OUGD505 - Study Task 6 - Workbook Questions and Activities

Workbook Questions and Activities

For the content of the book key bits of research were gathered together that discusses the process of research within the design process. From various sources key tips and techniques for gathering research were considered as a basis for creating the questions within the book.

What is the Research Phase - Key points 
- it is at the beginning of a project 
- information, photographs and data are collected 
- inspiration comes from the brief 
- breaking the problem down can help to understand the brief and allow the needs f the client to be more obvious  e.g. into keywords, questions and phrases 
- passive searching includes immersion in information and reflecting on information 
- user research is done to understand the user
- in research physical and digital documentation is used
- Understanding the audience and their needs is important  
- Understanding the client and competition 
- Observing the audience and context    


This enabled a series of topics to be highlighted that are important within and for the design process form which questions and statements could be generated for the exercises within the book.  


The exercise within the book aim to:
- be open to allow them to be percieved and responded to in different ways
- allow the user to collect a body of research exploring the main aspects of a brief to provide information as a basis for idea generation 

Breaking down the brief 

Define keywords from the brief 
Find alternate meanings
Reduce to keypoints 
What are the deliverables?
Are their any background considerations?

Context 

Explore where it will be seen 
Interact with similar design 
Analyse features of relevant existing design 
What is needed for the design to survive in this context?

Client 

Prioritise their aims
Define their intended message 
Consider their history 
Describe them using only adjectives 
Understand what they do 
Document visuals associated with the company 

Target Audience 

Visualise the audience
Find out their needs and expectations 
Define their charcteristics 
What do they associate with the company?
How do they engage with the company?

Topic 

What do you already know?
Who knows more?
Define associated research topics
Research key information
Collect visuals around the subject