New Media Final Project - Research Blog

Whilst I received valuable feedback from my client contact, it was also imperative to gain some feedback from different perspectives. I invited several Dynamic colleagues to test SmartByte. Each participant works with eLearning on a daily basis and have done for many years therefore the feedback I receive will be of the highest standard. Participants: Louisa Page (Junior Creative Developer) Elliot Overend (Senior Creative Developer) Callan Richardson (Creative Developer) Henry Fuller (Project Manager) Fin Pickford (LMS Technical Support and Developer) I gave each participant a vague  description  of the project and then asked them to use the app without any prior instruction on its  functionality . By doing this, I was able to observe the participants actions and how they  operated  the app. Throughout the user observation, I took note on requiring themes between the participants, such as: noticed there was no password protection on the 'Create an account'

As outlined in my  project   Gantt chart, I aimed to keep in regular communication with the client to ensure that the product is on track with the development and that the client is happy with the progress. It is very important to keep in regular communication with the client as they need to be satisfied with the product. It is also vital to conduct testing with the client with sufficient time remaining before the deadline ti implement any changes. I gave Dan (my contact for this project at Dynamic) a tour of the app and its current functionality in which he provided the following feedback: As discussed, I have a few comments for consideration re the functionality (I know you are planning to do more on the design so I wont comment on that) I wasn’t sure about the vote up/down feature for the whole course/topic. As there are up to 8 individual top tips/best practice shares in each topic, these should be graded for their own merit. Therefore I suggest a vote up and down / swi

Even though I am well underway with the development process on my app, it is also important to be aware of either new competitors to the market or even competing products that I might have only just discovered. In this case, I came across a company called Kineo . Kineo is an eLearning business who provides a variety of services, like Dynamic, making them a strong competitor. However, it is not this that challenges SmartByte. Kineo released a new and innovative responsive framework that can be used on multiple devices called Adapt. It is cost effective with only the production and maintenance of one version necessary. Being an industry revolution at the point of creation, Kineo decided to make Adapt open source so that other could take advantage of the product which also allows for custom design and not a fixed template. Adapt sounds like a really positive product to hit the market, but how does it compare to SmartByte? With Adapt being open source and therefore free, this would mak

My first major task of development was to produce a prototype that would showcase a segment of the product. As SmartByte's main features are the bitesize and swipe card aspects, I chose to create a working prototype consisting of these features (fig. 1).  (Fig. 1 - Xcode Storyboard of Prototype) I set this as an important milestone in the project and therefore it was imperative to gain feedback on my current progress so that I could apply it to the remainder of the development. I felt that conducting a focus group would be most beneficial for this task as I would receive an array of constructive feedback. I showcased the prototype to three peers in which we discussed the interface as well as it's functionality. Two well outlined points were raised and discussed: 1) With the swipe cards having a very similar functionality to the popular dating app Tinder, the user will swipe right to up vote the card and swipe left to down vote the card (as a means of regulation

With the pre-production of the project complete, it was time to turn my attention to the design process and produce a series of designs that would showcase the functionality of the app whilst maintaining an aesthetically pleasing interface. With my client being Dynamic Business Services Ltd, I had initially branded the product to their brand guidelines. However, after pitching my concept to my peers and tutors in a concept critique, I received various feedback with the requirement of a sub-brand being a priority.  " The project desperately needs a suitable name though! You should give some careful consideration to the title of this new platform." ( Dr Tom Jackson -  Lecturer in Digital Media, Deputy Director of Student Educatio n ) For this particular design process, I chose iterative design as the method to ensure that the logo is represents the product in a clear and creative manner. Iterative design is the process of producing a design, testing and evaluating it, and t

In order to produce a successful product, it was key to gain insight and receive feedback from experts in the industry. I therefore organised a focus group with Dynamic Business Services to discuss the possibilities and potential implications of the product in questions. I selected colleagues who have a wealth of experience between them and know what it takes to produce a highly successful eLearning product.  I discussed how I was originally going to build a collaborative eLearning Network but with some research and deliberation, changed to a mobile exclusive eLearning application. The initial reaction and discussions were positive with a collaborative mobile app being something that has yet to penetrate the market. As the users will be the source of learning by posting content, an important issue of regulation was mentioned. It was pointed out that the content posted might not necessarily be correct which would defeat the object of producing a learning tool. Therefore, it was

It is important to gain an insight from the target audience in the early stages of the project to ensure that the product is fit for purpose. I composed a questionnaire that aimed to discover how the sample of participants rate eLearning from previous experience and if bitesize/mobile learning is something that they would benefit from. It was imperative to target the questionnaire at people who are in a workplace environment. To ensure it was distributed to the correct demographic, I had a contact at Aviva's office in Sheffield in which the questionnaire was sent out in which I received 49 responses. Firstly, I thought it would be intriguing to see what style of learning was most popular. As you can see from the results in fig. 1, just under 80% of the participants preferred a visual style of learning. I will therefore ensure that the functionally of SmartByte includes visual elements as well as having an aesthetically pleasing design.  (Fig. 1) With SmartByte being

