Investigate Stage: Digital Home Unit
Investigate stage is usually captured
using the following subheadings;
· Problem
description
· Design
brief
· Research
· Design
specifications
· Bibliography
Problems description:
-
Describe the current problem while stating the
client. Example,
“Musa a business man, sales his handicrafts carvings
next to Fort Jesus
gate in Mombasa.
He has been doing this for the last 10 years. The only people who buy his items
are the visitors who visit the Fort. During the low season for tourists in Mombasa, his sales are
quite low. He now needs away to sustain his sales throughout the year.”
-
Why is the problem important/relevant to
the AOI / society / and yourself?
-
Why do you think an IT solution will be
best suited in solving the problem of your client? (N/B Don’t state what you will create at this stage)
Design brief: This is your response to the challenge, showing how you
intend to solve the problem that you have been presented with. The following
must be clear in your design brief
-
The Design Brief is a short statement of
what you are going to make, why you are going to
make it, and for whom you are making it for. It should be an open
ended statement.
Example: For example;
a clock project. A good Design Brief might be something like this...
"Teenagers have very busy lives. School, family and social activities mean
that being punctual is very important. I will design and make a wall clock that
will be appealing for teenage girls. It will be a modern design and will be
suitable for a teenage girl's bedroom. Because the design will appeal to
teenage girls, them they will be more likely to look at it, read the time and
therefore not be late.”
Research;
-
This an in-depth investigation about the
product (website), the types of the product, concepts and related
terminologies, the processes involved, the various skills and techniques
required in its development etc.
-
The research should always be supported
with Screenshots, photos, graphics that shows the different techniques and
skills applied while using the software.
-
The research should be organized in a
proper format. Paragraphs should be used at all times and properly.
-
The researched information should be
analyzed. That means that your own comments and contributions should be
evident.
-
Primary research is a summary of the
feedback of an expert of the product you plan to create.
Design Specifications
A good Design Specification should
include information that you learned about the task/problem from your research.
It is a list of requirements that your design ideas must meet plus a
list of constraints that you have. It is the check list that you need
to use when you start to make your design ideas.
-
You can use a table of essential and desirable
characteristics. These are design specifications that the product/solution must
meet.
Bibliography
The sources of information and a
bibliography should be in proper format (APA).
All the interview or survey questions
and their responses should be in the appendices.
Investigate stage Challenge
Start your investigation by identifying
a client who will require a website solution to address the problem faced
currently in the traditional method. Use the information outline above for this
investigation. The link to the AOI should be evident.
Assessment Criteria
|
|
|
0
|
The student does not
reach a standard described by any of the descriptors given below.
|
1–2
|
The student states the problem. The student investigates the problem, collecting basic information from sources. The student
lists some given design specifications.
|
3–4
|
The student describes the problem. The student investigates with
guidance the problem, and considers information
from basic appropriate, acknowledged sources.
The student describes a test to evaluate the
product/solution against the given design specification.
|
5–6
|
The student understands the problem, within a wider context. The
student investigates with guidance the problem, and considers
information from a basic range of appropriate,
acknowledged sources. The student describes methods
for appropriate testing to evaluate the
product/solution against the given design specification.
|
Investigate Checklist
Identify the
problem
-I have described the
problem as I understood it.
- I have written an
explanation on why the problem is important, to my
life, to
the society and relevance to the
A.O.I.’s?
Develop your Design
Brief
-I have written down a
design brief: Explaining what I am going
to make, why I am going to make it, and for
whom.
Research
- I have researched on
the skills and techniques required in the development of the
product.
- Most of my research
work is supported with screenshots, photos, and graphics that explains
the different techniques and skills used in web design.
- I have organized my research in a proper format using paragraphs properly.o
I have added comments (my voice) on most of the information researched and applied some in-text citations.
- I have referred to at
least four different types of resources in the investigation
section.
- I have undertaken a
primary research by consulting an expert in the field of my
investigation.
Design
Specifications
- I have design specifications which includes a table
of essential and desirable characteristics with tests.
- I have included
references to the sources of information and a bibliography in proper format
(APA) is attached at the end of the investigation section.
- I have included in
the appendix all the interview or survey questions and their
responses.
