P2: Generate ideas for a new interactive media product for a client brief
P3: Produce a plan for the creation of the interactive media product from the generated ideas
Below is a blue sky thinking sheet I made to generate ideas for my website. The purple writing is me writing down any idea that came into my head. The orange highlighter is when I identified my best ideas. The red pen is feedback my peers gave me. The orange pen is how I developed my ideas based on the feedback.
Below is some research I did into site structure diagrams. The first image is an example of a site structure diagram combined with a navigation diagram I made for the BBC News website. The second image is a plan of a possible site structure diagram for my website, including what I'd include on each of the pages.
Below is a mind map of some more ideas for the layout of my website.
Below are my storyboards, one for what the website will look like on a mobile device and one for what it will look like on a computer.
Below is a sketch design of my navigation bar.
Below is a design of my navigation bar that I made in Photoshop.
Below are three possible designs I had for a different navigation bar, including different colour schemes and use of different action words for the buttons.
For the above designs, I like the first and the last colour schemes best, because I feel like the red and the green in the middle one clash. However, this is meant to be for a mass target audience, and I feel like the first option is perhaps too girly, but the last one is more neutral. But perhaps I could change some of the blue colours to a grey to make it look slightly more stylish.
Below is a more detailed and finalised navigation plan.
Content In my website, I will include various interactive features in my website to attract a younger target audience, as this will keep them interested and keep them exploring the website. I will include multimedia videos of the acts that perform at Cambridge Cavern because then audiences can see and hear a preview of what the performers can do, so they will be more likely to buy tickets if they like the video they see. I will also include lots of brightly coloured buttons to grab the viewer's attention so they are encouraged to explore the website. I will include lots of action words so that the audience knows exactly what will happen when they click a certain button or link.
Target Audience In the brief, it says the product will be targeted at a wide range of users. However, in order to make it easier for me to choose certain features/fonts/colours, I will aim the product slightly more towards young people, as the existing similar venues mainly attract young people. Therefore, I will user bright colours and informal language to appeal to this audience, but I will make sure not to make it too childish. I will also use sans-serif fonts as these are much more informal, with perhaps some handwritten fonts because these make the text feel more personalised.
Client's needs My client needs are for a functioning website that will increase ticket & merchandise sales and general visitors to Cambridge Cavern. In the brief, they clearly state that the purpose of the product is to raise the profile of the venue, and to be a source of information on shows and events - so I will make sure to keep these things in mind when designing and creating my website. I also need to include social media links, to make sure my website is easy to use, and to prove relevant and up-to-date information about the venue. Therefore, I will use a simple layout that is easy to navigate through and include lots of useful information. The client will also need people to be "subscribed" to their website, so their audience keeps coming back to visit their page for updates.
User needs My users' needs are for the website to be easy to use, to show them what the acts are like before they buy tickets, and to be interesting. Since these things are fairly similar to the requirements of the client, I will follow the things I said to do for their needs. The user will also need to have some way of receiving updates on new events from the website, possibly by a email subscription system.
Delivery format and platform I want my website to mainly be accessed on a computer so I will tailor the layout towards this, as most people use either an app or a computer when buying products. However, I don't want my website to be un-usable on a mobile device so I will make sure to do lots of tests to see how it looks and functions on a smartphone.
Below are my mood boards.
In my first mood board, I screenshotted features that I liked from the Cambridge Junction website, and also elements from websites for events in Peterborough and King's Lynn.
Below is my production schedule for the rest of this unit.
M2: Explain the legal and ethical issues relating to product ideas
When making my website, I need to be aware of various legal and ethical issues to ensure my website is safe and suitable for use. One of the major things I need to ensure is that the users' data is protected. This is covered under the Data Protection Act, and this states that members of the public have the right to have their name, address and financial details kept safe. It is the responsibility of the company to ensure this. I am planning to have an interactive element where users can enter their email address to receive a newsletter from Cambridge Cavern, so I need to make sure that data is kept safe through encryption. Encryption is the process of encoding information so that only people who have the password can read it. I also need to use SSL (secure socket layers) to ensure this data cannot be hacked into, as identity theft is a huge issue in the modern age. If the necessary steps aren't taken, systems could be hacked into and information can be used in an illegal and unethical way. SSL is the standard technology for creating an encrypted link between a web server and a browser, this means that the information stays private while being sent over.
Another big issue that relates to any online product/service is cyberbullying. To minimise the risk of this, I plan to not have any means of communicating with other users on my website (e.g. comments or a forum). I will however create social media accounts for the Cavern, so I need to ensure that there is no offensive/controversial material in the posts I make on the accounts. If I see any cyberbullying occurring in the replies to any of these posts, I will block and report the account(s) responsible to try and stop it. If in the future I wanted to include a feature where users can leave reviews of the performances they watched, I would have to moderate what is being posted. I could also include the option where users can report reviews or comments.
