Minor Project / Final Compilation

Minor Project / Final Compilation

Week (1) - Week15

 Yang Yang / 0363575 / Bachelor of Desing (Honour) in Creative Medias / Minor Project / Tyalor's University

Final Compilation


Drive Link: https://drive.google.com/drive/folders/1d1gdB97yocZ1MUk7c8LjZaqBAcJQZ4mb?usp=sharing




Table of Content

Instructions

Consultation

Reflection



Instruction

Module information bookle


Week 1
First week of the class we were assigned to create a group of 7 members from different specialisation. Our group included:

1.0363575 / Yang Yang / Entertainment Design (Group Leader)
2.0375835 / Zhang Zihan / Entertainment Design
3.0376838 / Zhang Tianyao / Graphie design
4.0378676 / Zhou Yutong / immersive design
5.0378687 / Li Zexing / Graphic design
6.0360677 / Lim Zhi Yuan / UI/UX
7.0378712 / Diane Wan / UI/UX


Week 2
This week we were assigned the brief of selecting our project topic from a list of options, after discussion we selected "Period Poverty" as our topic. With direction set, our next step is get organised. We held a in class meeting to divide responsibilies, ensure every team members has a clear and defined role.



Week 3
This week was all about gathering information. We started by having a meeting with our client to talk about our project on Period Poverty. This was a helpful meeting because it made sure we understood what the client expects from us and helped us feel more confident about our direction.

After the meeting, the group spent time doing research. We focused on looking into how Period Poverty affects people in China. We spent the week reading through different reports and articles to get a better understanding of the situation.

By doing the research realise that menstruation is a sensitive topic in China. Many people dont have access to or a correct information about periods, We want to make an education website be a place people can learn and feel supported.




Week 4

Following the completion of research last week, this week's focus has been on preparing to engage with real people. The primary task was identifying the target audience. Team members responsible for the research proposal spent time precisely defining the individuals to be interviewed and their contact details.


We determined the target audience should comprise students aged 14 to 19, alongside volunteers working on this issue. Selecting this age group aimed to gain deeper insight into how period poverty impacts young people in education. Subsequently, Yang Yang and Zhou Yutong drafted the interview questions.


As two team members were non-Chinese nationals, direct communication with local students and volunteers presented challenges. To streamline the process, Zhou Yutong, Zhang Zihan, Zhang Tianyao and I undertook liaison duties. We contacted volunteers and coordinated arrangements via WeChat, significantly ensuring smooth communication and keeping the team fully informed.







Week 5
This week we started the actual interview process. Now that we had our plan ready, it was time to talk to the people who fit our target group of students (ages 14–19) and volunteers.

Before we started each interview, we made sure to ask everyone to sign a consent form. This was a simple form to make sure they were okay with us recording the conversation and using their answers for our study. It was important to us that everyone felt safe and comfortable sharing their thoughts.

After the interview were finished, the interview recording have a few things to do:
  • turned the recordings into a written notes (transcripts)  so we could read then easily.
  • wrote a summary of the main points from each person




Week 6
This week, we took all the notes and summaries from our interviews and used them to really understand the people we are trying to help. We worked together to create three main things: a User Persona, an Empathy Map, and a User Journey Map.



Creating a Character (User Persona) First, we created a "User Persona." This is like a character profile of a typical student who might face Period Poverty. Giving our user a name and a story makes them feel like a real person. It helps the whole group stay focused on who we are actually designing for, instead of just looking at data.



Next, we made an "Empathy Map." This helped us dig deeper into what a student in this situation sees, feels, hears, and does. We talked about their worries and the things that make their lives difficult. This part was really important because it helped us feel more connected to the problem. It’s not just about facts; it’s about how people feel.



 Finally, we made a "User Journey Map." We drew out the steps a student takes and the struggles they face in their daily life. This helped us see exactly where the biggest problems are. By looking at the "journey" from start to finish, we can see where we should focus our ideas to help the most.



Week 7,8
For this two weeks, our group has been focused on one presentation for Week 9. We have been working on our presentation slides to make sure we can explain our research and ideas to our client.



Week 9

This week marked a pivotal turning point for the project. We held a meeting with the client to present the concept demonstration and creative vision for the educational website. However, the feedback received was unexpected—the client felt the website might not be the optimal solution for addressing period poverty. They also noted that our presentation appeared somewhat cumbersome and unprofessional, containing excessive information without sufficient summarisation.

