Sara

ROLE:

• Designer, Researcher, Notetaker, Presentation writer

Our design challenge:

•  How can we create a community and raise awareness about the new student services building?

Client:

• Santa Monica College

PROGRAMS/SOFTWARE USED:

• Illustrator, After effect

RESULT:

Observations

• There are so many empty dark walls all around the CMD and SMC main campus which we can use them to inform the student of the new student services building 
• There are several methods of affixing the projectors to the wall or the ceiling. The most effective we believe would be one that we found that is able to grip onto ledges and does not require drilling or ruining existing structures.
• Out of the two options, either a mini battery-powered projector,, or a more permanent display, we decided the best option would be investing the extra capital in a higher power, more permanent installations in order to improve the quality of the graphics and ease of use (not having to recharge the battery every day).

the big idea:

• Making eye-catching motion graphic advertisements to inform the viewers about the new center. We believe that it is time for SMC to evolve their thinking about how to advertise to their students. Traditional methods like posters, flyers, bus stop benches, and even online advertising now are ubiquitous. Anecdotally speaking, the members of our team (and students we interviewed) generally look past these traditional forms of advertising, they become just another texture of the world around us.
• We believe our idea can not only inform the students about the new student services center building more effectively than other methods but can also inform the students about the benefits and services more specifically offered in general to pique their interest in checking out the building and what it has to offer.

Illustration

 

Projector Kit

We’ve come up with two iterations of our concept. The first is a cheaper, portable solution using only a mini portable projector and mount for between $50-100 depending on the model projector. This can be used for more guerilla advertisements, teachers/volunteers who can set them up during class and remove them after, or for the fact that they are battery operated and don’t need to be plugged into the wall, which Frank told us may be an issue.

The second option would be a more permanent installation, but can still be easily moved and doesn’t necessarily require holes to be drilled into walls. In this scenario, we would use a higher quality projector for an average of $300 with a vice grip mount capable of holding onto ledges and beams, without screws. The advantage of this option is that the graphics will be much more vibrant and bright, the display area larger, and the installations not needing to be recharged or maintained.

Both projectors can be used (indoors and outdoors) on typically unused wall spaces like columns, ceilings, banisters, walkways, and dark walls. The ability to update the projections is a major advantage as well. I the school can now update the USB flash drive connected to the projectors with the new video file in a snap.

RESULTS FROM USER INTERVIEWS

As a result of interviewing with students, I realized that no one really knows anything about Student services building, and after I told them about it they found it helpful for new students. Aside from that, everyone we interview liked our concept and prototypes. We were given a few suggestions for improvements, like make it slower, so people can actually read it, take the information about the distance off of the video because it’s unnecessary and confusing, and write about benefits instead of the name of the offices in the building.

Presentation Feedback:

• The stakeholders liked the idea of eye-catching motion and slides of the information
• About the projector:
  • Irene said the permanent projector is more ideal because it can have a fixed place, and no one would need to move it.
  • Mr. Dawson believed that The portable one is better since electricity is not available everywhere and the projector can be used in several places.
  • Everyone liked the benefit of the projector working with flash drives, information can be easily updated, so it is sustainable.
• Feedback for future work:
  • Brenda suggested having the same style motion graphics showcasing a specific office in the building with some information about that department and its benefits/services.
  • Nicole said that the projector should be interactive. For example, it can have a motion sensor, so every time a person would walk by it would start showing the video.

Next Steps/Final Thoughts:

Based on our research interviews with students and our presentation in front of the Student Services Panel, we’ve determined a few next steps that we can take.

1. Make the projections interactive, both the students we interviewed and the presentation panel suggested this. The most effective way would be to have the projector’s setup to a motion detector so that it activates when someone walks by.
2. Determine the best solution for power. Based on our Q&A with our panel, we found out that power maybe a little harder to come by than previously thought. We will need to speak with maintenance to determine where and how we can plugin our rigs.
3. Based on our conversations with maintenance, we will scout and determine the best potential locations across all campuses.
4. We can make a motion graphic for each office with its own color. Therefore, when students would walk in the building they can notice them by their color and by watching the motion graphic they would learn about the services that each office offers to students.