology on Facebook previously. This will bring the user to the website, where the navigation will take them to the information that they require. On the website, there will be a link to the dedicated IBS Facebook support group and potentially the mobile application which will result in a community.

Who is the user? Claire is a 36-year-old Mum who recently gave birth to her second child.  She has decided to stay at home with her children as she believes that interacting with them daily will help build a positive relationship and strengthen their bond.  As both of her children are under five she has to work hard to meet their needs while completing household chores which can become overwelming.  She's interested in going out for drinks with friends, dramas on Netflix and photography. When the children are asleep, she enjoys scrolling through her favourite her social media parenting pages and the accounts of other Mum's she socialises with weekly. She believes that support from friends and family are extremely important to a happy life and giving back to the community is essential.  Their Goals?   She wants to be a great Mum, but is worried that her condition will cause her to struggle when caring for her children long-term. Currently she relies on her parent...

Who is the user? Micheal is a 25-year-old junior software engineer who has been recently employed by a large company. He graduated earlier in the year and is proud to have successfully gotten a job in his field of study. Micheal is interested in playing Dungeon and Dragons with his friends, cycling and reading graphic novels. He commutes to work by car and loves to listen to his favourite motivational podcasts while on route. He believes that with hard work and dedication anyone can become successful regardless of their background or difficulties. Their Goals?   He wants to be successul in his role without the worry of having too many responsibilities or becoming too invested in his work resulting in additional stress and the recurrent stomach problems he experienced throughout University. Their Motivations? When finishing work, he drives home where he makes himself dinner and relaxes for the rest of the evening. He is suspicious that the foods he is eating isn't helping his condit...

The main problems that my media piece will solve are issues surrounding awareness and the need for more simplified content. The need for the Low FODMAP diet to widely-recognised, as is being gluten-free or vegan The need for individuals who have an invisible disability to be acknowledged and understood The need for more simplistic and illustrative content to deliver information more positively and clearly The need for information to be written in a supportive tone to prevent individuals from feeling overwelmed by their diagnosis The need for support for people with IBS Who? Individuals needing to follow the low FODMAP diet Individuals wanting to learn more about IBS for either themselves or someone they know and need support with this diagnosis What? (Goals/functions) Raising awareness of the low FODMAP diet as many people/restaurants don't know how to cater for individuals having to follow it Introduce the low FODMAP diet to individuals who have only just been diagnosed To make th...

I borrowed some great books from the online library to give me more of an understanding as to what is important when designing a product. My favourite being, Design process; progress practice. With all the books that I read though, I quoted the parts I found the most interesting and would aid the development of my project. Audience "Better designed products can meet the changing needs of older people and still be attractive to younger consumers; they can open up new markets by offering older people independence and dignity and still attract younger people with good looks and functionality." (Peto, 1999, p.56) "Quality is a significant fact here; older people are experienced consumers who do not want to waste money, but will spend it on products that offer them the right mix of functionality, quality and appearance." (Peto, 1999, p.56) "Instead of paying a premium for good design, good design should ensure higher sales and more modest pricing: a virtuous circle ...

I wanted to find illustrative websites that were somewhat either related to health or wellbeing in order to give an example of type of website I am aiming for and for the purpose of my own inspiration. (Brain.fm: Music to improve focus, meditation & sleep., n.d.) Critical Analysis: What type of media is it? Promotional Website that creates music which positively affects the brain helping users to improve their focus What initial promise/s does it give? Brain.fm provides ambient music for individuals to relax, de-stress and revise to improve their focus. A fun illustrative website promising a 15 minute solution to unfocused minds using music/sounds What is its purpose & function? The website's purpose is to promote the brain.fm product and advertise free sessions to users. What are its unique/unexpected qualities & ideas? The concept is interesting, listening to music/sounds usually negatively impacts focus but this site suggests otherwise. The company promises focus in ...