Minor Project - Expedio X-Board

on
27/9/2024 - 6/1/2024 (Week 1 - Week 15)
Wee Jun Jie / 0375271
Minor Project/ Bachelor of Design (Hons) in Creative Media
Final Project: Expedio

This week marked the beginning of our minor project class, where Mike provided an overview of all three company clients and their respective requirements. Our group, recognizing the exciting and creative possibilities presented by Expedio's challenge, decided to partner with them. This selection allows us the freedom to explore more open-minded and innovative solutions. Before concluding the class, Mike collected all of our email addresses for future distribution of important project documents.

Fig 1.1 Project Briefing MLE


 INSTRUCTIONS 



Week 1

Miro Board Workspace

Week 2 

Fig 1.1 My Contextual Research
During our initial class discussion, our group encountered some confusion about what specific content to include on the Miro Board. As the group leader, a role I was assigned, I quickly delegated tasks to streamline our efforts. I took on the responsibility of researching Expedio's background, history, and overall narrative. Given my unfamiliarity with the company, this proved to be a challenging task. To expedite the process, Wee Lun and I divided the workload. I focused on analyzing Expedio's recent development plans and social media presence, while Wee Lun concentrated on documenting the company's mission and direction.

Fig 1.2 X-Board Contextual Research Summary

During our own time, each group member contributed to the research effort. In the second class, we were tasked with compiling a summary of our findings. Carol, Wee Lun, and I collaborated on this task. Leveraging the high-quality research conducted by each member, we were able to create concise summaries that effectively presented our findings with clear data and insights. 


Week 3
Mr. Mike scheduled a meeting with our client, Expedio, to clarify their needs and provide necessary project information. Due to a class schedule conflict, I was unable to attend and delegated this task to my team members. Since I can't attend the meeting, I have prepared a list of questions based on the research we did last week. View the list of Questions.


Week 4
This week, we booked an appointment with the Expedio team, and each group's leader visited the company. The staff were very friendly and explained the details of their boards, giving us a clearer understanding of their company concept, product prototypes, and how to assemble and disassemble the boards. They also introduced us to other products they create. Some photos my friends took and shared with me.


Fig 1.3 Visit Expedio Company


Fig 1.4 Estimated Survey Responses
We continue work on our survey question and decide to finalize it by this week. Click here to view our Survey Questionnaire. After we had gotten confirmation from Mr. Mike, we shared it to online platforms to get more people to answer our questionnaire. The group had shared to many places, like Instagram, LinkedIn, Facebook & many more platforms.


Week 5
We did an estimated survey responses before sending out those invitations. We will invite relevant people to fill in the survey based on these estimated responses. And we have indeed received their responses. Thank you very much. This week, we collected 80 responses from four target audiences: creative teams, educator, and entrepreneur and others. One week later I assigned the data analysis task to 3 members, with each member analyzing one category and summarizing key points relevant to Expedio. To avoid images overload here, you are allowed to view all the progress on here.


Survey Feedback Summary - PDF


Week 6


Fig 1.5 Insights and Discovery


Fig 1.6 Problem Statement & How Might We

This week, following data collection and analysis, our focus shifted to discovering key insights. We summarized our findings and presented them to Mike. During the discussion, he emphasized the need to shift our focus from merely highlighting X-Board's features to convincing potential users, particularly those unfamiliar with this type of whiteboard to give it a try. Incorporating this valuable feedback, we refined our insights and proceeded to the problem statement stage.


Week 7


Fig 1.7 Visual References

This week, we have been working on developing the design proposal and presentation slides. While I have delegated tasks to the team, some members have not yet fully cooperated. To address this, I held a brief meeting with the team members who have been actively contributing, particularly those involved in finding design references. This meeting helped us to establish a shared design direction. The presentation slides are available for viewing below.


Week 8


The Expedio X-Board Proposal - PDF


Fig 1.8 Presentation with Expedio Team



Week 10


Fig 1.9 Customer Journey Map


Gantt Chart, Progress Tracking

This week, we focused on refining our new user journey map to better align with our 'How might we?' statement. Mr. Mark consistently emphasized the importance of referencing this statement throughout our process. We had in-depth discussions about the optimal number of content posts, the specific content to create, and the best timing for these posts. I quickly put together a Gantt Chart to visualize everyone's tasks and keep our progress on track.

