LIEW XIAO HUI / 0353121
BACHELOR OF DESIGN (HONOURS) IN CREATIVE MEDIA / MAJOR PROJECT I
Task 01: Proposal Development
JUMPLINK
Instructions
Task 01: Proposal Development
Feedback
Reflections
In this module, we are required to work as a group for all tasks. Based on my specialization, we need to conduct research on current problems or issues. From the identified problem, we will develop the project aim, objectives, "How Might We" statement, user research, and an affinity diagram to support our proposal development.
Progress
In our first lecture, we were briefed on the module structure and the tasks to be completed. We then formed groups of four members within the same specialization and recorded our names and groups in a document.
Team members: Me, Gam Jze Shin, Janice Tan Wan Xuen, and Wong Kai Xin
Afterward, the class was divided based on specialization, with different lecturers and tutors assigned to each. For my specialization, UI/UX, we were tasked with brainstorming and discussing current issues in the community. Each group member listed potential issues and shared them in our WhatsApp group.
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| Figure 1.1 Brainstorm. |
Since we were in Group 11, our tutorial session was scheduled to start at 10:30 AM the next day. However, when we arrived on time, the earlier groups (1–10) were still occupying the class, leaving no available seats for us. This caused confusion, and we missed some important briefings about the tasks.
A general overview of the task requirements was given, but the information for groups starting at 10:30 AM was unclear. The class was overcrowded, with over ten groups in a small space and a few tutors managing the session.
Figure 2.1 Assessment guidelines.
Eventually, we were assigned to Mr. Shamsul for tutorial guidance and scheduled a consultation with him. During the consultation, we presented three shortlisted issues from our brainstorming session. We compiled all our ideas into a Google Docs file for a clear overview of the tasks to be completed for the week.
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| Figure 3.1 Shortlisted issue. |
After reviewing them, Mr. Shamsul advised us to focus on 'The struggle to find fun activities that match one’s mood, energy, time, and budget'. He also recommended researching an app called Reclub, available on the App Store and Google Play, as it aligns with our topic and is a tool he personally uses to find activities like pickleball.
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| Figure 3.2 Reclub. |
Following his feedback, we stayed back in class to discuss the task requirements further. We finalized our project title and group name, deciding on "Dora & Friends" to align with our chosen problem statement.
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| Figure 3.3 Progress screenshot. |
Our leader then created a FigJam board for us to brainstorm and gather raw ideas for the upcoming tasks. I used a FigJam template to organize sections for Task 01: Proposal Development, including problems, project title, project aim, objectives, target users, and the "How Might We" statement. Each section was structured into columns, allowing team members to contribute their ideas using sticky notes. After setting up the sections, I added my own ideas to the board.
Figure 4.1, 4.2, 4.3 Progress screenshot.
At the same time, Jze Shin helped create a section for the timeline. However, we were unsure if we were formatting it correctly, as the difference between the timeline and project development was quite confusing. Despite this, we tried our best to list the weekly tasks assigned by the lecturer into the timeline. We planned to seek feedback during the consultation session for further refinement.
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| Figure 4.4 Progress screenshot. |
In Week 2, we presented our progress, incorporating ideas from all team members.
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| Figure 4.5 Progress screenshot. |
However, when Mr. Shamsul reviewed our chosen problem again (the one he previously suggested), he advised us to switch to Problem No. 6: The Uncertain Career Path (Young People Struggle to Define Their Future Jobs). He explained that this topic offers a broader scope for exploration and solution development.
This sudden change confused us, as we had already invested effort into refining the previous problem. Mr. Shamsul expressed concern about using mood in our problem statement, as it relates to psychology and can be difficult to address. He pointed out that moods, such as depression, can be sensitive topics that people may not openly share, making it challenging to develop viable solutions. He suggested either refining our focus to mood, energy, time, or budget individually or finding additional app features that would ensure long-term user engagement, similar to platforms like Instagram or Facebook. He also suggested focusing solely on either physical or online activities to maintain a clear and structured approach.
In the end, he encouraged us to find a common interest within our group to reconsider the topic. However, we expressed our intention to refine our existing problem instead of changing it entirely. We planned to conduct further research and submit a revised version to him within the week to keep up with the short semester’s tight deadlines.