The Copyright Act is another issue I have to bear in mind. The brief specifically states "All content produced must be original and produced by you. However, images, video, music or animations from copyright-free sources may be used, but must be referenced." Therefore, it is my responsibility to ensure I stick to this, otherwise if I used someone else's content without permission, I could be sued for a lot of money. I plan to use background images on most of my pages so I will need to make sure that these are royalty free, in which case I am allowed to use them on my website. The Copyright Act simply ensures that creators of any kind of content have full control of their work, like where it is used and who it is sold by.
In terms of ethical issues, there are a few that could apply to my website. The first issue is libel - this is the publication of false statement that is damaging to someone's reputation. It is fairly unlikely that this will apply to my website, but to make sure that I don't get sued for this I will check from multiple sources that any information I post about a person or company is correct. Another issue is misrepresentation, this is something I need to be careful of if I decide to include photos of people watching the shows at Cambridge Cavern on my website. I will need to make sure to show that the Cavern welcomes all races, genders, ages and religions, so I will make sure that I show that the Cavern is very diverse in its staff and its customers.
D1: Justify the planned interactivity and range of media content to meet a client brief
In the brief, it states that the purpose of the product is to raise the profile of the venue, be a source of information on shows and events and to increase ticket sales. It also says that the product must be easy to use, provide the user with a positive experience, provide relevant and up-to-date information about the venue and include links to social media. The direct description the brief gives is: "You work as a developer for Cambridge Junction, an entertainment venue in Cambridge who host music, comedy, theatre, dance and events. They are wanting to develop a new multimedia website to promote their event programme. Cambridge Junction have asked for a new interactive multimedia product to be developed that can be viewed on a number of devices. The product will be targeted at a wide range of users and be used to advertise the venue whilst also allowing consumers to buy tickets and merchandise. They require that the relevant information is easy to find and that the product is not overly complex to use."
I have designed my work to suit the brief by ultimately making the website professional and informative. I have chosen to use the blue colour scheme I made, because it will look neat and sophisticated. This suits the brief because it says that the website must be suitable for a wide range of users, and this colour scheme isn't too bright or too bland, so it suits a range of ages - the royal blue colour is also fairly gender neutral. I plan to include links to social media accounts so that users can easily get in touch with the company - this is required in the brief but it will also provide the user with a positive experience and make the site interactive. The navigation plan for my website is fairly simple, as the brief asks for the site to be easy to use, so I need to ensure that users can easily navigate around the site and use all the features. I will also embed videos and pictures to make the site multimedia, which is also part of the brief.
In terms of the content I will include to suit the brief, I plan to include a map, videos and social media links in my website. This suits the client brief because it asks for the site to be an "interactive multimedia product". The videos and photos will make my site a multimedia platform, I could possibly even put in some slideshows or clickable images. The map and social media accounts will make the website interactive, as the users can click around on the map to see where Cambridge Cavern is located and how they can get there. I will also include pictures to make the pages more interesting to look at and to make it easy to use, as people who have trouble reading can look at the images to see what that page is about.
I have tailored the product to my target audience by designing my website simply, this will make it suitable for all ages as the elderly can use it as well. I plan to use a sans-serif font, because this is more casual so young people are more inclined to use it. To contrast this casual feature, I will use a simple yet professional colour scheme to give the site a sophisticated feeling. I hope that my site will appear to be not childish but also not dull, as this reflects the tone of Cambridge Cavern. I have made all of the above decisions to appeal to as wide of a target audience as possible, but I have leaned slightly towards young adults, as they are most likely to visit Cambridge Cavern.
I aim to use this colour scheme as it appeals to my target audience well.
The benefits of using the interactivity in my website are that the map allows users to easily find their way to the Cavern, especially since I plan to put it on the homepage, so they can quickly find the information straight from there, rather than having to navigate through the website. Having social media links will be beneficial because then users can easily get in touch with the team at the Cavern to leave a review, as a question or see the latest updates of what's on. Putting this information on social media allows people to follow us on that app, where they can get notifications, and they can access posts instantly and on the go. Including videos as an interactive feature will be beneficial because users can see what sort of acts will be performing before they book tickets - then they can ensure that they buy tickets for something they will definitely enjoy.
The limitations of using the interactivity in my website are that the map can be a little confusing to use as the controls are different from what users would expect on other map apps, and there also isn't the ability to see where you are in comparison to the Cavern or save a location. Having social media links could be a limitation for older users because they are digital immigrants and so could find social media very difficult to use on any device, or users may just have chosen not to use social media and therefore cannot access that feature. Including videos as an interactive feature could be a limitation because some users may not be able to watch the videos because of the device they are using or because of their internet connection.