I contributed several new ideas and suggested adjustments to our original direction. Specifically, I proposed that we should focus on creating a mobile-first website, rather than a desktop-sized one. This suggestion was well-received, given the prevalence of mobile users and our plans to advertise on social media. Mr. Mike posed an interesting question that gave me pause: 'Why would a social media user who doesn't know our brand click on our ads?' I pondered this question for quite some time. Unfortunately, I fell ill during this period and had to take a week off.


Week 11

Content Planning & Solutions for Mark's Comment - PDF

I apologize for neglecting to check on the team's progress last week while I was sick. Although we had a general direction, some team members were still uncertain about their specific tasks. To clarify everyone's roles, I held a team meeting on Friday to discuss individual responsibilities and reminded them to check the Gantt chart for their assigned tasks. Unfortunately, two team members frequently missed classes, which hindered our discussions. However, we were able to make progress despite these challenges. 

Regarding the question raised by Mike last week, I believe I've found an answer. Based on my research and readings, I have written in the docs above.


Week 12


Fig 1.10 Mobile Site Progress


Fig 1.11 Color Used

This week, our graphic design team, Carol and Lina worked on designing the key visuals for the X-board. We looked at many mood boards and examples to help us decide on our design direction. After discussing as a team, we chose our color scheme, typeface (RF Dewi Expanded & Archivo), and color used.


Week 13


Fig 1.12 Subscription Newsletter Design - Before


Fig 1.13 Subscription Newsletter Design - After
I've been feeling increasingly frustrated with the execution and attitude of some of my team members. Despite establishing a clear art direction and assigning specific tasks, some individuals have failed to complete their work as expected. They have even claimed to be unaware of their responsibilities.

As the deadline approached, I reviewed each team member's progress and was disappointed with the results. Not only did the designs not align with the agreed-upon direction, but several tasks were also incomplete. Consequently, I had to allocate additional time to finish these tasks with another team member. While I understand that challenges can arise in group projects, it's disheartening when team members don't fulfill their commitments. It's important to have a reliable and dedicated team to ensure the success of any project.

Week 14
Final Mobile Site Prototype


Week 15


The Expedio X-Board Final - PDF


Week 16


Fig 1.14 Final Presentation with Expedio Team

It was a nerve-wracking but gratifying experience presenting our work to Expedia. Their attentive listening was a testament to their commitment and provided us with a much-needed boost of confidence. While I wasn't entirely satisfied with the final product, Expedio's feedback was invaluable. They pointed out a discrepancy in the wording of our ad video, which didn't align with the overall design. Unfortunately, this oversight was due to my failure to thoroughly review the content before the presentation.


 CONSULTATION FEEDBACK 


Consultation Feedback from Mr. Mike - PDF


  PROJECT TRACKING DOCUMENT 


Project Tracking Documents - PDF


 REFLECTION 
Experience
This project was a rollercoaster of emotions. From the initial confusion and discomfort of not fully understanding the task to gradually adapting to the course requirements and eventually executing the task, I experienced a wide range of feelings. Initially, I felt apprehensive about taking on a leadership role. Balancing the responsibilities of delegating tasks, monitoring my team's progress, and ensuring both individual and overall task completion was daunting. However, as the semester progressed, I noticed significant improvements in my abilities.

Observations
Throughout this experience, I observed notable growth in my communication skills. I learned how to communicate more effectively with my team members, ensuring everyone understood the goals and requirements of the task. Additionally, I gained valuable experience in interacting with a real client. From initial understanding and listening to the final execution of the task, every step was a learning opportunity. Through these interactions, I realized the importance of building strong client relationships and accurately meeting their needs in a project.

Findings
I gained invaluable knowledge and skills from this project. I am particularly grateful to Mr. Mike, our course instructor, and Mr. Toru and Ms. Abi from Expedia for providing us with this learning opportunity. I am confident that these experiences will be invaluable in my future projects. Through this project, I have not only strengthened my project management skills but also improved my ability to communicate with clients, both of which will be valuable assets in my future career.