{ TIME + MOTION }

Title

Designer’s Kitchen: Design Recipes

Overview

My concept is based on one aspect of designer’s work: dealing with the given task. We, as a designer, always work with the client, someone who need us. But depends on who is the designer, the creative result can be totally different. It is quite similar to cooking. With the same ingredient, the professional cook can serve many different dishes that meets the requirement for each occasion. Here, our ingredient was ‘10-second counting leader’, and Design Recipes is the achieve of everyone’s unique recipe responding to the given ingredients.

Goals and objective

The objective of this project is to create a DVD menu and 10-second intro movie, showcasing the entire class works. By using the metaphor of cooking, each student is re-introduced as a special spice in the designer’s kitchen.

Audience

Students

Key Message

Each one of us is creative, but in different ways. =) Even with the same project and restriction, we managed to have fun with it and be creative!

Content Planning

A DVD starts with a mini intro movie, introducing Designer’s kitchen. The movie focuses on delivering the essence of kitchen–clean and modern. By masking and layering several images on the top of each other, it hide where is this place. The location is revealed at the end of movie. Once people click the button, ‘design recipes’, it will bring them to ‘Today’s menu’ page, which explains the project outline and requirement–our ingredients. After that page, the scene will be changed to a storage shelf in the kitchen, where cooking utensils and spices are stored. Each students work sits in the spice bottle, functioning as sub menu pages. I divided the class into four groups, so three to five students works appears in each pages.

Schedule

Mar 17
Brainstorm the concept & start idea sketches

Mar 24
Produce media components (graphics, sound, typography and video)

Mar31
Start working on mini intro movie

Apr 3
Collaborate all elements (graphics, video etc) in DVD studio pro

Bibliography/Credit

Music from SoundSnap

http://www.soundsnap.com

DVD menu system map (sketch)

According to the diagram drown by David, DVD menu required to have:

10 second into movie -> main menu -> sub menu -> movie page

I collected images from Ikea catalog and stock photo sites, then alter them with photoshop filtes.

Test movie intro =)

Initial ideas - Design recipes

The concept is based on my graduation catalog theme, design recipes. In the process of design, a designer is a chef. With the same ingredient, a professional chef can cook various dishes suitable for the particular occasions. Designers often work with the given material from the client. Then it is up to them to decide how to cook it, and serve a perfect dish that meets the need of the client.

In our Time-based communication class, we all started with the same course outline and project brief, but at the end every single student created something totally different from others.

Thumbnails

Since it’s called ‘design recipes’, the background images for DVD menu could be something relevant to kitchen. Such as cooking utensils, dining area, cookbooks, storages, stove..etc.

Charlie and the Chocolate Factory

The Terminal

Title
Why customer service sucks

Overview
This project will explore the frustrating and unsatisfying experience one encounters when they are attempting to go through the procedures involved in customer services. Through the perspective of a customer/client, the user will experience a slight simulation of how a customer services phone call is carried out, as well as learn about why this procedure has grown more difficult and frustrating due to technology, company policies, quotas, and system networking.

Goals and Objectives
The universal impression on customer services is pretty much focused on the negativity of the experience. Our goal is to express what customer services is meant to carry out, as well as how and why it fails to meet customer satisfaction and their expectations. We all agree that customer service sucks, however, this project aims to explain why it does in a logical, statistical and visually appealing approach. What we intend to achieve from this exploration, is to justify the flaws and causes of all the weaknesses in customer service, in order to reflect what changes or adjustments should be addressed in order to resolve the issue, without compromising the customer’s or the company’s goals/needs.

Audience
This video targets any person who has ever experienced poor customer service, specifically over the phone.

Key message
That customer service sucks, but we should comprehend and intake all of the factors that make it the way that it is.

Content planning
Our project will use a visual key to connect all of our points and ideas being communicated in the video. Specifically, we intend to use a line to act as a linear visual to draw the user across the screen and platform to cue in the next main image/fact. Audio wise, the sequence will begin with a person typing in a ‘1-800′ phone number and eventually will connect to a mono-toned operator.
From there, as the user witnesses a series of questions and useless steps, there will be factual information, as well as various video/graphic visuals assisting those statistics. Overall, the simulated phone call procedure will appear continuous, frustrating, and unsatisfying where connecting to an actual human sales representative will appear futile.

