This document should be a PDF document with links to locations on the web where you have stored your “models” and research materials including presentation power points.

TITLE: the name of your design proposal.

SUMMARY DESCRIPTION: Describe the entity you are proposing. What does it do?

WHO IS IT FOR? Who would be the typical user of the proposed entity?

RESEARCH BACKROUND: How did you get to this point?

1. Two users were studied. Describe each of them.

2. Models were built. What did they consist of?

3. VIIM- Analysis was carried out. What was discovered?

4. The models were shown to a group of student who made suggestions. How many suggestions were received?

5. An analysis was made of the suggestions. What was revealed? Show the decision matrix and scatter diagrams.

LIST OF DELIVERABLES: Make a list of the items needed that would describe the finished Design proposal. For example; A storyboard, a movie, visuals, etc

CONCLUSION: A snappy re-iteration of the title of the project, who it is for, what is the central design challenge.

Describe what content should be covered in each item.

Guideline length 5 – 10 pages.

Due date: Jan 12^th. Attach PDF to email to a(dot)hutton(at)Ulster(dot)ac(dot)uk

The MDes major Project Design Proposal document should be concise (5 pages?) but include the following items: Rationale, scope, ambition and a plan of work. The plan of work can be presented as a separate item, for example a *.xls.

The Project Design Proposal could have a layout like this:

TITLE:

RATIONALE/AMBITION: Why are you interested in this project? What do you want to achieve by doing the project?

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: What aspect of the project is the central design challenge?

USERS/CUSTOMERS: This section will deal with the items we covered in the User/Customer presentations. How many users are there? What age are they? What else do they use/read/view? How did they manage without your new design? What are they interested in? What are they trying to achieve? How many times per day will the user use the object? etc

Are the users different from the customers? A customer is someone who gives you money for something? How much will your customer give you for solving this design problem? Who else could solve the problem? What will the customer get in return for his/her investment? Etc

TECHNOLOGY/MEDIA/MANUFACTURE: What are the technical options for making/delivering your design? Which option will make the most money? Which option will cost the most to make/deliver? What technology/media/manufacture does the competitor/alternative use?

TIME/PLACE: Where will your design entity be used? At what time? For how long? How could you change the place that the entity is being used in? How could you change the time that the entity is being used? How could you extend the time that the entity is being used for?

CONCLUSION: A snappy re-iteration of the title of the project, who it is for, what is the central design challenge.

Plan to Succeed!

About planning PERT and GANTT and TUFTE

First set the overall goal: For example: Get a distinction in MDes!

Then make a list. Start of casually enough. Simply think of the end of the project (September) and write down the things you will have done by then.

Handed in all work
Got everything finished
Published a book
Posters look great
Essay/Report very good

Write down 10 items. Number the 10 items, going up in 10s. Like this:

10. Hand in all work
20. finish everything
30. Publish a book
40. Make great posters
50. Write Essay/Report
60. etc.
70
80
90
100.

Special note: This is not a “to do list”, it’s a “done list”! Re-word/re-work each item on the list so that it reads like an achievement, something that has been done.

10. All work for MDes Handed in on time
20. ebook published on amazon fire app store in mid August
30. 500 copies of book downloaded
40. Large format posters look great in the exhibition
50. Kindle Fire in the show attracts a lot of attention
60. etc.
70
80
90
100.

Keep it upbeat – this is where you are setting your AMBITION. Look at each task and quickly write out subtasks that belong to it. What do you need to do in order to achieve the goal. Because you have written the top list in 10s you can number the subtasks 11, 12, 13, 14, etc, 21,22,23, etc. Write up to 10 subtasks for each main task. When you have your rough list done go back over it and write it again , but this time as achieved items. Now for the Sub-subtasks. You can number these using a point system, for example 11.1, 11.2, 11.3. Again write the tasks out not as things to do (like a normal list), write them as items that have been done.

Acuuracy and granularity. You should be able to estimate how long the sub sub tasks will take, each one should be small enough. If you can’t, then you may need sub sub sub tasks, ekk! When you plan your MDes project try to plan it with a day by day level of accuracy!

How long is an MDes? How much work? The MDes is a course that is one calendar year long. We tend to work on project planning in December – three months in. From December to September (the end of the course is ten months) If you take two weeks at Christmas and four weeks holidays in the Summer then there are 30 weeks left from 1^st of December to the start of September. Working 5 days per week that is 150 days. Working 5 days per week that is 60 days.

If your added up days comes to anything between 60 and 150 then that is probably about the right amount of project tasks for an MDes project. If your days effort sum comes to less than 60 or more than 150 then you will know you have some sort of planning issue that you need to deal with. It’s a rough guide!

When you have a list done write the task descriptions on Yellow stickers. (Like this).

Put the Yellow stickers on a large board in rough chronological order. Are any tasks dependant on other tasks being done before they can get started? Can any tasks be done at the same time as some other tasks? This is a bit like making a PERT chart.

Re –order the tasks until you are happy with the Chronology.

How long should this task (the task of planning) take? Lets say it works out at a 100 day project. I think about 10 percent of the overall effort should be spent on planning. There will be about half of that planning task at the beginning of the project with the other half running throughout the project.