Lesson Design: Creating Your Message Design Specifications
Module Introduction: Creating Your Message Design Specifications
In the Writing for Interactive Media course, you will develop a set of preproduction documents for an interactive media project. You'll create a set of message design specifications on which you will base your project, including developing your goal statement, objectives, audience analysis, user persona, and content outline. You will work in a shared Google Doc to write your message design specifications. (Note: You may work with a classmate on a team project if you like.) After you have written each component of your message design specifications, you will suggest revisions and provide feedback on a classmates' project in your classmate's shared Google Doc. When all components are written and you have received feedback for each component, you will make revisions, accept or reject suggestions in your Google Doc, and resolve all comments to finalize and submit your message design specifications. Module Objectives
Lesson 1: Overview of Google Drive/Docs; Goal Statement and Objectives
Lesson Objectives
Overview of Google Drive and Google Docs
You will write your message design specifications in a shared Google Doc, and use the commenting and suggesting features of the Google Doc to exchange feedback with a classmate. Setting up a Gmail Account and Becoming Familiar with Google Drive You will need a Gmail account for this course. If you have one already, you can use it for this course. If not, read the Google web page about how to create one: Create a Gmail account. You will use a Google Drive Folder and Google Docs within Google Drive to submit your assignments. Google Docs work similarly and in conjunction with Microsoft products (Word, etc.). Setting up Google Drive
Sharing Google Docs using Google Drive
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Lesson 1 Links
Lesson 2 Links
Lesson 3 Links Lesson 4 Links |
SmartChat Activity: Writing Message Design Specifications for an Interactive Media Project
In this activity you will have a simulated discussion with virtual classmates and an instructor to learn about the different components of your message design specifications, and how to develop them. You will watch videos in the activity to help you understand how to create components of your message design specifications. The activity will show you an example completed message design specification. You can click to open the example message design specification here.
In this activity you will have a simulated discussion with virtual classmates and an instructor to learn about the different components of your message design specifications, and how to develop them. You will watch videos in the activity to help you understand how to create components of your message design specifications. The activity will show you an example completed message design specification. You can click to open the example message design specification here.
Developing a Goal Statement
Developing the project's goal statement is the first step in the message design process. It's what you want the project to accomplish. Your project's goal statement may be informative, persuasive, or a combination of both. You will then arrange your content to serve the goal statement.
Consider the following goals about a new benefits package for a company’s employees:
To explain a new benefits package to employees.
The first goal is informative, the second goal is persuasive, the third goal is both informative and persuasive.
Goal statements are broad, overarching statements about what the project will accomplish or what problem it will solve. Goals don't address specific content areas; that's the job of objectives and the content outline. Goals address the broad identified needs or problems, and what will be done to address them.
Developing the project's goal statement is the first step in the message design process. It's what you want the project to accomplish. Your project's goal statement may be informative, persuasive, or a combination of both. You will then arrange your content to serve the goal statement.
Consider the following goals about a new benefits package for a company’s employees:
To explain a new benefits package to employees.
- To convince employees that the new benefits package will be better for them and the company.
- To explain to employees greater cost benefits for them in the new benefits package, reinforce decreased administrative costs for the company, and convince employees of the merits of the new package.
The first goal is informative, the second goal is persuasive, the third goal is both informative and persuasive.
Goal statements are broad, overarching statements about what the project will accomplish or what problem it will solve. Goals don't address specific content areas; that's the job of objectives and the content outline. Goals address the broad identified needs or problems, and what will be done to address them.
Developing Objectives
Objectives represent the skills, knowledge, or attitudes (SKAs) the user should acquire from using your final product. What are the things that you want your audience to know, think, say, or do after using the final product?
Objectives are measurable. How do clients or employers determine that multimedia projects they paid for are implemented successfully? How do you, the interactive media writer, prove to them that you accomplished what they hired you to do? If your paycheck depended on proving that, could you do it? You could, if you had written good measurable objectives and the client had signed off on them, or the employer had agreed to them.
Objectives describe the steps that need to be taken in order to achieve the goal statement. They help you to focus on the content that will accomplish the goal statement. Objectives are listed as short, clear, and concise bullet point statements in your message design document. You should have at least three and up to ten bulleted objectives in your message design specifications.
Clear objective statements will help you weed out extraneous or unnecessary content. When writing objective statements, consider:
To help you write an objective, remember this syntax:
________ (Who?), when ________ (Under What Circumstances?), will ________ ________ (Verb / What?) to ________ (Objective?).
