A2 - Evaluation

Evaluation

Good points

I have now successfully completed my very first web plan. The creation of the web plan has given me an understanding of the importance of planning and strong time management.

I have a real sense of achievement as the transition from full time employment to student who has a job has been quite difficult for me.

Through out the duration of the project, I have felt more and more like I belong. Although the course is still in its infancy, I feel as though my planning and design skill have improved four fold.

The realisation that I am not as good a the preconception I had of myself before I begun is not necessarily a bad thing as I now have a clearer idea of where I am and where I am going.

The introduction to software such as PageMaker and Photoshop (I had previously used Fireworks for all image editing) in both class and self study has proven invaluable; however I do feel like InDesign would be more suited to my requirements from now on.

I am now reading more books, which can only be a good thing. The book I have most enjoyed has to be ‘Don’t make me think’ by Steve Krug; a web usability guide.

I now feel much more confident presenting my work and emotions online (in this instance

The two major presentations we’ve had have proven invaluable. The levels of motivation following were at an all time high. To know that the now second years were going through exactly what we did was of great reassurance.

The visit from The Design Mechanics again provided much enthusiasm; I think that this is mainly due to the fact that some of us could potentially be employed by David in the not too distant future and it was inspiring to know that two students from this very course have entered the design world and are working doing what they enjoy.

Bad points

As I mentioned before the transition back into to a student as been a difficult one for me. The has, at times been the source of much frustration to me as I am used to having much shorter deadlines involving multiple projects at once.

One area which has largely let me down has been my time management skills. The weekly time sheets and production schedule (in this form) are very foreign to me and have taken an amount of adaptation of my working habits to get them to work for me.

During the project I had a personal problem which basically cost me a weeks worth of actual production time and has been the source of much bewilderment and emotional discomfort to me.

Whilst I do not feel that the week away from the project hindered its development, I do feel that my state of mind has been altered.

Key things I have learned

• How to create a web plan
• CSS is not just used for text formatting but also for layouts, etc
• The importance of documenting all my work
• Introduction to new, industry based software applications
• Resources extend further than the internet
• Do not trust everything that you read – always get a second opinion
• My design skills are not a good as I will be

Things to avoid next time

• Start the intensive time management from the beginning of a project and stick to it, as this was of much help once it had ‘clicked’ into place for me.
• There has been a few needless ‘run-ins’ with the tutor. Simply doing what is asked of us, first time, could have easily avoided these issues.
• Ensure that work is completed as early as possible and that there is plenty of ‘padding’ in the time planning to accommodate for any unexpected circumstances; such as what happened to me this time around.

Targets for the future

• Improve time management skills
• Improve design skills
• Make the transition from PageMaker to InDesign
• Continue improvements in software knowledge / expertise

Conclusion

To say that this project has, in my opinion, gone well in spite of the person problems and adjustment issues wouldn’t be quite right; I feel that because of these difficulties I have had to work a little harder to achieve the same result. However, I now feel in a stronger position to approach the other projects in the future.

On the whole I have enjoyed the project. I have learned a lot in the few weeks I have been on the course and met some very talented and supportive people along the way, whom without this course I may never had the privilege to meet.

Quote of the Week
“Uncertainty and mystery are energies of life. Don't let them scare you unduly, for they keep boredom at bay and spark creativity.” - R. I. Fitzhenry quotes