Lesson 10 (Design - Stage 2)

This is the 2nd part of “Design” lecture. In the previous lesson, we were taught on the different techniques on how to create “perception of pleasure”, and different methods to define structure of the content layout.
In this lesson, we are exposed to the 2nd stage of “Design” – Prototype. The 3 main key elements are, “Concepts”, “Interaction/Interface Design”, and “Sensorial Design (color, visual design, perception, visual thinking)”.

First, we have to know the concept of “UI” design, which compromises of “Usefulness”, “Effectiveness”, “Learnability”, “Satisfaction”. In short, this means to have an early focus on the users’ needs, allow them to involve at every stage of design decision and evaluation, so that there will be constant evaluation by the users on the initial prototypes and to make all the necessary amends.

Usually the initial prototypes are “low-fidelity” ones; which means that they are fast and cheap to be constructed, rather than “high-fidelity” ones that takes more time and resources, where the appearance is very close to the finished product.

The more common type of low-fidelity technique used is the “Paper Prototype”, where it is faster & cheaper to build, and able to get feedback from the users earlier. In this technique, the designers are able to concentrate more on the users’ needs & requirements. As such, the designers will be able to get constant feedbacks from the users, and to do the necessary amends immediately. This means that we have to come out with the concept generation, low-fidelity prototype, and the users’ evaluation (walkthrough of the prototype), for the next lesson’s presentation.

Last but not least, it’s the presentation of the last week’s assignment. Our group has changed our product and targeted users to students, whom are very concerned about their studies and to do upfront planning. Our product is to ease the students to do planning of roadmap for their modules throughout their studies in NUS. This means that the students or even the school administrators will be able to access the school’s modules and the administrators will be able to know the students’ preferences on certain modules on every semester without much hassle.

Our product name is GITA – “Graduate-In-Time-Application”.