For example: The student (Who), when performing calculations (Under What Circumstances), will solve equations (Verb / What) to successfully solve math problems (Objective).
View a list of measurable verbs: Bloom's Taxonomy Action Verbs
Objectives represent the skills, knowledge, or attitudes (SKAs) the user should acquire from using your final product. What are the things that you want your audience to know, think, say, or do after using the final product?
Objectives are measurable. How do clients or employers determine that multimedia projects they paid for are implemented successfully? How do you, the interactive media writer, prove to them that you accomplished what they hired you to do? If your paycheck depended on proving that, could you do it? You could, if you had written good measurable objectives and the client had signed off on them, or the employer had agreed to them.
Objectives describe the steps that need to be taken in order to achieve the goal statement. They help you to focus on the content that will accomplish the goal statement. Objectives are listed as short, clear, and concise bullet point statements in your message design document. You should have at least three and up to ten bulleted objectives in your message design specifications.
Clear objective statements will help you weed out extraneous or unnecessary content. When writing objective statements, consider:
- Who must meet the objective.
- Under what circumstances, or when, the objective must be met.
- What action or behavior is required to measure the objective (a measurable verb).
To help you write an objective, remember this syntax:
________ (Who?), when ________ (Under What Circumstances?), will ________ ________ (Verb / What?) to ________ (Objective?).
For example: The student (Who), when performing calculations (Under What Circumstances), will solve equations (Verb / What) to successfully solve math problems (Objective).
View a list of measurable verbs: Bloom's Taxonomy Action Verbs
Discussion 1: Analyze a Website for Goals and Objectives
In this Lesson, you will create the goal statement and objective statements of your message design specifications for your planned project. Before you begin your Assignment, complete the activity below and post in the Discussion in Blackboard. In your Discussion response, be sure to address the points below:
Respond to at least two other students’ posts by the stated due date. In each response to another student, discuss your thoughts about the other student’s goal and objectives analyses — do you see other possible goals or objectives that the other student may not have noticed?
Your initial post should be, at a minimum, 2-3 paragraphs of 2-3 complete sentences each. Your responses to other students each should contain 3-4 complete sentences, and several additional thoughts, points, or suggestions, other than just agreeing or disagreeing. Be sure to use correct grammar, spelling, capitalization, and punctuation.
This is a required and graded discussion. Use the Discussion Rubric to determine criteria for earning points and how your discussions will be graded.
In this Lesson, you will create the goal statement and objective statements of your message design specifications for your planned project. Before you begin your Assignment, complete the activity below and post in the Discussion in Blackboard. In your Discussion response, be sure to address the points below:
- Choose an existing website for any of the following topics: educational, marketing, public relations, sales, or training. Post the URL (web address) to the site in your Discussion response.
- Analyze the website to determine its goal and objectives.
- Describe what you think the goal of the website is — what is the site owner trying to accomplish with this site? What goal(s) would a user have in mind when using this site? Write a goal statement for the site.
- Describe what you think the objectives of the website are — what will the user be able to demonstrate knowing, or be able to do after using the content in this site? Write a set of objective statements for the site.
Respond to at least two other students’ posts by the stated due date. In each response to another student, discuss your thoughts about the other student’s goal and objectives analyses — do you see other possible goals or objectives that the other student may not have noticed?
Your initial post should be, at a minimum, 2-3 paragraphs of 2-3 complete sentences each. Your responses to other students each should contain 3-4 complete sentences, and several additional thoughts, points, or suggestions, other than just agreeing or disagreeing. Be sure to use correct grammar, spelling, capitalization, and punctuation.
This is a required and graded discussion. Use the Discussion Rubric to determine criteria for earning points and how your discussions will be graded.
Assignment 1: Write your Draft Goal Statement and Objective Statements
Use the Assignment Rubric to determine criteria for earning points and how your message design specifications components and collaboration with your partner will be graded.
- Use the Message Design Specifications Template: Shared Google Doc to write a paragraph describing your idea for your project. Why did you choose this topic? What similar interactive media projects or websites have you visited that relate to this topic? Do you think your planned project will be unique as compared to existing media or websites?
- Write your draft project goal statement. What are you trying to accomplish with this project?
- Write your draft project objectives. How will your project accomplish your goal — what will the user be able to demonstrate or do after using the content in your interactive media project? Remember that objective statements are simple verb-based statements, not lists of single words or paragraphs. Objectives should be written using measurable verbs. Use the Bloom’s Taxonomy Action Verbs PDF to assist you with choosing measurable verbs for your objectives.
