The Design Pitch project (DP) results in a 7 to 10 minute screencast video that presents your proposal for a design that improves upon or replaces your chosen object of study (OoS). The DP project is challenging because it requires you to distill knowledge gained from observation, experience, and research to support a concretely detailed description for a new or improved product design.
The DP project results in 2 deliverables:
For the full list of files and submission details, see Submission Requirements.
The Design Pitch project brings together elements of research, design thinking, and technical description into a presentation for professional (i.e., educated, but nonexpert) listeners/viewers. Two strategies are key to your success with the project: creating a connection with audience members; and, discussing in detail how your proposed design represents effective design thinking.
The Design Pitch project highlights communication concepts and strategies that complement those emphasized in the Design Assessment project. Both assignments focus on effective writing, design, and mastery of design technologies. The Pitch project adds presentation and video production to the mix.
Just as there are multiple layers of formality in writing, the same is true of public speaking. Presentations take many forms: formal events at professional meetings, leading discussion in meetings, providing updates on projects in the moment and on the fly. This project combines elements of many different types of presentations.
Video was already on the rise as a medium of communication prior to the pandemic. It has become a daily staple of industrial practice during the past few years. Although the technologies for video production are less expensive and more accessible than ever, implementing them into the communication process still requires time and strategy. This project offers you opportunities to consider how to use video effectively into your professional communication toolkit.
Deliverables: memo, screening document, screencast video
Document scope: 150 words (memo), variable (screening doc), 7 to 10 minutes (screencast)
Project value: 200 points
Evaluation rubric: _Eval_DesignPitch.pdf
Recommended tools: Techsmith Capture, Screencast-O-matic.com (all platforms), or Apple Quicktime (Mac) for the screencast; Microsoft Word, Adobe InDesign for the screening document; microphone; headphones
This section provides content & design specifications for the core deliverables.
Build your design pitch on the foundation of your research on and experience with your chosen object of study. In this presentation, you propose a design for a new or improved product that you argue would compete well on the market against that OoS. Your pitch takes the form of a screencast video that runs 7 to 10 minutes.
Your screening document (that is, the document from which you record your screencast video) should stand in as an effective representation of your design pitch even without your presence as a presenter. That means viewers (or readers) ought to be able to discern the core details and explanations from the content available on each screen. However, the document should be designed to serve primarily as the on-screen object during your screencast recording.
To meet these ends, your screening document must incorporate the following content and design elements.
Note. The images you provide for the new design/design improvements need not be professional grade. Many students have provided hand-drawn images for this project. Assume that we all know that you would produce higher quality images in a working context.
Record your screencast using the screening document as your designated recording window. Use the content from that document as the basis for your presentation. Avoid reading your doc to viewers. Rather, bring it to life through your discussion.
Test the resulting video file prior to submitting your project. Make sure that the audio is strong and clear and that the video is free of glitches or background sounds.
Set up your report for streaming by posting the video file to Screencast.com (or another streaming service). One advantage of Screencast.com over some other services is that you control whether or not your files are publicly accessible. If you created an account here for the Screencast Design workshop, then you may remember that your video file is accompanied by a SHARE link. Copy that link and add it to your project Memo (see below) prior to submission of the project.
A memo of transmittal introduces the accompanying document to its audience(s). Your memo should be addressed from you to me, and should introduce the accompanying project. Your memo should incorporate the following content elements.
This section is designed to help you be strategic in the development of your project components. Consider the following hints and tips. Use this set of recommendations as a checklist for quality control.
You establish your technical writer/designer ethos with the way you present your descriptive details. Be as specific and concrete as you can throughout your discussion. The more details you incorporate into your report, the more observant you appear to be. That helps establish and maintain your credibility and authority. However, it is also important to focus on the details that truly matter for understanding and interpreting your OoS. Focus on the details that are important to understanding the thing you discuss.
Consider what viewers might find most useful. Provide as much detail, explanation, and evaluative discussion as you can in the allotted time. Draw on your Research Journal and your Journey Map for content.
All designs are more easily understood through visual representation. Show design elements, features, arrangement, use in context, or any other details that you can through images.
Do not use marketing images of your OoS from the vendor website. Do incorporate screenshots of your OoS in use.
