Analysing existing planner
I have decided to analyse the planners I have used in the past because this will give me a better understanding on how the planner was useful and what parts made it difficult to use. This will give me information on how I should design the planner. This will also give me an idea on why creative students have a hard time planning their time when using some planners. I will combine this with other initial research to inform my learning agreement.
I used this planner for my first year at university.
Outside + Binding
I like the marble pattern because it looks creative and stands out from other notebooks. This stops it from blending in with other contents when placed on a desk or in a bag Which makes it harder to forget to use. The thick card used for the cover makes the book strong and not flexible. This stops the planner from falling apart after it is placed in and out a bag throughout the year, making it more durable.
The spiral binding is strong and does not break after being used everyday for a year. This makes people more likely to use it as they are not scared of it breaking. The spiral binding also makes turning pages fluid and easy to use. The strong elastic band helps keep the book closed, stopping the pages from being creased or folded if placed in a bag. I like how the gold colour compliments the marble design. This makes the outside design look consistent and stops the elastic band from standing out.
Organisation features
The reference page is useful because it allows easy access to address and phone number when out and about. The emergency contact information is especially useful if n event occurs and you need to contact someone when you do not have your phone. However, I found the family and friends list unnecessary as it takes up a lot of space and I never use this feature.
I like how they have used the blue to draw attention to the section headers and create a clear divide between the sections. However, I think the page is too busy which makes it difficult to use. I also find the spaces for writing too small to use comforatably.
I found the yearly overview unnecessary because it is too small to highlight weeks. However, I found the holidays list helpful becuase it helps to plan personal time and events. However I found both pages looks too busy and the text too small which made the pages confusing and frustrating. This makes the reader more likely to ignore these features.
The contacts list was unnecessary as there is not enough space to write details and it contains the same information as the first page. I also found that the table design makes the separate sections look similar and hard to find what information to put where. This design also looks boring and not fun to use.
I like how the monthly plan has a larger space to add text. However, I found the small space for notes is too thin and hard to write in. The design also make sit hard to plan multiple project as there is no way to separate the,. However, I like the inspirational quote because it stops the task of planning from seeming too daunting. The blue design at the top stops the page design looking too boring which makes the planner easier to use.
The weekly plan allows the user to make a more in-depth plan. However, I found it hard to separate the project because there is no space to write the project title at the top of the days. Although, I like the space to write priorities as this makes the week more focused and easier to understand the plan. I also like how there is a space that shows you where the week is in the month. This makes it easier to visualise where the plan falls before the deadline as it is hard to track time with some projects.
I like how the sleeve at the back allows the user to store loose pieces of paper. This helps to keep plans organised and stop printed briefs being lost. However, I found the paper used flimsy and feels like it will break after a few uses. This makes the user less likely to use it because the planner needs to last a full year.
Page design
The consistent use of blue to emphasis sections titles and separate areas makes the planner features feel connected. This makes ti easy to use the different features for a single project and not see the sections as separate and disconnected. I also like the tabs because it makes it easier to find the month you are in. However, the overall design of the pages look plain and not engaging which makes it feel like a chore to use. The marble design feels separate from the page designs which makes the planner feel like two parts: The outside deign and inside design.
The script typefaces feel out of place when placed next to the sans-serif typefaces because it is not used consistently. It is only place as some titles which make sit feel random. I also find it difficult to read which makes the planner slightly confusing, The use of a serif font on the tabs also looks out of place as it is not used inside the planner.
Personal Experience
When using this planner I found it useful for planning general time and where I needed to be each day. However, I found it difficult when planning multiple projects because they all blended into one. This led to me confusing tasks for different projects making the projects feel combined and hard to separate. I also did not like how there was no place to write separate notes or to do lists as this made me unmotivated on some days. It also made the days feel less structured than the full weeks. I also disliked how the space for writing was small which made my handwriting hard to read and confusing when I looked back. However, I liked how the priorities section made the weeks feel more focused. The marble design made the planner harder to forget to use when I looked in my bag or on my desk because it grabbed my attention.
What can be improved
In conclusion, this planner is suitable for general day activitees however it does not suit creative students because it is hard to plan multiple projects. To make the planner better it would be useful to add notes pages, spaces to write to do lists and ways to separate projects.
From this planner, I can see that it would be more beneficial for my audience, which are creative students, if I made my design project based. Although the monthly method is useful for most people, it makes it hard to plan and separate projects for creative students as they could be working on multiple things at once.