- Use the Share feature in your Google Doc to send your partner a message that your document is ready for feedback.
Use the Assignment Rubric to determine criteria for earning points and how your message design specifications components and collaboration with your partner will be graded.
Assignment 1 Peer Feedback
When you have completed writing your project description, goal statement, and objective statements, you and your partner will review each others’ descriptions of your ideas for your projects, your goal statements, and your objectives, and provide constructive feedback to each other.
Use the Suggesting feature of each others’ shared Google Docs to revise and make suggestions in the others’ document, and use the Comments feature to add margin comments. When you and your partner have finished providing feedback to each other, notify your instructor that you are ready for him or her to review your document and provide their feedback.
Important: Do not resolve or delete your suggestions or comments until your instructor has reviewed your document and added feedback.
When you have completed writing your project description, goal statement, and objective statements, you and your partner will review each others’ descriptions of your ideas for your projects, your goal statements, and your objectives, and provide constructive feedback to each other.
Use the Suggesting feature of each others’ shared Google Docs to revise and make suggestions in the others’ document, and use the Comments feature to add margin comments. When you and your partner have finished providing feedback to each other, notify your instructor that you are ready for him or her to review your document and provide their feedback.
Important: Do not resolve or delete your suggestions or comments until your instructor has reviewed your document and added feedback.
Lesson 2: Audience Analysis and User Persona
Lesson Objectives
Lesson Objectives
- Write message design specifications for an interactive media project
- Write an audience analysis
- Develop a user persona
- Collaborate using Google Drive and Docs
- Write content in a Google Doc
- Suggest content changes in a Google Doc
- Provide comments in a Google Doc
Writing an Audience Analysis
The message design's audience analysis step involves writing a description of the target audience the project is intended to reach. The more you know about your audience, the more you can focus and refine the message. Considerations for your audience analysis include criteria such as:
Consider who you are targeting your project to. Members of the audience should feel that the communication is one-on-one, or tailored to communicate with just them. It makes a difference if the presentation is for 10-year-olds versus 40-year-olds, or if the program is for someone who knows nothing about the subject versus a seasoned professional.
You will tailor the message to the demographics, or statistical characteristics such as age and gender, that you identify for your target audience, and the psychographics, or more intangible aspects of your audience.
Demographics give a basic sense of who the audience is in terms of statistics such as age, gender, income, etc., and how large the audience might be. But there is more to understanding an audience than statistical information.
Psychographics describe the values, beliefs, perceptions, lifestyles, and habits of the audience. This information helps to further identify and define your audience.
Be aware of the age range of your audience and what the average age is. Age makes a difference regarding the language and examples you use to teach concepts to your audience. The examples must relate to their past experience. For example, if you are preparing a program in basic computer literacy for older adults, you could compare the functions of a word processor to that of a typewriter. Younger audiences would lack the experience with typewriters, so they would not benefit from such comparisons.
Understand the educational background of the audience, so you can use vocabulary and sentence structure that fits the reading level of the learner. An audience with a higher level of education might not accept or learn from overly complex vocabulary or sentence structure. Strive for clear, uncluttered writing, and avoid “jargon” or highly technical terms, unless you are certain your audience will understand and accept them.
The educational background of an audience can tell you about their interests and aptitudes. Are they a group that is familiar with computer science and technology? Arts and languages? Engineering and mechanics? Did they pursue their interests to graduate levels? Knowing these things can help you focus your message design. The better you get to know your audience, the easier it will be to reach them.
Knowing about the work experience of target audience members can help you find the gap between what they already know and what they need to know; for example, to accomplish a task. But if the work experience of your audience members varies greatly, you may need to provide sections for those who need basic information, but that can be skipped by those who need to go directly to higher levels of information.
If your target audience includes more than one specific gender, race, ethnicity, religion, etc., take care to avoid bias in your presentation of information and media.
The message design's audience analysis step involves writing a description of the target audience the project is intended to reach. The more you know about your audience, the more you can focus and refine the message. Considerations for your audience analysis include criteria such as:
- Age
- Gender
- Income
- Prior knowledge of the subject matter
- Educational Level
- Profession
- Race and ethnicity
- Values, beliefs, and perceptions
- Lifestyles and habits
Consider who you are targeting your project to. Members of the audience should feel that the communication is one-on-one, or tailored to communicate with just them. It makes a difference if the presentation is for 10-year-olds versus 40-year-olds, or if the program is for someone who knows nothing about the subject versus a seasoned professional.
