TB2L4 Be Prepared!

BA2 understand the methods and benefits of document sampling and background research as a means of gathering information

STARTER:

‘A stitch in time saves nine’

‘Measure twice, cut once’

‘Look before you leap’

 ‘Fools rush in where angels fear to tread’

What do all these sayings have in common? - They’re all about thinking before acting. 

Why? Because it saves time, money, effort and embarrassment. 

It’s plain common sense, yet, when it comes to Digital Product development, this common sense seems to disappear. All too often, projects start before thought has been put into the project’s purpose, its desired results, and how its success will ultimately be measured.

“If we knew what it was we were doing, it would not be called research, would it!”

Albert Einstein 

Use documents from O:\ICT\GCSE ICT Unit 3\TB2

 

TASK 1:

 

Open TB2L4R3 and complete the User Groups you decided upon for the Hamble Sports College Website. List all of the jobs that the website will need to do and then mark what User Group will use that feature.

 

TASK 2:

 

Research existing Digital Products that are similar to the Hamble Sports College Website and using TB2L4R4, list all the features that you may want to include/exclude from a redesign of the HCSC site.

 

EXT:

Use TB2L4R2 to make notes on Document Sampling and Background Research as you have before

PLENARY:

Begin to think about presenting all the work you have completed so far from this teaching block, ready for marking!

 

TB1L7 How good is IT?

BA2 identify key criteria involved in evaluating a Digital Product by applying a suitable evaluation tool

The problem is that the perception of how ‘good’ or ‘bad’ a Digital Product may be is skewed by our personal background, who we think it is for etc.

 

What is needed is an objective tool for measurement and analysis that helps you provide fact-based recommendations.

METHOD:

• Remove your personal preferences 
• Provide a common understanding of a Digital Product 
• Ground rules for comparisons of Digital Products 
• Provide a fact-based, visual representation of the strengths and weaknesses of a Digital Product

TASK: Hot Potato!

1. Think back over what we have considered in the last few weeks and write down one thing you can think of that would be good to measure
2. Pass your paper on to somebody else, read what is on the paper, add your point. Points cannot be repeated
3. Repeat the exercise, each time reading the statements that are written and adding your own

On your own sheet, group all you points into the following four groups:

1. Usability
2. Functionality
3. Accessibility
4. Content

In your teams, develop at least 4 statements from the points generated on your papers that can be used to measure a Digital Product (one for each point above)

1. Choose a familiar Digital Product
2. Mark the Digital Product against the criteria on a scale of 1 - 25
• The total points score is 100
3. Create a Spider chart to visually represent the analysis 
• Consider using Spreadsheet software, lay the data out in a table and create a chart
4. Consider which areas would benefit from improvement and what would you recommend



Example Spider Diagram

EXT:

 

Repeat agin (within the same spreadsheet) for a different product

 

PLENARY:

 

Follow the 'How to print a Spreasheet acurately' guide and print your work

 

Save into your Unit 3 foler as Product Analysis

 

HWK:

 

ShowMyHomework - Target Audience/Accessability

 

TB1L6 Do IT with Style

BA2 describe the impact of functionality, usability and accessibility in the design of Digital Products

STARTER:

Circle Map:

Using the guide below and the template provided, write about what we have covered in this unit so far...

• In the small circle write "What I have learnt this unit"
• In the larger circle write about what you have learnt in this unit
• In the rectangle, tell me how you have learnt this new information

Circle Map

 

"Moving from being a ‘savvy’ user and utilising that knowledge to designing a Digital Product…in other words becoming a ‘savvy designer’ you will start to come across various topics and terminology that might not mean a great deal to you right at this moment, but give it time and you will be speaking with a whole new vocabulary"

TASK:

Pushing the Senses

• Usability refers to the quality of the Digital Product and the process of designing the Digital Product
• Functionality is any aspect of what a Digital Product can do for a user
• Accessibility is the word used to describe whether a product can be used by people of all abilities and disabilities

The Law & Standards

If a Digital Product such as a website or an application is unusable by people with disabilities you are discriminating against them. In the UK this is actual law.