We had a brief discussion among team members and decided to develop an initial concept for our solution. This would allow Mr. Shamsul to see the potential and feasibility of the problem we aimed to address. To facilitate this, I created a section with four frames for each member to contribute their concepts and an additional section for refining and finalizing our solution after gathering everyone’s input.
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| Figure 4.6 Progress screenshot. |
I refined the problem statement by replacing mood with interest while keeping time and budget, resulting in: "People struggle to find fun activities that match their interests, available time, and budget." Additionally, I adjusted the project aim, objectives, and how might we statement to align with the revised problem. For the initial concept, I proposed a mobile application since smartphones are widely used across all age groups, making it the most convenient platform for users to access. The app would focus on recommending outdoor activities based on user preferences. Before defining its features, I conducted research by exploring and downloading existing apps with similar concepts to gain a clearer vision. For example, apps like Reclub and MeetUp help users find and join activities, while dating apps like Tantan or Coffee Meets Bagel focus on matching people based on interests. Although they serve different purposes, they share a similar concept of connecting users through common activities or preferences.
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| Figure 4.7 Progress screenshot. |
To validate my idea, I discussed it with my brother, asking if he would use an app with these features. His feedback provided valuable insights, leading me to refine the key features for better convenience. I streamlined the user journey by reducing unnecessary steps, making it easier to get activity recommendations. Additionally, I incorporated game-like elements to enhance user experience and engagement.
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| Figure 4.8 Refined concept. |
After all members uploaded their initial concepts, I compiled and refined the ideas into a final outcome. During this process, I noticed that many of our ideas aligned.
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| Figure 4.9 Progress screenshot. |
Once the final version was completed, Jze Shin, our group leader, submitted it to Mr. Shamsul for review. He responded positively, stating that the proposal was good to go and our "How Might We" statement was well-crafted. With his approval, we proceeded to the next step, developing the interview questionnaire.
On Monday, Jze Shin and I decided to have an online meeting to complete the interview questions. Working together allowed us to create the interview questionnaire more efficiently and improve the quality of our work. This ensured that our progress stayed on track, as it was the submission week, and we needed to interview three people each and complete the affinity diagram. During the online meeting, I suggested to Jze Shin that we refer to the empathy map to ensure our questionnaire aligned with its key insights. This way, the questions would be relevant and avoid unnecessary ones. I listed the questions from the empathy map and pasted them into FigJam for easy reference.
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| Figure 5.1 Progress screenshot. |
Both of us then worked together to create the interview questions. Once we completed the interview questions, I created a section for the interview questionnaire so that other group members could contribute their ideas.
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| Figure 5.2 Progress screenshot. |
We planned to review their inputs and incorporate any useful suggestions. Jze Shin set a deadline for team members to upload their ideas by 10 PM that day, so we could compile the final set of questions and send them to Mr. Shamsul before the consultation session the next day.
Apart from completing the interview questionnaire, we also worked together to complete the project development. Since we were unsure if we were doing it correctly, we decided to focus on Task 1: Proposal Development first and seek feedback during the consultation session.
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| Figure 5.3 Progress screenshot. |
After compiling the final interview questionnaire, we sent it to Mr. Shamsul for review.
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| Figure 5.3 Progress screenshot. |
He approved it and advised us to proceed with the interviews. He also reminded us to record or take pictures of the interview sessions as proof.
During the Week 3 consultation, Mr. Shamsul reviewed our timeline and project development. He noted that we needed to include dates in the timeline and specify the tasks assigned to each member in the project development section. However, we explained that most of the work was done collaboratively. He suggested either listing all members for shared tasks or finding another way to allocate responsibilities. He also asked how we planned to conduct the interviews, whether online or in person. He emphasized that our interviewees should be within the targeted user age range, even though the app could be used by people of all ages. He suggested locations like Starbucks to approach strangers for interviews or, if we were targeting 18-24-year-olds, Taylor’s University as a good place to find interviewees.
Additionally, he advised us to select a sampling method for our interviews to ensure we collected data from a specific group of people. Once all interviews were completed, we were to create an affinity diagram based on the collected data.
Based on the feedback received, all of us proceeded with our individual user interviews, setting a deadline to complete them by February 20 (Thursday). This timeline ensured we had enough time to organize the collected data and create the affinity diagram.
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| Figure 5.4 Task completion plan. |
With the tasks assigned and the schedule set, I began identifying potential interviewees who fit our target population based on their lifestyle and relevance to our research. I then sent out invitations and arranged specific time slots for each interview session.
On February 18, Mr. Shamsul provided an update stating that we do not need to include any footage or visuals as proof of the interview sessions we conducted. Additionally, the presentation slide format has been changed from a group submission to an individual submission, as the user interview is based on personal effort.
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| Figure 5.5 Updates. |
On February 19, I conducted my first interview with Bernice Ting, a 23-year-old who recently participated in outdoor activities. We met in person at Taylor’s University. At the same time, her friend Khye Qing was also present, so I took the opportunity to interview him as well.
I recorded the interview session in audio to ensure I didn’t miss any important details and could accurately document the entire conversation. After the interview, I transcribed the conversation into a Google Docs file, making it easier to refer back to and summarize the key takeaways efficiently.
Google Docs File
Figure 5.6, 5.7 Document.
On the same night, I conducted an online interview with Tommy, who was busy with his university assignments and couldn't meet in person. He is a final-year Artificial Intelligence student at Asia Pacific University. He was an ideal interviewee as he balances both study and work while looking for opportunities to meet new friends or partners for outdoor activities to relieve stress.
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| Figure 5.8 Online interview session. |
On the night of February 20th, I conducted my final interview online with Hiu Jin, a Taylor's University student currently interning at an interior architecture company. I selected her as an interviewee because she enjoys outdoor activities, whether café hopping or sports, whenever she has free time. However, due to her busy schedule, she only has weekends available to hang out.
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| Figure 5.9 Online interview session. |
After completing the online interview, I documented the entire conversation in a Google Docs file.
Figure 5.10, 5.11 Document.
On Saturday, Jze Shin and I held a meeting since we had both completed our interviews by the Thursday deadline. We worked together to finalize the sampling, affinity diagram, and refinements for the timeline and project development.
We started with sampling, and since I had experience with it from a previous module, Research Methodology, I applied the same approach to complete it.
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| Figure 6.1 Progress screenshot. |
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| Figure 6.2 Research. |
To organize our findings, we created several frames representing key insights from the interviews, such as user needs, pain points, and behaviors. We then added sticky notes with feedback from each interviewee under the relevant categories. During this process, we encountered a challenge. If multiple interviewees shared the same feedback, we weren’t sure whether to add multiple sticky notes or just one. Since we couldn’t reach a conclusion, we consulted ChatGPT and ultimately decided to use only one sticky note for repeated insights. Once we completed the affinity diagram, we sent a message in the group chat, asking the other team members to add the data they collected from their interviews.
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| Figure 6.3 Progress screenshot. |
After that, we proceeded to refine the timeline and project development based on Mr. Shamsul's feedback. Jze Shin added the dates and due dates for the timeline, while I recreated a more detailed project development plan, including individual member tasks, assigned dates, and corresponding weeks.
Figure 6.4, 6.5 Progress screenshot.
As we needed to wait for the team members to complete the affinity diagram, I decided to start working on my individual presentation slides. At first, I struggled with choosing the right style for the slides. Since our topic is related to fun activities, I debated between creating a more vibrant, colorful design or a modern yet playful one. To enhance the visuals, I used multiple templates to incorporate graphic elements and studied their layouts to achieve a balanced and visually appealing arrangement of text and images.
Figure 7.1 - 7.6 References.
After reviewing several Canva templates, I decided to go with a modern design that incorporates some fun elements. I chose a bright background to ensure readability. Although I was still unsure if the design would look good, I focused on structuring the content and rough layout first, knowing I could adjust the design later if needed. Besides, I also found it frustrating that some of our key points were quite lengthy, making it difficult to maintain a clean and well-structured layout.
Figure 7.7, 7.8, 7.9 Progress screenshot.
After completing most of the presentation slides, leaving out the affinity diagram section while waiting for the others to finish their work, I realized that I wasn’t satisfied with the current layout and design. I felt it didn’t look as polished as I wanted. I decided to change the design to a black background with white text to give it a more professional look. To maintain a fun yet modern feel, I incorporated gradient elements into the graphics. I then moved all the content from my previous slides into the new layout, adjusting the arrangement and font sizes page by page. During this process, I also added a few extra slides to include raw assets, such as the FigJam board content, along with explanations of the different steps.
Figure 8.1, 8.2, 8.3 Progress screenshot.
Once I finished restructuring the slides, I checked back on the FigJam board and noticed that my teammates had uploaded their data. However, the information was disorganized. They hadn’t grouped similar concepts together, which is essential for an effective affinity diagram. I took the time to rearrange the entire section, categorizing similar points and resizing some frames to fit all the data properly. After organizing the affinity diagram, I exported it into my slides and summarized the key insights.
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| Figure 8.4 Progress screenshot. |
Finally, I added a table of contents with jump links, allowing viewers to navigate easily by clicking on each section title instead of relying on traditional page numbers.
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| Figure 8.5 Progress screenshot. |
Final Proposal Development
FigJam Board
Link to FigJam
Individual User Interview Data
Link to Google Docs
Figure 9.1 Final individual presentation slide.
Week 01
Mr. Shamsul advised us to focus on the problem 'The struggle to find fun activities that match one’s mood, energy, time, and budget'. He also recommended researching an app called Reclub, available on the App Store and Google Play, as it aligns with our topic and is a tool he personally uses to find activities like pickleball.
Week 02
Mr. Shamsul advised us to switch to Problem No. 6: The Uncertain Career Path (Young People Struggle to Define Their Future Jobs). He explained that this topic offers a broader scope for exploration and solution development. Mr. Shamsul expressed concern about using mood in our problem statement, as it relates to psychology and can be difficult to address. He pointed out that moods, such as depression, can be sensitive topics that people may not openly share, making it challenging to develop viable solutions. He suggested either refining our focus to mood, energy, time, or budget individually or finding additional app features that would ensure long-term user engagement, similar to platforms like Instagram or Facebook. He also suggested focusing solely on either physical or online activities to maintain a clear and structured approach. He encouraged us to find a common interest within our group to reconsider the topic.
After refinement
Mr. Shamsul stated that the proposal was good to go and our "How Might We" statement was well-crafted.
Week 03
Mr. Shamsul noted that we needed to include dates in the timeline and specify the tasks assigned to each member in the project development section. He suggested either listing all members for shared tasks or finding another way to allocate responsibilities. He also emphasized that our interviewees should be within the targeted user age range, even though the app could be used by people of all ages. He suggested locations like Starbucks to approach strangers for interviews or, if we were targeting 18-24-year-olds, Taylor’s University as a good place to find interviewees. Additionally, he advised us to select a sampling method for our interviews to ensure we collected data from a specific group of people. Once all interviews were completed, we were to create an affinity diagram based on the collected data.
REFLECTIONS
At the beginning of the class, I found it a bit confusing and unorganized. The small classroom had to accommodate over 50 students, which led to a shortage of tables and chairs. Additionally, the instructions given were unclear, making it challenging to follow the progress of the tasks. However, after each group was assigned a respective tutor, these issues were resolved, and the class structure became more manageable.
This task was quite challenging, but I noticed that it shared similarities with a previous module I took. It felt like a combination of all the knowledge I had gained, applying different aspects into one comprehensive project. Through this task, I realized that research plays a crucial role in UI/UX design, as our main goal is to solve users’ problems and enhance their experience. I also learned the importance of user interviews in ensuring that our design aligns with the needs and expectations of the target users. A design cannot be created based solely on assumptions, it must be backed by real user insights.
Additionally, I discovered how vital teamwork is in a group project. The quality and efficiency of the work are significantly impacted by how well team members collaborate. If every member actively contributes, takes responsibility, and engages in discussions, the progress will be much smoother and faster. The collective effort of a team is a key factor in achieving successful outcomes.
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