You will tailor the message to the demographics, or statistical characteristics such as age and gender, that you identify for your target audience, and the psychographics, or more intangible aspects of your audience.
Demographics give a basic sense of who the audience is in terms of statistics such as age, gender, income, etc., and how large the audience might be. But there is more to understanding an audience than statistical information.
Psychographics describe the values, beliefs, perceptions, lifestyles, and habits of the audience. This information helps to further identify and define your audience.
Be aware of the age range of your audience and what the average age is. Age makes a difference regarding the language and examples you use to teach concepts to your audience. The examples must relate to their past experience. For example, if you are preparing a program in basic computer literacy for older adults, you could compare the functions of a word processor to that of a typewriter. Younger audiences would lack the experience with typewriters, so they would not benefit from such comparisons.
Understand the educational background of the audience, so you can use vocabulary and sentence structure that fits the reading level of the learner. An audience with a higher level of education might not accept or learn from overly complex vocabulary or sentence structure. Strive for clear, uncluttered writing, and avoid “jargon” or highly technical terms, unless you are certain your audience will understand and accept them.
The educational background of an audience can tell you about their interests and aptitudes. Are they a group that is familiar with computer science and technology? Arts and languages? Engineering and mechanics? Did they pursue their interests to graduate levels? Knowing these things can help you focus your message design. The better you get to know your audience, the easier it will be to reach them.
Knowing about the work experience of target audience members can help you find the gap between what they already know and what they need to know; for example, to accomplish a task. But if the work experience of your audience members varies greatly, you may need to provide sections for those who need basic information, but that can be skipped by those who need to go directly to higher levels of information.
If your target audience includes more than one specific gender, race, ethnicity, religion, etc., take care to avoid bias in your presentation of information and media.
Developing a User Persona
Your next step in the message design process is developing a user persona. In this step you will tell a story about your user — you will use your audience analysis to describe a representative member of your audience that will best fit your ideal user.
You will describe this individual using their name and the other various criteria in your audience analysis. You will take this description further, to describe your user persona's hopes and dreams. Describe this person's specific reasons for using your final product and what he or she hopes to acquire from it.
Your user persona will give a name and face to your target audience, to help you keep this audience in mind while you are developing your project.
Your next step in the message design process is developing a user persona. In this step you will tell a story about your user — you will use your audience analysis to describe a representative member of your audience that will best fit your ideal user.
You will describe this individual using their name and the other various criteria in your audience analysis. You will take this description further, to describe your user persona's hopes and dreams. Describe this person's specific reasons for using your final product and what he or she hopes to acquire from it.
Your user persona will give a name and face to your target audience, to help you keep this audience in mind while you are developing your project.
Discussion 2: Analyze a Website for an Intended Audience
In this Lesson, you will create the audience analysis and user persona components of your message design specifications for your planned project. Before you begin your Assignment, complete the activity below and post in the Discussion. In your Discussion response, be sure to address the following points:
Respond to at least two other students’ posts by the stated due date. In each response to another student, discuss your thoughts about the other student’s web site analyses — do you see other possible audience or user attributes that the other student may not have noticed?
Your initial post should be, at a minimum, 2-3 paragraphs of 2-3 complete sentences each. Your responses to other students each should contain 3-4 complete sentences, and several additional thoughts, points, or suggestions, other than just agreeing or disagreeing. Be sure to use correct grammar, spelling, capitalization, and punctuation.
This is a required and graded discussion. Use the Discussion Rubric to determine criteria for earning points and how your discussions will be graded.
In this Lesson, you will create the audience analysis and user persona components of your message design specifications for your planned project. Before you begin your Assignment, complete the activity below and post in the Discussion. In your Discussion response, be sure to address the following points:
- Choose an existing website for any of the following topics: educational, marketing, public relations, sales, or training (this could be the same website you chose for the previous Discussion, or a different one). Post the URL (web address) to the site in your Discussion response.
- Describe who you think the site’s audience is — who does the site owner want to visit this site? Write an audience analysis for the site.
- Describe some characteristics of a typical user for the site: What would be the typical user’s age, gender, level of education, occupation, etc.? Write an example user persona for the site.
Respond to at least two other students’ posts by the stated due date. In each response to another student, discuss your thoughts about the other student’s web site analyses — do you see other possible audience or user attributes that the other student may not have noticed?
