Week 11: Synthesis Plan & Presentation

An interactive experience at the Science Museum in London

Overview

This week, our team returned from Edinburgh and London with new ideas about museum possibilities and a fresh perspective on research synthesis. Primary foci for this week included determining strategies for further synthesis and visioning, and the best ways to move forward with the project. As we did so, we were focused on three tasks:

• Revising our project timeline
• Transitioning from research to visioning
• Refining and presenting our mid-term presentation

Timeline

We analyzed our position thus far and our goals for the semester in order to determine how best to revise our schedule timeline for this semester of the project. Goals for this semester include synthesizing existing research, determining a clear design path, and developing 2–4 feasible ideas into lo-fi prototypes to pitch to our client as project directions.

Jessica’s revised timeline for the first half of this year-long project

Research to Visioning: The Creative Plan

Based on group ideas about directions and needs, our Creative Lead, Bria, began a Creative Plan to outline our path into the Visioning phase of the project. In order to begin this phase, in which we rapidly create and refine a variety of design ideas, we need to fully synthesize our research to date.

This emphasis on proper and complete synthesis as well as full team involvement are highlights of Bria’s approach. As we transition from the Research Phase into the Visioning Phase, we are also transitioning from the primary phase guide of the Research Lead, Christyne, to that of the Creative Lead, Bria.

Bria’s Creative Plan revolves around several key ideas:

• complete and methodical synthesis of research to date is necessary to move properly into visioning
• each team member should engage in continuous design of varied ideas to help the best design ideas emerge
• creating models will help us integrate and experience our ideas

Mid-Term Presentation

From left to right: Christyne, Bria, Jessica, James, & Stephanie — Team Current

As we refined our project directions, we refined our presentation. In the end, in the presentation, we emphasized:

• details of our research to date
• beginning research synthesis
• plans for transitioning into visioning

We received some excellent suggestions about synthesizing data, including that we should create personas as soon as possible, and about selecting a design direction for the project. Currently, we are deliberating between three possible design directions:

1. creating a new, interactive exhibit focused on renewables on Madeira
2. redesigning aspects of the museum as a whole to enhance the overall experience and interactivity
3. a fusion of both

Next Steps

After the Spring Term Break, we will return to work on rapid research synthesis using Download Your Research and modeling approaches. By the end of the first week back, we will determine our design direction and begin individual design explorations. Quickly thereafter, based on existing foundations, we will also reanalyze the semester’s deliverables, and make a detailed plan for success in the final quarter.