To gain an insight to the target market, I have decided to conduct some research into several competing companies. I will be specifically looking at what services they offer and how they compare to SmartByte. It is important to acquire this information to ensure that SmartByte differs in functionality (Unique Selling Point) and that it is able to challenge the market. Udemy Udemy is an online platform that allows 'experts' to create and upload courses for the public to buy or in some cases, acquire for free. Currently, there are over 65,000 courses available in which users can learn a new language, learn to build a website or learn how to run a business. Users would simply purchase the the course and follow the set tutorials. Udemy is available on both computer and mobile and therefore is easily accessible. With Udemy's highly rated reputation and with them utilising the app market, this makes them a strong competitor. The aspect that differentiates Udemy from SmartByt

In terms of education, digital media has dramatically change the way we think, especially in terms of how we learn with new technologies providing new and innovate methods. eLearning was introduced as a more cost effective but more efficient way of learning which only became more successful with the rise of technologies. In recent years, gamification, virtual reality (VR), and augmented reality (AR) have been tested as an alternative learning method to make the users interact and engage more with the content. Hayles (2012) purposes that: "The classroom is no longer sufficient for the needs of web pedagogy; needed are flexible laboratory spaces in which teams can work collaboratively, as well as studio spaces with high-end technologies for production and implementation" (p. 5). However, the introduction of SmartByte intends to take this a step further by not requiring the need of ' studio spaces with high-end technologies' in order to collaborate. Having a collab

eLearning is predominately restricted to the workplace or access via a portal requiring a desktop or laptop; therefore with SmartByte being mobile exclusive, this will allow users to interact and distribute content with ease. Taking this into consideration, I intend to investigate the current state of mobile learning and what it takes for it to be successful. The book, 'Mobile Learning: Structures, Agency, Practices' outlines how mobile learning is an "emerging, and rapidly expanding field of educational research and practice across schools, colleges and universities as well as in the work place" (Pachler et al., 2010), and it is of my interest to produce SmartByte in order show how learning on a mobile devices has a prosperous future. I want the product to feel informal so the user can participate in the available courses at home, on the go or wherever convenient. Pachler (2010) also raises the concern that do we really need to add yet another form of learning to s

The main purpose of my application (SmartByte) is to encourage a new form of learning in a digital environment. Every individual has an alternative way to learn, but through personal experience working with an eLearning company and scrutinising a variety of academic literature outlining the benefits of bitesize learning, I aim to implement these findings to my product. I have started by looking into the means of the internet and how it has played a large influence in modern society. Carr (2011) has focused on the internet as a mass medium and how it is a hugely disruptive force that is changing the way we think, read and remember. Being in a digital era surrounded by the internet, the smallest tasks are now becoming digitalised, as Carr notes that "the Net has become my all-purpose medium, the conduit for most of the information that flows through my eyes and ears and into my mind" (2011). He mentions how he uses the internet to complete the majority of his daily tasks, suc

In order to plan out a successful project, it is important that my time management is accurate, achievable and consistent. To ensure that I am on track to achieve milestones and major deadlines, I have created a Gantt chart that specifies all the individual tasks that I will encounter throughout the project. Before starting the Gantt chart, I researched into a variety of different project management softwares that would best fit my needs. During the lecture about Gantt charts and how they can be optimised to there full potential, the example used was a Mac OS based software called Merlin Project . However, the only down-side to Merlin Project is that it requires a monthly or annual fee to use. For cost effective reasons, I was on the search for a free package that offered similar functionality. After testing several web-based software ( Zoho , Agantty and TeamGantt ), I decided to use TeamGantt. It has a very contemporary interface and has similar features to what Merlin Project has

Before I go onto what strategies I intend to implement throughout the process of my project, I want to briefly mention the advancements with my project idea and I have now outlined a concept that I believe is unique, targets a specific audience and has a need.  My concept is to design and develop a collaborative eLearning app that offers 'bitesize' content. The user would log in/make a profile and be able to post content on any subject that they feel would be beneficial to colleagues within a business. This content would be showed in small, digestible sections. To avoid false/incorrect content being posted, I would incorporate an up vote/down vote system. Now that I have described the product in question, I need to think about which testing and evaluation methods I would deploy to ensure I gather the appropriate data that will support the need and functionality of my product. There is a lot of important data that will need to be collected before any of the design or develop

Being familiar with the eLearning industry, I chose to base my idea on an eLearning product. After researching into current trends and what is likely to be the 'next big thing', I decided to focus on collaborative learning and how this can be incorporated into a platform that would encourage team work. My initial idea was to design and develop an eLearning Social Platform that would allow users to log in and collaborate with others to complete specific eLearning content. The concept would have a very similar feel to a typical social network site such as Facebook and Twitter but customised to a more learning environment. Some features would include the capability to post on your feed (this could be about achievement, issues or general questions that target an individual or a specific audience), collect achievements after completing online courses, forums, contact industry experts and instant messaging for more private communication. All of these functions complement each other