Your initial post should be, at a minimum, 2-3 paragraphs of 2-3 complete sentences each. Your responses to other students each should contain 3-4 complete sentences, and several additional thoughts, points, or suggestions, other than just agreeing or disagreeing. Be sure to use correct grammar, spelling, capitalization, and punctuation.
This is a required and graded discussion. Use the Discussion Rubric to determine criteria for earning points and how your discussions will be graded.
Insights Activity: Choose a User Persona for the Tiny House Project
In this activity you will role-play in an interactive 3D environment to help virtual classmates choose the user persona that best represents their target audience based on the results of a research survey. This activity will help you think through how to translate an audience analysis into a user persona. The activity will show you example results of a research survey and example user personas. You can click to open the example results of the research survey here. You can click to open the example user personas here.
In this activity you will role-play in an interactive 3D environment to help virtual classmates choose the user persona that best represents their target audience based on the results of a research survey. This activity will help you think through how to translate an audience analysis into a user persona. The activity will show you example results of a research survey and example user personas. You can click to open the example results of the research survey here. You can click to open the example user personas here.
Assignment 2: Write your Draft Audience Analysis and User Persona
Use the Assignment Rubric to determine criteria for earning points and how your message design specifications components and collaboration with your partner will be graded.
- Use your Message Design Specifications Google Doc to write your draft audience analysis. What sort of people will be visiting your interactive media environment? What are the demographics of the audience — their age range, genders, marital status, education level, income range, location, housing types, etc., as appropriate to your topic? Focus in and narrow down your audience.
- Write your draft user persona; a profile of one representative member of your target audience. What would one single person from your target audience demographic be like? What would this person’s name, age, gender, and other characteristics be? What are this user’s hopes and dreams? What would this person expect to gain from using your interactive media environment? Write about your user in words that help the reader get to know him or her.
- Use the Share feature in your Google Doc to send your partner a message that your document is ready for feedback.
Use the Assignment Rubric to determine criteria for earning points and how your message design specifications components and collaboration with your partner will be graded.
Assignment 2 Peer Feedback
When you have completed writing your audience analysis and user persona, you and your partner will review each others’ audience analyses and user personas, and provide constructive feedback to each other.
Use the Suggesting feature of each others’ shared Google Docs to revise and make suggestions in the others’ document, and use the Comments feature to add margin comments. When you and your partner have finished providing feedback to each other, notify your instructor that you are ready for him or her to review your document and provide their feedback.
Important: Do not resolve or delete your suggestions or comments until your instructor has reviewed your document and added feedback.
When you have completed writing your audience analysis and user persona, you and your partner will review each others’ audience analyses and user personas, and provide constructive feedback to each other.
Use the Suggesting feature of each others’ shared Google Docs to revise and make suggestions in the others’ document, and use the Comments feature to add margin comments. When you and your partner have finished providing feedback to each other, notify your instructor that you are ready for him or her to review your document and provide their feedback.
Important: Do not resolve or delete your suggestions or comments until your instructor has reviewed your document and added feedback.
Lesson 3: Content Structure and Outline
Lesson Objectives
Lesson Objectives
- Write message design specifications for an interactive media project
- Construct a content outline
- Collaborate using Google Drive and Docs
- Write content in a Google Doc
- Suggest content changes in a Google Doc
- Provide comments in a Google Doc
Constructing a Content Outline
The final step in your message design process is constructing the content outline, or the body of information that will be communicated, in a logical order, to the target audience.
The content outline is the "skeleton" of the project, and indicates the order and importance of major topics and subtopics. The content outline displays, in a traditional outline form, a high-level view of all the major content areas in the project. It gives a view of the scope and nature of what you plan to communicate in the project.
There can be many different ways to communicate content for a project. The interactive media writer must decide, given the project's goal statement and objectives, the best way to deliver the content to the audience. The writer structures the content in a way that will best help the audience assimilate and understand the content.
Consider how you would organize content on how to bake a cake, or change the oil in a car. Can you envision how you would create an outline of the main levels / steps, or content areas, and some sub-levels or sub-steps for those main areas? You might want three main levels / steps:
Steps 1, 2, and 3 would be the main levels / steps of your outline. What sub-levels or sub-steps can you think of to put in the above outline under each of those main levels / steps (in the rows where there are letters)? How would you break the steps down to tell the user how to prepare, then perform the process, and finally to clean up?
The final step in your message design process is constructing the content outline, or the body of information that will be communicated, in a logical order, to the target audience.
