Design Internship Module 1 Overview

Module 1 Overview

• Module 1 introduces a virtual internship model (Assessments 1-3) at a design agency (Diamond Water) focusing on improving the RMIT Library website.
• Assessment 1: Auto-ethnographic research analysing individual user experience.
• Assessment 2: Concept generation and evaluation (desirability, viability, feasibility) through user testing and synthesis.
• Assessment 3: Design and refinement of user experience, testing high-fidelity future-state.
• Double Diamond Framework: A method for visualising design project stages, emphasizing user needs.
• UX Research focuses on the Discover and Define stages of the Double Diamond.

Understanding the Double Diamond Framework

• The framework helps navigate the design process with stages of "Discover and Define" followed by "Develop and Deliver."
• The process prioritises a deep understanding of user needs and challenges.
• Sub-stages of "Discover/Research" and "Define/Synthesis" involve detailed analysis, research methods (primary & secondary), and summarisation of findings.
• "How Might We" (HMW) questions formulate problem-solving goals.

Prototyping and Design Thinking

• Prototyping is an essential, iterative process that goes beyond the final design stage.
• Interaction design focuses on understanding and communicating with users.
• Prototypes can be any tangible representation that allows for user feedback.
• Prototyping facilitates communication with stakeholders, generates new ideas, and saves time/money.
• It's a crucial mindset throughout the design process—not just a final step.

Design Frameworks

• The Design Council: Expands the Double Diamond into a broader framework for innovation, emphasizing design skills and stakeholder collaboration.
• Stanford d.school: Presents a 5-stage Design Thinking process: Empathize, Define, Ideate, Prototype, and Test.
• ZenDesk: Adapts the Double Diamond further to a Triple Diamond framework, introducing additional converge and diverge processes during development and ideation, adding 7 stages.

Design Culture and Rituals

• Design culture embodies the shared philosophies and priorities of a design team influencing how they work.
• User needs and employee diversity are paramount.
• Problem understanding precedes solution creation.
• Strong design culture encourages experimentation, embraces failure as part of the learning process, and iterates based on feedback and testing.
• Design cultures vary by business type (start-ups, agencies, eCommerce).

Pomodoro Technique & Virtual Study Companions

• The Pomodoro Technique: Breaks work into 25-minute intervals with short breaks. This technique aids focus and prevents mental fatigue.
• Virtual study companions facilitate increased focus with shared breaks.

RMIT Library Project (Weeks 1-10)

Weeks 1-4: Appraising Current UX

• Objective: Assess the current user experience of RMIT library search and citation tools.
• Case study materials: Evaluate existing system design, constraints, and accessibility.
• User needs analysis: Ensure UX complies with accessibility principles.
• Design principles applied to asses DVFE (Desirability, Viability, Feasibility, Value).

Weeks 5-7: Analysing and Concept Generation

• Objective: Analyse a chosen subsystem and propose concepts for improvement.
• Consider limitations of existing systems (e.g. legacy systems).
• Evaluate channel transitions for flexibility.
• Create future-state concepts focusing on identified issues.

Weeks 8-10: Prototyping and Refinement

• Objective: Refine prototypes through testing & incorporate feedback.
• Analyze feasibility/viability tradeoffs versus desirability.
• Understand accessibility vs. backend limitations.
• Identify core UX challenges using prototyping tools.
• Develop a prototype, stakeholder feedback narrative, and desired future state.

Library Website UX Analysis

• Initial impressions: Standard home page but potentially confusing search functions (multiple search engines leading to different pages).
• Search intuitiveness: Considered intuitive like other search engines.
• Information availability: Adequate information and necessary tools for end-note usage are present.

User Context for Library Searches

• User's environmental factors impact experience.
• Understanding user search skills and process is crucial to design improvements.
• Library search tool: Finding books is straightforward; finding specific pages can be difficult, lacking sufficient navigation functionality.

Client Brief Considerations

• Sending RFPs to various agencies is beneficial.
• Client briefs should be simple, clearly stating goals, target users, potential issues, and constraints.
• Honesty about problem areas and expected limitations is key.
• Agency selection should be based on factors including budget relativity (e.g., differing costs across regions), complexity, and agency expertise.

Glossary Terms

• Ethnography: The scientific description of peoples and cultures.
• Auto-ethnography: A research method combining personal and cultural experiences for analysis.
• Deep reflection: A critical examination of personal experiences and their broader societal context.
• Reflexivity: The idea of understanding the interaction between self and society in research.