Minor Project - Projects

31/03/21 - 02/07/21 (Week 1 - Week 14)

Atiqah Farzana Binti Syalleh Karimyee (0336740)
Minor Project
Projects

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LECTURE NOTES

Week 1: Module Briefing

Our multidisciplinary project will be a collaboration with 2 groups; the 1st group is from the West Bohemia University, Czech Republic and the other is from 4 programmes in Taylor's University (Architecture, Interior Architecture, Quantity Surveying and Hospitality).

In the first week, we had a meeting with both groups and briefed on each project. The collaboration project with the West Bohemia University is about 'Water Rescue', and the project within Taylor's University programmes is 'Boutique Hotel'. 

Week 2: Design Thinking

Today's lecture was about design thinking. Mr. Mike started off by asking us our thoughts on design and design thinking. Google defines design thinking as 'a human-centered approach to innovation-anchored in understanding the customer's needs, rapid prototyping, and generating creative ideas- that will transform the way a designer develops products, services, processes, and organizations'.

Design thinking requires us to know our specific target audience, their needs and insight in order to create a problem statement. To collect all this information, we must conduct an empathy research where we find our real target audience to experience their lives, in the form of personas. 

Mr. Mike also shared with us a few helpful videos on design thinking.

What is Design?

5 Stages of the Design Thinking Process

What is Design Thinking?

What is Human-Centered Design?

After the lecture, Mr. Mike briefed us on the Google docs that we need to fill up every week to update our progression. He also introduced us to Miro, a discussion app, which will be our main platform for our work progress. He also shared a playlist of the basic tutorials on using Miro for us to get familiar with it.

For the following weeks, classes would be just for consultation.

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INSTRUCTIONS

Module Information Booklet:

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PROJECT

Empathy Research

Week 1 - Week 3 (31/03/2021 - 14/04/21)

Week 1 (31/03/2021)

In the first week, we had a meeting with both groups and briefed on each project. The collaboration project with the West Bohemia University is about 'Water Rescue', and the project within Taylor's University programmes is 'Boutique Hotel'. I chose the Boutique Hotel, alongside my members Siti Zulaikha, Hannah, and Amelia.

Our first task is to conduct an empathy research for the hotel, and then pass on the information we gathered to the Hospitality students. The information we need include:

1. The theme of the hotel (mood, aesthetic, vibe)
2. Target market (students, business workers, etc.)
3. How would they want to expand the hotel?

Week 2 (07/04/2021)

On Friday, our group met with some of the BIHM students and BAT students to discuss on our progresses so far. They showed us their proposed ideas for the hotel, such as the target market, amenities of the hotel, special features of the hotel, and more. We discussed what features to keep and what could be excluded, such as the skydining roof and to change the swimming pool to the first floor. 

Prior to this meeting, the BIHM students wanted the empathy research and survey done by Friday. Due to this miscommunication between courses, my group ended up rushing to create a survey and sent it out before consulting Mr. Mike first. 

Upon telling him our mistake, he said we must show him our survey questions first, but before that he told us to finish up the empathy research by next week, as well as fill up the consultation form so he knows our latest updates.

Mr. Mike sent us some additional videos on user personas to guide us in creating our own personas for the empathy research.

How to Create a User Persona 

Empathy Mapping

Week 3 (14/04/2021)

This week my group showed our progress with our personas as well as the updated survey questions. Mr. Mike said that our questions should be more related to the interior and architecture team's planning and ideation. Meaning, we need to include questions that ask on the style, design, layout, aesthetic/vibe of the hotel. Mr. Mike said that 50-100 responses for the survey is enough, and we have to send out the survey by next week in order to compile the responses on Friday's consultation. 

Link to our Miro board: https://miro.com/app/board/o9J_lLGrCMM=/

Here are our personas:

Fig. 1.1 - Persona 1

Fig. 1.2 - Persona 2

Fig. 1.3 - Persona 3

Here is our survey for Taylors Uni/College Prospects.

Here is our survey for Business Travellers.

Below is our empathy research slides:

Week 4 (21/04/2021)

My group met with our other group members from the other courses to update on everyone's progress. From our side, we have finished and compiled the survey answers for the empathy research.