The content outline is the "skeleton" of the project, and indicates the order and importance of major topics and subtopics. The content outline displays, in a traditional outline form, a high-level view of all the major content areas in the project. It gives a view of the scope and nature of what you plan to communicate in the project.
There can be many different ways to communicate content for a project. The interactive media writer must decide, given the project's goal statement and objectives, the best way to deliver the content to the audience. The writer structures the content in a way that will best help the audience assimilate and understand the content.
Consider how you would organize content on how to bake a cake, or change the oil in a car. Can you envision how you would create an outline of the main levels / steps, or content areas, and some sub-levels or sub-steps for those main areas? You might want three main levels / steps:
- Prepare your ingredients / supplies, and/or utensils / tools.
a. Step 1a
b. Step 1b - Perform the process of baking the cake, or changing the oil.
a. Step 2a
b. Step 2b
c. Step 2c - Clean up the area, and your utensils / tools, and put them away.
a. Step 3a
b. Step 3b
Steps 1, 2, and 3 would be the main levels / steps of your outline. What sub-levels or sub-steps can you think of to put in the above outline under each of those main levels / steps (in the rows where there are letters)? How would you break the steps down to tell the user how to prepare, then perform the process, and finally to clean up?
Content Design and Organizational Structures
Sometimes there are multiple possible ways to communicate a body of content in an interactive structure, and in an organized and logical manner. Content can fit into one or several classification schemes, including:
Consider how you would approach arranging content for the following two topics — would the content fit into these structures?
You will structure the content in your project to deliver the information outlined in your content outline in the best way to your target audience.
Sometimes there are multiple possible ways to communicate a body of content in an interactive structure, and in an organized and logical manner. Content can fit into one or several classification schemes, including:
- Theme or topic
- Size or scale
- Geographic location
- Historical sequence
- Narrative sequence
Consider how you would approach arranging content for the following two topics — would the content fit into these structures?
- Would changing the oil in a car fit into a “geographic location” structure?
- Would baking a cake fit into a “narrative sequence” structure?
You will structure the content in your project to deliver the information outlined in your content outline in the best way to your target audience.
Graphical Themes and Design Metaphors
A design metaphor is an imaginary, parallel environment the interactive media writer creates to explore the content. It contains items or environments that are familiar to the user in the physical world, but are transported to live inside the digital environment. Some simple examples of design metaphors include:
Sometimes these metaphorical icons become outdated. Would a young teen recognize the shape of an old-fashioned telephone handset, or a floppy disk? When the audience doesn't recognize the design metaphor, they cannot relate to it. It doesn't make sense to them and the metaphor can fail.
A design metaphor for an interactive media project could be:
Metaphors help create a blended space between the user and the content, making the user feel more comfortable and engaged.
In an interactive media project that heavily uses a metaphor, the content structure of the final project may use a narrative sequence content structure, or one that uses a written story, as opposed to a descriptive or expository style of writing. Narrative writing and content structures can include elements such as plot, character, and dialog.
A design metaphor is an imaginary, parallel environment the interactive media writer creates to explore the content. It contains items or environments that are familiar to the user in the physical world, but are transported to live inside the digital environment. Some simple examples of design metaphors include:
- Folders on a computer desktop representing paper folders in a file cabinet in the physical world.
- The icon for a telephone handset representing a phone call on a cell phone.
- An icon for a floppy disk representing the option to save a file to the hard drive.
Sometimes these metaphorical icons become outdated. Would a young teen recognize the shape of an old-fashioned telephone handset, or a floppy disk? When the audience doesn't recognize the design metaphor, they cannot relate to it. It doesn't make sense to them and the metaphor can fail.
A design metaphor for an interactive media project could be:
- “Joe's Garage,” where the user enters the digital garage to learn how to change the oil in a car.
- “Mama's Kitchen,” where the user enters a virtual kitchen to learn how to bake a cake.
Metaphors help create a blended space between the user and the content, making the user feel more comfortable and engaged.
In an interactive media project that heavily uses a metaphor, the content structure of the final project may use a narrative sequence content structure, or one that uses a written story, as opposed to a descriptive or expository style of writing. Narrative writing and content structures can include elements such as plot, character, and dialog.
Discussion 3: Analyze a Website for Content Structure
In this Lesson, you will create the content outline component of your message design specifications for your planned project. Before you begin your Assignment, complete the activity below and post in the Discussion in Blackboard. In your Discussion response, be sure to address the points below:
Respond to at least two other students’ posts by the stated due date. In each response to another student, discuss your thoughts about the other student’s web site analyses — do you see other possible audience or user attributes that the other student may not have noticed?
