UI/UX Design Spring Individual Assignment #1

CPSC 331—UI/UX Design Spring

Individual Assignment #1
In this assignment, you will go on the hunt for good and bad design, and try your hand on analyzing
those designs using concepts and principles you are learning in this course.
The specific learning objectives for this assignment are as follows:
• To become aware of the good and poor design of artifacts in the everyday world, as well as ways
people compensate for poor design.
• To analyze artifacts using the design concepts and principles you are learning in this course.
• To practice discussing design by (a) providing justification for design choices and (b) providing
constructive criticism on a design, with an emphasis on how, specifically, the design could be
improved (using design concepts and principles as justification).
Specific Tasks
In Section 2.2 of the optional Greenberg text, the authors emphasize the value of building a photo
inventory of designs that stand out to you for some reason. Go on a “fishing expedition” for artifacts
with notable designs. You are encouraged to take a careful look around campus, in retail stores, at your
living quarters, on the world wide web, on your computer desktop, or anywhere else you might
encounter notable designs. While you are strongly encouraged to build a large personal inventory of
photographs for future design inspiration, you are required to present just three photographs for this
assignment:
(a) a photograph of a “bad” design;
(b) a photograph of a “good” design; and
(c) a photograph that illustrates an “augmented design” i.e., the ways in which people augmented
a particular artifact with instructions of some sort, in order to make the artifact more usable.
Annotate each photograph, as appropriate, in order to highlight the aspects of the artifact that you find
good or bad. In addition, beneath each photograph, provide a statement that justifies why the artifact is
good, bad, or in need of further instructions, using the principles and concepts you learned during the
first three lecture topics of the class (affordances, signifiers, mapping, feedback, conceptual model,
constraints, transfer effects, visibility). Note that not all concepts will be applicable to all designs, but
you must use each of the above principles/concepts at least one time across your three design images.
In your justification statements, be sure to put each concept or principle you use in bold type. There is
no maximum limit for your justification statements, but each justification must be a minimum of two
sentences.
I have created an exemplar solution that models the kind of analysis requested in this assignment. Be
sure to check it out prior to creating your solution. You can even use the exemplar solution as a starting
point for your own solution, but make sure you do not plagiarize any of the text.
Assessment
Your assignment will be scored on the following scales:
Final Submission:
Points Meaning Description
0 Missing Assignment not submitted, or submitted late
5 Incomplete Solution is incomplete or significantly deficient. Part of the solution is missing
or contains significant gaps.
8 Satisfactory Solution is complete but could be improved. Minor and obvious deficiencies
exist with respect to one or more parts of the solution
10 Exceptional Solution is complete and acceptable as is. No obvious deficiencies exist. The
student has demonstrated mastery of the material.
Handing in your Assignment
Import your scanned sketch and photographs into a word processing program such as Microsoft Word,
where you can add annotations and write your justifications. Then publish the assignment as a .pdf file
and submit it through Canvas by the due date (go to the “Assignments” tab to submit it).
Note: You will be expected to discuss your submissions during the class period the assignment is due.
Please be prepared to take an active part in the assignment discussions. Be prepared to present your
photographs along with your analyses of their design.