Let’s start making
Post Class Reflection 1
This is the first post of a series of reflections on teaching digital product design at SVA’s Products of Design MFA program.
Project 1 prompt: What digital products can advances in technology influence and shape for good? How will design support them? For this project, you will ideate and then design a mobile experience based on current trends in technological influences. The experience should complement your thesis exploration.
How to start working through the project prompt:
An Opportunity Statement
This the why (what problem are you solving and why is it valuable) for project 1. Try not to make this statement too big. Focus on a specific problem and user you’ve observed from your research thus far. Remember, your solution should not be in this statement!
The Storyboard
A storyboard is how you envision your what (how can you solve your opportunity?) for project 1. If your statement is too big, push yourself to ideate a few more storyboards and then narrow your scope through prioritizing your capabilities. This activity is a reflection on what you’ve learned thus far and how to use that information to solve your problem.
Sketching and wireframes
The first step is to start drawing capabilities for your user. I know you all can because, based on your storyboard, everyone can draw lines and boxes!
I just referenced Observe/Reflect/Make (the Loop), the framework IBM uses to address problem-solving. The crucial thing to remember is that you never want to spend too much time just in one area. You’ll miss out on learning opportunities if you spend too much time reflecting without making. We’ll work on moving through the loop throughout the class. Once you have some wireframes, you can start observing how users interact with them and then reflect on the next set of capabilities.
If you’re stuck on wireframes
Don’t worry about having every screen mapped out and hand-drawn before you start working in Sketch. Once you have 2–3 screens sketched out, jump in and give it a shot. Also, feel free to use a sketch plug-in to get started.
Here are some helpful articles to get going:
