Substantial Post – Challenge C – #1

I have learned a variety of things from challenge A and B, some similar and others quite different. Throughout Challenge A, I experienced how design requires constant revision and simplification. Simplifying educational content enables it to be understood by a wider audience, making your design more appealing. I used Mayer’s multimedia principles to help guide my comic’s layout, I ensured that the visuals supported the text, and I applied signaling and redundancy principles to reduce cognitive load. Initially, I discovered that simplifying complex information and eliminating irrelevant details created a clearer and more engaging learning experience. This taught me to focus on how a learner would understand a concept rather than a creator.

When transitioning into challenge B, I applied these lessons in a group setting. This project added new challenges as it added a collaboration aspect that I did not have to worry about before, as well as balancing multiple creative ideas. Working in a team required communication surrounding ideas, and something that my group struggled with was limited communication during the early ideation phases. While we collaborated effectively when developing our context, audience analysis, POV statement, and learning objectives, our communication fell short when it came to creating the storyboards. Julia and I created storyboards with overlapping ideas, resulting in two videos that were initially very similar. Once we recognized this, we met as a pair to brainstorm solutions. We decided that I could adjust my video to include more diverse elements, such as grocery shopping tips, which aligned well with the “how-to” theme and minimized repetition across our videos. After we altered this, we were happy with the video, but it was definitely stressful during the process, after spending hours working on the video. I carried over my “less is more” approach by working on clear, concise visuals alongside my narration. Reflecting on both projects, I have realized that each stage of the design process is valuable as it helps improve understanding and refines your project overall.