After the meeting, our group held an offline meeting on campus to talk about what to do next. We had to be honest with ourselves: if the website wasn't going to work, we needed a better idea fast. After a long discussion, we decided to pivot. Instead of a website, we are now going to create a card game for period poverty.




week 10
After we comfirmed the final product is game card, we decided to work fast on the prototype design and game rules.

Fig Card CH


Fig Card EN




Week 11, 12

Game Card Promote
In this two weeks, we shared our physical game cards with our volunteers in China to get the cards to local students. Due to the distance limitation this was the best way for us to proceed our prototype testing.

To help spread the game card, we also designed a posters in Chinese, the posters explained the game rules and how to setup. Between the posters and the volunteers, we were able to get students  playing and learning.




Fig. Poster



Week 13
This week, we finally tested our prototype card game. Since the students are young and it was hard to talk to them directly because of privacy and their parents, our volunteers did the testing for us and gave us feedback.

To make sure we got good data, we gave the volunteers two sets of interview questions: one to answer before the testing and one for after the testing.

Testing

What we found:
Overall the feedback was very positive, these are the main things we collected from both the female and male volunteers:

Before the Testing:

Teaching about periods was awkward and mostly involved just talking or simple drawings.

Students were shy; girls were hesitant to speak, and boys often made jokes or didn't pay attention.

The volunteer didn't feel very confident because they didn't have the right tools.

After the Testing:

The game made the classroom feel relaxed and fun. Students actually wanted to join in.

Male students started participating and talked about how to stop the stigma around periods.

The volunteers felt much more confident. The game gave them a structure, so they didn't feel embarrassed anymore.


Boy before and after using the card

Girl before and after using the card



Week 14
This presentation, scheduled for December 30th, serves as the sequel to our mid-term update. We will present the project's final outcomes, covering our chosen direction, functional prototypes, and the insights gathered from testing.







Consultation

Week 1
Module briefing.

Week 2
Module briefing.

Week 3
This week, our focus was on user interviews. For each interview, the interviewer was required to collect a recorded video and a full transcript. All materials have been uploaded to our shared folder.

We will use the collected data to create two user personas and map out the pain points identified during the interviews.
Week 7

Week 4
Doing Demo interview with other group members during tutorial class, this help us understand the flow of process and how to ask question.

Week 5


Week 6


Week 7
Crazy 8 Idea activity.

Week 8
This week was focused on finalizing our project presentation and refining our user understanding before the final review.
  • Checked all slides for typos and ensured consistent formatting.
  • Outlined the presentation structure to ensure a correct progression flow.
  • Updated user background information with our latest interview insights.



Week 9
This week, after reviewing our progress and client feedback, we made a majority decision: to change our prototype products.


Week 10
No Feedback

Week 11
Game card adjustment.


Week 12


Week 13
-



Reflection

This module taught me how to respond flexibly when plans do not go as expected, as well as how to work effectively with team members. The biggest challenge occurred in Week 9, when the client informed us that our website concept was not feasible and gave strong criticism of our presentation. Honestly, this was very discouraging for me. As the group leader, I felt a strong sense of responsibility and pressure, and I even questioned my ability to lead the team at that moment.

With the help of our tutor and some self-reflection, I was able to recover quickly and reorganise the team’s tasks. Zihan and I took responsibility for redesigning the PowerPoint, and on the same day we held a long but productive group meeting. During this meeting, we made a clear decision to change the project direction by developing a card game instead of a website. This adjustment helped the team move forward and gave the project a clearer focus.

Teamwork was a key part of this project. As our group included two non-Chinese members, one of whom was not confident in speaking Chinese, I mainly took on the role of communication coordinator. I tried my best to ensure that Diane could understand the main points of each meeting and feel included in the group. However, due to the regional limitations of our research topic, most communication with interview participants had to be handled by other team members. Throughout the process, I made efforts to balance workloads and encourage effective collaboration within the team.

Overall, this project was a valuable learning experience. I experienced significant stress due to unfamiliar workflows, team disagreements, and difficulties caused by geographical limitations. However, these challenges also pushed me to learn more than I initially expected. I believe this experience has helped me grow both academically and personally, and I hope to achieve better results in future group projects.


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