MDP Week 01 (24 Feb 2020)
Today, we formally kicked-off my Masters Design Project (I'll start calling it MDP from now on) during our first Design Research Methods (DRM) class followed by a supervisor meeting.
DRS Week 01 (27 Feb 2020)
During DRM class, we discussed the usual intro essentials (course profile, marking, etc.) and by the end of the session, set our tasks for week 01:
Write an abstract (100-150 words) that describes your current idea for a project
Draft (re-draft in my case) a research question that applies to this project
Search for related work and bring a list of these examples to class next week
During the one-on-one supervisor meeting that afternoon, I discussed my initial ideas and proposal with my supervisor. The full proposal can be viewed here but here's an excerpt of what it contains:
Research theme:
Brand-Led Learning: Using Branding to Enhance the E-Learning Experience
Proposed research questions:
What aspects of branding can be utilised in UX/UI design and more specifically, in Learning Experience Design (LXD)?
How can branding enhance the learning culture within organisations and educational institutions?
How can brand awareness or brand consciousness in learners facilitate better learning experience?
What LXD approaches can lead to the attainment of both brand goals and learner goals?
What theoretical frameworks from related fields (cognitive psychology, semiotics, communication, graphic design, etc.) can inform building brand identity in the context of LXD?
Why this topic?
The idea for this topic came from a job rejection I got last year when I applied for a content designer role at an e-learning company. After doing some research about the field, I found myself drawn to the idea of going beyond traditional and "static" instructional design and delving into e-learning learning and how Experience Design plays a crucial role in it.
This idea was further realised when I recently took Griffith's Annual Fire Safety Induction (something that I had done the year prior). Upon taking the exam, I was pleased with the test's new interface as it included more appealing graphic, animations and better laid out copy. This improved design translated into an overall pleasant experience and a perfect mark at the end!
Supervisor Meeting
After having a discussion with my supervisor, I was advised to re-work my research theme as branding didn't seem like the right fit given my intent to create something geared towards design strategy in the context of User Experience, more specifically, in Learning Experience Design (LXD). Branding would definitely be a part of the process and final product but definitely won't take centre stage.
Other points I should consider:
Who my target users are (the way I see it at the moment is that it's twofold: teachers/corporations and students/employees).
A prototype of the strategy can be implemented to teach a hypothetical course or a simple instructional course (e.g. Health and Safety induction) at uni although it would not be advisable to introduce it into the current course system. It should ideally be something not too complex.
My project will be potentially heavily data-driven as it will depend on user feedback
Focus on ITERATION (Create, Test, Gather Feedback, and Iterate). The project can have 2 iterations (e.g. 1st iteration will be tested and given feedback, the 2nd iteration will incorporate that feedback).
Look into the work of Richie Meldrum (copywriter turned brand strategist). This may help me realise what kind of work I'd like to go into in the future.
Have a look at what Learning Futures at Griffith, there might be something there that might be useful
Attend the Griffith Social Marketing event that will focus on Behaviour Change to have an introduction into Social Marketing, something that might come in handy when developing my design strategy. The workshop will also hopefully give me some insight into developing design strategies with a marketer's mindset.
In order to re-frame my proposal and research questions, I'll definitely make use of the good 'ol IDEO field kit which helped me immensely ever since I began using it in Trimester 1.
Comentários