In terms of the narrative, we aim not to have the narrator consistently read out any of the statistics, but rather elaborate on the visuals being presented. Other audio tidbits will include phone call sound effects (i.e. disconnecting tone, ringing, a filter over the voice for the operator, number pad blips, etc).

Schedule

Reading week
Individually browse options for topic

March 28
Review options for topic, decide on one to explore for the project, collect inspirations

February 3
Collaborate inspirations, research, visuals, etc

February 14
Write up preliminary creative brief

February 23
Determine narrative script, review further statistics/research, and experiment with potential visual graphic styles

March 03
Determine final thumbnail sketches, begin elaborating digitally, record audio/narrative, combine thumbnails and audio into a preliminary dummy video

March 08-10
Work on animating graphics in Adobe After Effects, reviewing concept animation clips, video record with green screen

March 15
Collaborate animation clips

March 16
Polish video, animation and audio

March 17
Submit project on dvd, present to class

Bibliography/Credits:

Models for video recording:
Jesse Bertolas
Jensen Lee
Candice Li
Peter Shanly
Andrew U

Phone Sound Effects:
http://www.stonewashed.net/sfx.html

Visual/Conceptual References
- Please check posts under Project2-inspiration

Click the image to view as full size

Phone is ringing

NARRATOR:

Customer service is a series of activities designed to enhance the level of customer satisfaction – that is, the feeling that a product or service has met the customer expectation.

However, what is the customer’s expectation when it comes to a successful service?

* shake hands clip*

* timeline clip *

In 1977, connecting to a customer service representative only required a simple phone call. However, as technology advanced within the next few decades, it severed the human interaction between the customer and the corporation. How does this evolution in technology impact the customer service experience?

* Eng & Fr options clip*

In an automated voice

Welcome to our customer service hotline, thank you for calling, your loyalty to our company is very important to us. For services in English, press 1…for services in French, press 2…

NARRATOR/FACTS:

* mind boggling clip*

Customer services used to provide the option to connect directly to a live representative, however, with this new so called ‘automated self-service,’ it will first constrain you with a series of mind boggling prompts to push buttons and to choose between options. It makes you wonder, whether your issue would ever be resolved.

* 79% clip *
(Visually facts will show: 79% feel that good customer service will allow you to access a real live customer rep easily and quickly)

NARRATOR:

One of the reasons why companies derived this automated self-service is to decrease their costs in hiring employees. So while you are being filtered with automated recordings, very few representatives are actually available to address your issues immediately. On average, a representative will be multi-tasking with four different individuals at once.

*15% clip *

(visually show: 15% of callers will wait for more than 2 minutes when put on hold)

*Dollar sign clip, 1 - 4 ppl clip *

In a unenthusiastic FEMALE voice & background office noise

Hello, this is Bertha speaking, how can I help you today? Sir, unfortunately I am not specialized in that department. I will transfer your call to another representative. Please hold…and thank you for calling our customer service hotline. Hold, please.

* Bertha clip *

(Visually state: Name: Bertha Jenkins, position: Front-line agent
Description: Answer initial calls, work off automated programs that state what to say, qualifications: Limited in actual specialized areas of information, uncreative)

NARRATOR:

*Hoops clip*
Hoops. No, not basketball, but HOOPS in terms of repetitions and being transferred from agent to agent. Every customer’s worst nightmare: going around in circles!

In an unenthusiastic MALE voice & background office noise

*James clip*

(visually state: Name: James Dalton, position: Senior/Specialist agent, job Description: Provide in-depth answers to specific questions, qualifications: Specialized in specific areas of information, limited empathy and low incentive)

NARRATOR:

Agents are under pressure to maintain phone calls within a seven-minute span or less. Their goal is to get you off the line, as quickly and as mannerly as possible, however this doesn’t mean your issue will be dealt with nor does it promise 100% satisfaction.

NARRATOR:

As we’ve all come to know, interacting with customer services is a frustrating and discouraging experience. Due to the lack of empathy and comprehension of the customer’s point of view, companies will miss the opportunity to improve their services for their customers.

Unless these aspects are at least considered, customer services will continue to fail meeting the customers’ expectations.