Guilford County SciVis V105.02 Steps of a Design Brief Guilford County SciVis V105.02

Design Brief Problem, identification, and definition Establish a clear idea of what is to be accomplished. Identify the intended audience Identify the specific problem

Design Brief Plan of work A written step-by-step process by which the goal is to be accomplished The plan can include expected time for completion The plan should include any division of work among team members

Design Brief Research and Review of the Literature Includes complete topic research of available literature Remember to document resources

Design Brief Hypothesis Form a proposed solution to the problem Use an if/then statement if necessary A storyboard or sketch should be developed if needed Storyboard = a pictorial sequence of events. The storyboard may include text and direction, as well as audio and video techniques. Sketch = a quick drawing to illustrate your idea

Design Brief Data Collection (if applicable) Collect data from experimentation or other appropriate means. Organize data in appropriate charts or graphs

Design Brief Identification of Appropriate Scientific Theory and Visualization Concepts Select the most appropriate visualization method to present the theory or data. For example, the process of mitosis may be effectively demonstrated using presentation software, such as PowerPoint. Explain the rationale behind the selection. Example: PowerPoint allows the user to show the sequence of stages in mitosis.

Design Brief Student Evaluation of the Design and Visualization Students perform self-evaluation pointing out areas of difficulty Pinpoint successes and failures in the project Offer suggestions on how the project could be improved

Design Brief Presentation Present project to the class Distribute an appropriate handout if needed

Design Brief Sample Evaluation Criteria/Rubric Design Brief Statement of Problem Plan of Work Research Accuracy of Information Visualization Presentation Creativity Student self evaluation Total possible points 5% 10% 15% 20% 100 points

I.D.E.A.L. Problem Solving Process I – Identify the problem D – Define the plan of work E – Explore the problem through research A – Act on the problem’s possible solution L – Look back at the process

S.A.F.E. Design Process S – Simple. Keep your design simple. If you keep it simple, it will save you time and money. Also, you are less likely to have problems with the presentation A – Appropriate. Make sure that it is appropriate for its purpose. The audience needs to be able to understand the presentation. You need to make it as complex or simple for younger and older viewer also that the understand the presentation

S.A.F.E. Design Process F – Functional. Does the presentation work? Does it do what you want it to? If a visual confuses an audience more than it helps to understand the topic, then it is not performing its function. E – Economical. Make sure you spend the majority of your time on things that are important. Concentrate on things in you design that make a difference in how well it works. It will contain just those elements needed to convey your message in a short period of time.

Different Types of Design Data-driven -- design that uses data in the form of numbers or values. Examples: graphs, charts, and tables. Concept-driven -- design that explains a concept, idea or theory. Examples: how a car works, the water cycle, or a drawing of a tree.

Different Types of Design Empirically derived data – data that can be measured. Computationally derived data – data that is obtained by performing mathematical calculations.

Organizational and Diagramming Tools Flowcharting –a visualization method for displaying relationships in time or a process. Steps can be demonstrated with symbols while the flow process can be shown with arrows. Flowcharts can help determine problems with a process such as logical steps, delays, dead ends or miscommunication problems.

Organizational and Diagramming Tools Basic Flowcharting Shapes: Terminal Points - indicate the starting and ending points of the process. Square – Represents a single step or a process. It usually contains the name of the specific action. Arrows and Lines – indicate the sequence of steps and the direction of flow. START/END Get out of car

Organizational and Diagramming Tools Decision Point – indicates a sequence in the process at which the user must choose an option like “yes/no” or “true/false”. The flowchart branches to different parts depending on the decision made. Rhombus – represents input/output such as information coming in or leaving the system. Circle – indicates that the flowchart will continue on another page, where a matching symbol (containing the same letter) is placed. True/False Input/Output A

Organizational and Diagramming Tools Brainstorming -- a process that identifies as many answers to a problem as possible by submitting ideas without criticism or discussion of feasibility. A brainstorming session will normally have a moderator and a recorder.

Organizational and Diagramming Tools Nominal group technique -an organizational tool used to show the relative importance of issues, problems, or solutions by allowing individuals to rank each item. Numerical values are generally used.

Organizational and Diagramming Tools Venn Diagram – an organization tool used to show similar and difference among sets of items.