Your initial post should be, at a minimum, 2-3 paragraphs of 2-3 complete sentences each. Your responses to other students each should contain 3-4 complete sentences, and several additional thoughts, points, or suggestions, other than just agreeing or disagreeing. Be sure to use correct grammar, spelling, capitalization, and punctuation.
This is a required and graded discussion. Use the Discussion Rubric to determine criteria for earning points and how your discussions will be graded.
In this Lesson, you will create the content outline component of your message design specifications for your planned project. Before you begin your Assignment, complete the activity below and post in the Discussion in Blackboard. In your Discussion response, be sure to address the points below:
- Choose an existing website for any of the following topics: educational, marketing, public relations, sales, or training (this could be the same website you chose for the previous Discussion, or a different one). Post the URL (web address) to the site in your Discussion response.
- Analyze the website to gain an overview of the way its content is structured.
- Summarize the way the content is structured — what is the overall sequence of the content?
- Are there different ways that the content on the site could be structured in a way that would make sense? Is there another way the content could be structured that would make more sense than the way it is now?
- Do you notice a theme or metaphor in the content?
Respond to at least two other students’ posts by the stated due date. In each response to another student, discuss your thoughts about the other student’s web site analyses — do you see other possible audience or user attributes that the other student may not have noticed?
Your initial post should be, at a minimum, 2-3 paragraphs of 2-3 complete sentences each. Your responses to other students each should contain 3-4 complete sentences, and several additional thoughts, points, or suggestions, other than just agreeing or disagreeing. Be sure to use correct grammar, spelling, capitalization, and punctuation.
This is a required and graded discussion. Use the Discussion Rubric to determine criteria for earning points and how your discussions will be graded.
Assignment 3: Write your Draft Content Outline
Use the Assignment Rubric to determine criteria for earning points and how your message design specifications components and collaboration with your partner will be graded.
- Use your Message Design Specifications Google Doc to write your draft content outline. Use the statements in your objectives to create your outline. Your content outline should be an outline version of how you envision the proposed interactive media environment and content to look like; in other words, what the page structure of your interactive media environment would look like.
- Use the Share feature in your Google Doc to send your partner a message that your document is ready for feedback.
Use the Assignment Rubric to determine criteria for earning points and how your message design specifications components and collaboration with your partner will be graded.
Assignment 3 Peer Feedback
When you have completed writing your content outline, you and your partner will review each others’ content outlines and provide constructive feedback to each other.
Use the Suggesting feature of each others’ shared Google Docs to revise and make suggestions in the others’ document, and use the Comments feature to add margin comments. When you and your partner have finished providing feedback to each other, notify your instructor that you are ready for him or her to review your document and provide their feedback.
Important: Do not resolve or delete your suggestions or comments until your instructor has reviewed your document and added feedback.
When you have completed writing your content outline, you and your partner will review each others’ content outlines and provide constructive feedback to each other.
Use the Suggesting feature of each others’ shared Google Docs to revise and make suggestions in the others’ document, and use the Comments feature to add margin comments. When you and your partner have finished providing feedback to each other, notify your instructor that you are ready for him or her to review your document and provide their feedback.
Important: Do not resolve or delete your suggestions or comments until your instructor has reviewed your document and added feedback.
Lesson 4: Finalize Your Message Design Specifications
Lesson Objectives
Lesson Objectives
- Write message design specifications for an interactive media project
- Develop a goal statement
- Write objective statements
- Write an audience analysis
- Develop a user persona
- Construct a content outline
- Collaborate using Google Drive and Docs
- Write content in a Google Doc
- Resolve feedback in a Google Doc
Align Activity: Message Design Terminology
In this game, you will practice matching terms related to your message design specifications with examples of text from an actual message design, and with the descriptions of each term. Keep practicing until you score 100%!
In this game, you will practice matching terms related to your message design specifications with examples of text from an actual message design, and with the descriptions of each term. Keep practicing until you score 100%!
Discussion 4: Peer Feedback — Review Your Classmates' Message Design Specifications
In this Lesson, you will use feedback from your partner, instructor, and classmates to complete your message design specifications for your planned project. Complete the activity below and post in the Discussion. In your Discussion response, be sure to address the following points:
Respond to at least two other students’ posts by the stated due date. In each response to another student, discuss your thoughts about the other student’s web site analyses — do you see other possible audience or user attributes that the other student may not have noticed?