Also, for any screens that you propose a redesign, or if you propose a completely new product, then implement images that you create using available tools and templates. For example, a search for "iPhone design templates" will gather a wealth of links to sites where you can download free design templates specific to Apple phone screens. You can search for parallel screens for other companies, devices, and product lines. For our purposes here, any screens you design can be hand drawn, although you are welcome to do something more sophisticated if you are able.
Establish a connection with your audience. Sustain that connection throughout your video. Consider what would help you create a connection to a topic, issue, or author, and seek to develop such connections with your audience now. For example, consider the needs and expectations of a professional such as yourself in seeking out a review like yours.
Remember that communication in professional and technical contexts values highly the ability to write and speak with economy, directness, and professionalism. Another way of saying this is to make every word count. Stay focused on the details necessary to understand your OoS, the research you conduct, and the conclusions you draw from your work. Write and rewrite until your explanations make sense, and represent careful, concise, professional communication.
Focus on the little and big details. Proofread your on-screen document carefully. Make sure your audio is strong and clear. Review what you say and how you say it. Check the quality of your audio and video. Redo material that does not meet expectations. Test your SHARE link after you add it to the Memo.
Design a document that presents completely the pitch's core content. Because you will record a screencast of your movement through this document, it is most effective to design a document that fits on screen and requires no scrolling. That means using the landscape orientation rather than portrait in your design package.
I recommend Microsoft Word, or Adobe InDesign for this project. Word offers the best compromise of design power and ease of use. If you are familiar with a more-advanced tool such as InDesign, you may feel more comfortable using it instead. Your transitions between pages during the screencast will go more smoothly if you convert your pitch document to PDF before you record your video.
I offer this caution about using Microsoft PowerPoint. Although a slideshow created in PowerPoint suits your needs for this task, I strongly recommend that you avoid using any templates provided by Microsoft. Such templates are designed to meet outdated standards for projected documents, and are not at all appropriate for a professional document such as the one you need to create here.
Consider as well that if you want to integrate any other video content, such as a live demonstration of a site or tool, that you can prepare in advance to make that content easier to integrate. If you resize and reposition the demo window so it fills the same space on screen as your pitch document, then you can pause during the recording process to put that demo space in the recording window.
Screencasting tools allow you to designate a recording window, which may be a portion of your computer screen or the whole screen. The contents of that window are recorded during the screencasting process. Designate the pitch document as your recording window, rather than the whole screen. This is more professional. However, it is also more effective because it eliminates unnecessary screen content, and may allow you to record the screencast document at a larger scale.
Plan and rehearse your pitch so that you use the time allotted to you for your presentation. It is often obvious when presenters have not planned well or rehearsed their presentation. In such cases, they may have little to say, or struggle to do more than read from their screening document, or or simply stop because their time is running out. You do not have much time to discuss your topic, and thus need to emphasize organization in your planning. Plan the general presentation sections and the key details from each. Work your way through the topics toward your conclusion.
Once you have completed your recording, review your screencast to make sure that (1) your delivery is professional, coherent, and well paced, (2) your video is clear and free of flaws, and (3) your audio is clear, audible, and free of distracting clicks or other background sounds.
Although it is possible to upload a video file (typically an .mp4 format file), such files can be large. Screencast.com allows you to share a link with others that, when selected, provides access to a video stream. Because most email packages (including SVSU Vmail) have limits on file size for attachments, this sharing option is often the most effective. Always test your link before you submit your project.
Read and attend carefully to these submission guidelines. Failure to do so may result in delays in receiving feedback on the draft of your project, or in points lost on the final evaluation of your project.
Create a project folder inside your shared class folder on Dropbox.com. Remember, I can only view files that you place inside the shared class folder. Until you place files in that space, you have not in practice submitted them.
Name the folder Design Pitch.
Note. Do not share this folder with me. By placing it in your class folder, you have already shared it by default.
Make sure the project documents are available to me in the project folder by the final deadline. Model your filenames on the listed examples.
Note. Do not share the individual files with me. By placing them in your project folder, you have already shared them by default.
The final project submission is worth 200 possible points. You will earn points according to the standard described on the policies page (see Policies for a description of these categories).
The specific areas of emphasis for this project are drawn from the description and discussion of the project, and are detailed in the evaluation rubric (_Eval_DesignPitch.pdf).
Remember that I will only post the point values for projects on the Grades page in SVSU Canvas. I will post the details relevant to that evaluation in your class folder in a project-specific file.
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