Project Part #3 - Conceptual & Physical Design

Throughout class lectures, discussions and activities done, students are expected to have a clear idea of how to design, implement and evaluate a user interface.  In this semester-long project, each group will have to design a particular interactive product/application that interests them. The project may aim to replace or update an established system, or it may aim to develop a totally innovative product with no obvious precedent. The project phases will reflect the stages of interaction design process, and to be submitted as project deliverables throughout the semester. 

Process 2: Developing alternative designs

Once the requirements have been established (Submission 2 – User & Task Analysis), the next step is to develop alternative designs that meet those requirements. Two sub-activities will be required, developing conceptual design and developing physical design. For conceptual design, each group should attempt to come up with storyboards to conceptualize how the proposed solutions solve the problem at hand (hand-sketched scenarios).

The design activity then continues by exploring the physical design options (alternative designs) for the interfaces. Each group should attempt to achieve this by expanding the tasks into metaphors and interface sketches, by adopting the Crazy 8 method. Within 8 minutes, each member individually sketches own ideas of interfaces with appropriate metaphors. Vote will then take place to choose the best ideas to bring forward for the interface design.

Each group should run the Crazy 8 exercise ‘live’ together (using any live interaction medium e.g. zoom or just WhatsApp). Read this article on example of how you can run the Crazy 8 method remotely. Decide on the time to run the exercise together. When doing the Crazy 8 exercise, each group member should sketch their ideas with pencil, to allow for fast sketching. Later, after all have voted on which ideas to bring forward for the interface design, you can produce the refined proposed design using prototyping tool like InVision Freehand, which you can access through your InVisionApp account. However, you can still produce the refined proposed design by hand sketch if you choose to.

Submission 3: Conceptual & Physical Design

Report should include the following:

• Storyboards.   For each of your THREE (3) user goals (tasks/functions), demonstrate how your new technological solution would be used by your persona within the scenario that you described in Project #2. Hand-sketching is preferred. This means you will have to scan/take a picture of the storyboard and upload. (8m)

• Alternative Designs. Each group member should produce sketches of their ideas for interface design through the Crazy8 exercise. Post each members Crazy8 sketches. (6m)
• Refined Interface Design.  Based on your group’s Crazy8 sketches, vote and decide the layout designs of your interface. Justify based on the Shneiderman’s Golden Rules or Gestalt Principles. The design should consist of one or more sketched/drawn interface controls that the user can manipulate and interact with. Provide description on how your design requirements from Project #2 is incorporated in the designs.(12 m) 
• Interaction Metaphors. Describe and justify the metaphors that your group deemed to be the most suitable interaction metaphors for your interface. Come up with 5 or more type of metaphor. (6 m)