• W3C Web Accessibility Initiative
• Disability Discrimination Act

In groups of 5, open up the Guidelines Grid from O:\ICT\GCSE ICT Unit 3 and TB1 L6 R4

Split the following list up so that you are all completing 1 disability each within your group:

1. For People who can’t see very well
2. For People who are blind
3. For People who can’t hear very well
4. For People who find traditional input devices (mouse, keyboard) hard to use
5. For People with reading/writing language difficulties

Each group must then find an example of a Digital Product, such as a website, to demonstrate compliance to some of their guidelines

Each group to present back to the class on their Guidelines

 

There are 14 guidelines developed by W3C that developers follow when designing to make sure their product is accessable (not all points will be covered for all products)

 

Priority 1 - A Digital Product content developer must satisfy this checkpoint

Priority 2 - A Digital Product content developer should satisfy this checkpoint

Priority 3 - A Digital Product content developer may address this checkpoint

 

 

W3C Guideline Scale

"A" - all Priority 1 checkpoints are satisfied
"Double-A" - all Priority 1 and 2 checkpoints are satisfied
"Triple-A" - all Priority 1, 2, and 3 checkpoints are satisfied

 

 

TASK 2/PLENARY:

 

Try to find a website that is using the W3C logos somewhere on it's page...

 

Update your Circle Map to include what we have done this lesson!

 

TB1L5 What does IT do?

BA2 identify key design features of Digital Products

STARTER:

Design Principles

Consider the rules needed when building a house...

TASK:

What design features should be investigated when thinking about Digital Products?

• Brainstorm Ideas
• How much help I need
• Layout
• Size
• Different Media
• Purpose
• Links
• Colours
• Accessability
• Advertising
• Membership

Complete the document O:\ICT\GCSE ICT Unit 3\TB1 L5 R2 using the list above to review a Digital Product from the list found here: O:\ICT\GCSE ICT Unit 3\TB1 L5 R3

EXT:

Complete a second Product, this time of your choice

 

The 8 Golden Rules of Design

Strive for consistency
Enable frequent users to use shortcuts
Offer informative feedback
Design dialog to yield closure
Offer simple error handling
Permit easy reversal of actions

Support internal locus of control
Reduce short-term memory load

These principles are obviously not the only ones, but they do help designers make decisions during a design process. 

The core of these principles is ‘always keep users in mind’.

PLENARY:

Develope your own principles to use as guidelines for developing a Digital Product, remember our list from before.

Post a new comment to this post, remember to use Name/Website and only use your first name

 

EXT:

 

Complete O:\ICT\GCSE ICT Unit 3\TB1 L5 HW1 to complete TB1 L5 HW2

• Choose three personas form the examples provided on TB1 L5 HW1
• Decide on a Digital Product to investigate and review for each one.
• On TB1 L5 HW2 identify the name of the persona and the name of the Digital Product
• Using the design principles we have reviewed last lesson, identify strengths and weaknesses in each Digital Product and explain how this links to the target audience - benefits the target audience/hinders the target audience

 



TB1L4 Feeling Good

BA2 describe what is meant by 'User Experience' by sampling Multi Sensory Digital Products

STARTER:

Recap the meanings of 'Target Audience' and 'User Centred Design' from last lesson

Discuss these with your partner and prepare to feedback.

 

Whilst watching, consider multi sensory digital products and your experience of them

 

TASK 1:

 

Save the following file into your Unit 3 area: O:\ICT\GCSE ICT Unit 3\TB1 L4 R2 Sensory Products 

 

Complete this document in pairs, but make sure you complete your own copy.

Consider the combination of senses (audio, visual, tactile) being used with each Digital Product you list and how the combination of various elements effect the experience of using the Digital Product…User Experience...

TASK 2:

"User experience is about how a person feels about using a Digital Product. It’s not uncommon to confuse ‘user experience’ with ‘user interface’ i.e. how you access the Digital Product, but the ‘user interface’ is just one piece of the puzzle...."