Here are the survey analysis for the prospects of Taylors Uni/College:

Here is the survey analysis for the business travelers:

So far, the architecture students have finished the digitized layout plan of the hotel. The interior architecture students will have to plan on what furniture will be placed in the hotel. 

After the meeting, we consulted Mr. Mike to update him on our group's progress. He said everything was going as planned, and that the presentation on week 6 doesn't involve us. Only after the presentation, we would have to start working on the branding of the hotel, which includes the logo, hotel name, and basically the whole brand corporate identity.

Week 6 (07/05/2021)

This week, our whole group presented the hotel proposal. Below are our slides:

Week 8 (21/05/2021)

No class today as it is independent learning week.

Week 10 (02/06/2021)

For this week's consultation, we showed Mr. Mike our revised brand identity- which consists of the colour palette, typography, logo design, and graphic elements.

Fig. 1.4 - Week 10: Brand Identity Moodboard

Week 11 (11/06/2021)

My group divided the tasks for the work, and I chose to do traditional media.

Fig. 1.5 - Week 11: Division of Tasks

Week 12 (18/06/2021)

Each of us showed our progress on the work.

Fig. 1.6 - Week 12: Advertising (Social Media)

Fig. 1.7 - Week 12: AR App Flowchart

Fig. 1.8 - Week 12: Poster Layouts

Fig. 1.9 - Week 12: Hotel Collaterals

Fig. 1.10 - Week 12: Website Progress

Fig. 1.10 - Week 12: Advertising Progress

Fig. 1.11 - Week 12: Poster Moodboard

Week 13 (23/06/2021)

We continued showing our work progress:

Fig. 1.13 - Week 13: Advertising Progress

Fig. 1.14 - Week 13: Website Progress

Website wireframe link: https://xd.adobe.com/view/1740a148-5be8-4779-82e1-a7a8e13ed329-4213/?fullscreen&hints=off

Fig. 1.15 - Week 13: Styling Guidelines

Storyboard with video footage and rendered images:

Week 14 (30/06/2021)

This would be our last consultation before the final presentation on Friday.

Fig. 1.16 - Week 14: Social Media Mockups

GAIA promotional video ad: https://drive.google.com/file/d/1nExGYm0xIvieJmKYz6dXPgYv6MrGbtVp/view

Fig. 1.17 - Week 14: Traditional Media

Fig. 1.18 - Week 14: Website Mockup

Website prototype: https://xd.adobe.com/view/e989baf8-4668-49a7-98db-98c4b6f8586c-bcda/

App:

Fig. 1.19 - Week 16: App Home Page

Fig. 1.20 - Week 16: Navigation

Fig. 1.21 - Week 16: App Screenshot

Fig. 1.22 - Week 16: App Screenshot

Website:

Fig. 1.23 - Week 16: Website Homepage

Fig. 1.24 - Week 16: About Page

Fig. 1.25 - Week 16: Gallery Page

Fig. 1.26 - Week 16: Dining Page

Fig. 1.27 - Week 16: Yoga Area

Fig. 1.28 - Week 16: Rooms

Fig. 1.29 - Week 16: Co-Working Spaces

Fig. 1.30 - Week 16: Facilities

Final MLE presentation slides:

Final MLE presentation in PDF:

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REFLECTION

This module was the first to have a collaboration amongst 5 courses. Therefore, there were a few miscommunications and confusions along the way but in the end we still managed to create a boutique hotel. I think this project really showed us what it's like to work with other departments. I learnt that everyone had a special role in the entire project, whether it's the architecture team in designing the floors, or the interior archi team for the indoor decorations. Without one or the other, the project would be incomplete. As this was quite a big project (with a lot of people in a group), I couldn't help but feel like it was a bit hectic at the start. In the earlier weeks, everyone didn't know how we would group ourselves or communicate with clashing schedules. Later on things eventually fell into place as we got more familiar with each other, and everyone had their Fridays to solely discuss this project. Overall, I think this module gave me a glimpse of what it's like to work in a real-life setting, with people of different specialisations and departments.