Unit X - Degree Show Proposal
To create an interactive and immersive experience for people visiting the degree show, engaging people of all ages, as well as displaying a professional front for potential visitors from companies looking to hire for roles in UX design.
My installation is taking place in the small, dark, pop-up room with curtains in the Benzie/Chatham building next to the vertical gallery. Because of this, my installation needs to lure people in, as passers by will not be able to see it without entering the room. To achieve this, I have decided to design a bright poster with the logo and an image of my app, so that people can then enter and find out more. As well as this, I have decided to use a projector and speakers within my room, playing the audio from my busking videos to draw people in, and a projector rather than a TV screen so that it fills the empty space in the room, covering the back wall so that multiple people can view at once.
For the projection, I hope to either show the tap-through video of my app (which I will use for final major project in my presentation) for people who don't want to wait to try it if it’s busy, or to show a montage of footage from the buskers which I filmed. Either way, I plan to have music constantly playing at a high enough volume that people walking past can hear, but not too loud that it distracts from any surrounding installations. The projector will be connected to a mac mini and placed on a shelf which I plan to fit above the door, inside my room. This will then project onto the back wall of the room, keeping all of the tech safe and hidden from visitors.
Concerning interactivity, it is important to me that people can test my app for themselves and get involved, which is why I have decided to have an iPhone (an iPad if necessary) within my room, placed on a plinth in front of the projection wall. Users can here use my app, and navigate safely into the room due to the subtle lighting which would be created by the projector, preventing too much darkness whilst still keeping the room dim. Alongside this way of interacting with my application, I will also be placing a QR code on my plinth, and any printed supporting documents, so that users can be directed to the URL of my app, and try it on their own phones.
After visiting many art galleries and interactive installations, I have found that less is more when intriguing the target audience to want to find out more. This is why within the advertising for my application, I aim to reveal key features, but not too much information, making the user interested enough to want to download or test my app and give it a go for themselves. I will focus on it’s unique selling points: the niche area of it being centred around busking, the fact that rewards are offered, badges can be earned, and that users can discover new music in the city and support buskers, whilst gaining these benefits.
I will do this by creating A5 flyers, which I will place on the wall outside my room, or inside on the plinth by my app (if there is enough lighting to see them). They will contain the Buskify logo, details I listed above, and a QR code so that users can take one away and then scan to be linked to the download of my application. I will also be creating posters for the walls of the interior or exterior of my exhibition space, showing passers by a brief introduction to what is inside.
As well as enjoying showing my finished work in an engaging way, I am hoping to gain a graduate or junior UX design job sometime soon, and so it is important to take this opportunity to advertise myself and my skills, as well as my final application concept, at the degree show.
I will do this by creating some professional business cards which will include my email, phone number, and web portfolio URL. Anybody looking to recruit can then view the rest of my work which I have documented on my website, and then get in touch if they want to find out more. I will also have some copies of my CV to display my other achievements, just in case. I will place both of these things on the outside wall so that passers by can take copies even if they don't get to see my installation.
The themes for my app advertisement and self advertisement will be clearly separated, with my business cards and CV being branded in the same colour palette of my website, and the app posters and flyers will contain the Buskify logo and orange colours as used in the app. I feel it is important to follow themes, colours and fonts through, and keep designs consistent to create recognition and consistency.
In order to alert the correct companies of the degree show, I will also be putting together a client list of people who I will contact and invite to the degree show public opening. On this list, I will include employees I have met from networking events and invite them directly, people on LinkedIn who I am connected with, and also any design agencies which I would be interested in working for. Doing this will help to show my enthusiasm for UX and my course, and hopefully increase my chances of being discovered.
Now that I have planned out everything which I require, I revisited my exhibition space, taking a tape measure in order to acquire accurate dimensions in order to draw up a floor plan. This helps me to demonstrate what I aim to do for my degree show exhibition and think about how I can position everything involved in a suitable way, so that it looks good, and nothing is obscured (mostly with the projection).
Technical Requirements (from AV store):
A Mac mini and relevant cable to connect to projector
An iPhone or iPad with charger
Extension cables as there are only two plugs
Security locks for iPad, Mac mini and projector
Independent Requirements:
A4 clear perspex wall mountable holder to hold CV’s
Small clear perspex wall mountable business card holder
A5 clear perspex wall mountable OR standing flyer/leaflet holder
Wooden shelf with screws/brackets (strong enough to hold the weight of a projector and mac mini)
White paint to paint a screen space onto the back wall to project onto, and a paintbrush
Wire tape to hold any wires down, preventing anybody from tripping within my exhibition space
A stand to hold up the iPad/iPhone
I hope to be able to install all of these things myself, but if I have trouble fitting the shelf I will ask for help from a technical assistant with the drilling part.
AV store equipment collection day: 29th May
Degree show setup: 29th May - 8th April
Degree show opening: 9th April - 21st April
Degree show take down: 22nd April
Complete risk assessment for installation
Create print-based items (business cards, flyers, posters, updated CV)
Create video content for installation
Request and gather required items
Test installation on the 29th, leaving time for any errors or corrections to be made before opening day