Your initial post should be, at a minimum, 2-3 paragraphs of 2-3 complete sentences each. Your responses to other students each should contain 3-4 complete sentences, and several additional thoughts, points, or suggestions, other than just agreeing or disagreeing. Be sure to use correct grammar, spelling, capitalization, and punctuation.
This is a required and graded discussion. Use the Discussion Rubric to determine criteria for earning points and how your discussions will be graded.
In this Lesson, you will use feedback from your partner, instructor, and classmates to complete your message design specifications for your planned project. Complete the activity below and post in the Discussion. In your Discussion response, be sure to address the following points:
- Share your Google Doc so that anyone with the link can view it (but cannot comment or edit in the document).
- Post the link to your Google Doc in the Discussion.
- Write a description of how your original idea and message design specifications have changed since you described them in your first drafts. Did you make any major changes to your plans? Did you have to re-think any components of your message design specifications?
- Review and comment on at least two of your classmates’ message design specifications and their descriptions of how their ideas have evolved. Did you have similar experiences in revising your message design components?
Respond to at least two other students’ posts by the stated due date. In each response to another student, discuss your thoughts about the other student’s web site analyses — do you see other possible audience or user attributes that the other student may not have noticed?
Your initial post should be, at a minimum, 2-3 paragraphs of 2-3 complete sentences each. Your responses to other students each should contain 3-4 complete sentences, and several additional thoughts, points, or suggestions, other than just agreeing or disagreeing. Be sure to use correct grammar, spelling, capitalization, and punctuation.
This is a required and graded discussion. Use the Discussion Rubric to determine criteria for earning points and how your discussions will be graded.
Assignment 4: Revise and Submit Your Message Design Specifications
Use the Assignment Rubric to determine criteria for earning points and how your message design specifications components and collaboration with your partner will be graded.
- Review the comments provided by your classmates in Discussion 4.
- Make your revisions to your message design specifications, accept or reject suggestions in your document, and resolve all comments.
- Use the Share feature in your Google Doc to send your instructor a message that your message design specifications assignment is ready for grading.
Use the Assignment Rubric to determine criteria for earning points and how your message design specifications components and collaboration with your partner will be graded.
References
Anderson, L. W., & Krathwohl, D. R. (2001). A taxonomy for learning, teaching, and assessing. Abridged Edition. Boston, MA: Allyn and Bacon.
Google. (2017). Create a Gmail account. Retrieved from https://support.google.com/mail/answer/56256?hl=en
Google. (2017). How to use Google Drive. Retrieved from https://support.google.com/drive/answer/2424384
Google. (2017). Share files from Google Drive. Retrieved from https://support.google.com/docs/answer/2494822
Google. (2013). This is Google Drive. Retrieved from https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1WTE6pa-EY4
Google Help. (2014). Share with others in Drive, Docs, Sheets, and Slides. Retrieved from https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=25CtYkqamIA
PACE MySPH. (2012). SMART objectives. Retrieved from http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kCkZKQku444
PACE MySPH (2012). Writing goal statements. Retrieved from http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DBeGTJ77cBU
Pluralsight. (2014). Creating personas. Retrieved from https://youtu.be/tCAeHfvsjoM
R2integrated. (2013). Building digital strategy through target audience analysis. Retrieved from https://vimeo.com/69894341
Anderson, L. W., & Krathwohl, D. R. (2001). A taxonomy for learning, teaching, and assessing. Abridged Edition. Boston, MA: Allyn and Bacon.
Google. (2017). Create a Gmail account. Retrieved from https://support.google.com/mail/answer/56256?hl=en
Google. (2017). How to use Google Drive. Retrieved from https://support.google.com/drive/answer/2424384
Google. (2017). Share files from Google Drive. Retrieved from https://support.google.com/docs/answer/2494822
Google. (2013). This is Google Drive. Retrieved from https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1WTE6pa-EY4
Google Help. (2014). Share with others in Drive, Docs, Sheets, and Slides. Retrieved from https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=25CtYkqamIA
PACE MySPH. (2012). SMART objectives. Retrieved from http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kCkZKQku444
PACE MySPH (2012). Writing goal statements. Retrieved from http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DBeGTJ77cBU
Pluralsight. (2014). Creating personas. Retrieved from https://youtu.be/tCAeHfvsjoM
R2integrated. (2013). Building digital strategy through target audience analysis. Retrieved from https://vimeo.com/69894341