User Honeycomb - What's important?

Measurable Outcomes

Begin thinking about your Homework... Developing a Persona

What is a Persona?

HWK:

Showmyhomework.com - Create 2 Personas based upon 2 of your 5 chosen Multi Sensory Digital Devices

TB1L3 Hitting the Spot

BA2 relate how digital products align to target audiences

STARTER:

Think about the 4 different products you researched for your Homework. Who do you think the Target Audience is for each one?

• Game
• E-Learning
• Simulation
• E-Zine

Target Audience

Consider the characteristics and preferences of each person in turn, highlight design features of the MP3 player that meet the needs, characteristics and preferences of each one.

Digital Product designers and developers don’t just make a Digital Product and hope for the best. The range of MP3 players were not randomly designed in the hope that the likes of Joshs, Jeans, Jaynes or Johns of this world would like, buy and use them!

 

Putting the intended users of a Digital Product at the centre of the design and development is called User Centered Design.

Putting the User at the Centre

• Requirements gathering - Understanding and specifying the context of use
• Requirements specification - Specifying the user and/or organisational requirements
• Design and build - Producing designs and prototypes
• Evaluation - Carrying out user-based assessment of the Digital Product

 

UCD - methods for Gathering Information

  

Some of the most popular user-centered design methods for gathering the information needed to inform the design and development include:

• Focus groups - Requirements gathering 
• Questionnaires - Requirements gathering & evaluation 
• Interviews - Requirements gathering & evaluation
• Usability testing - Design & evaluation

 

TASK:

 

Think, Pair, Share - Considering the variations and combinations, how could you test a website before its release?

 

Think, Pair, Share - Do platforms make a difference?

 

 

 

 

In your groups, investigate your given website from the list below and feedback onto your slide. Think about how the website could benefit from the alternative platform of an iPad...

1. http://mocoloco.com/ - feedback
2. http://www.itsnicethat.com/ - feedback
3. http://www.pictorymag.com/ - feedback

*You may need to add an 's' after the http on the feedback links

TB1L2 Working to a brief

BA2 take an iterative approach to design and development involving key issues when working to a brief e.g. timescales, resources

Ask students to: 

• think about when they have worked to a brief.
• consider when they have developed proposals. This could be evidenced with something from school or an out of school activity. Possible examples may include organising a party, a trip, a school fair, a holiday, a sporting/musical event etc.

Complete the activity below:

List as many things you think should be considered when making a Proposal..

NOTE: List your ideas on different Post-It notes. A different colour should be used for each group.

Proposing a Proposal

 

 

 

Categorise all of your ideas into the following sections. It is suggested that everything you need to consider can be listed into these sections.

 

The 8 Categories of a Proposal

 



10X/Id1 Comping up with Proposal ideas

 

Split into 8 categories

 

 

In the comment box below, suggest what you consider to be the 2 most important elements when planning a Proposal.

  





TB1L1 What are Digital Products…?

BA2 identify a range of different Digital Media and explain their key purposes

What are Digital Products? Can you name some?

Digital Products can be categorised in to four sections:

• Web Products
• Games
• Databases
• Multimedia

TASK:

Discuss how Facebook covers the following points in your groups - be prepared to feedback!

• Advertise
• Persuade
• Entertain
• Influence
• Educate
• Inform

Now complete the document called TB1 L1 R2 What are Digital Products found in O:\ICT\GCSE ICT Unit 3

PLENARY:

Finalise your document by defining what PURPOSE, CONVERGENCE & KEY FEATURES means when thinking about Digital Products

On the folder I have given you, write:

• Your Name
• Mr Fenner
• 10X/Id1 OR 10Z/Id1

Save this piece of work in: My Documents\ICT GCSE\Unit 3 as TB1 L1 R2 What are Digital Products

HWK:ShowMyHomework.com - deadline 10Z/Id1 - Wednesday 25th Sept / 10X/Id1 - Thursday 26th Sept