Notes

After an informal meeting with Matt and Sudipto today, I realized that I needed to look at my project from different perspectives. The following questions are the starting points for my research:

-Why am I doing this project? What is it that is different from what already exists, and has been done in the past, in this field?

-What do I want to communicate? What is the most effective method to do so? (Form follows function)

-Who is this project for? Children in urban schools, or for children in every part of the country/world? (Affordability)

Considering this is a learning device, shouldn’t this be accessible to as many people as possible?
Or, as a designer, am I aiming to experiment with new age technology to communicate this material, which would be costly, and thus limited in its outreach?

-Accessibility: Where is this book/game/etc going to be sold? Is it going to be SOLD, or DISPLAYED? Is it something a school library would keep a copy of, or something that every parent can buy for his child, or something that is purely on display in a learning centre/playschool?

-My initial idea for the product/output was an electronic pop-up book. But I will be keeping that open as of now.

Concerns: Paper is not sturdy enough, especially when the target audience are 4-6 years of age. Also, a pop-up book is too delicate, and needs to be handled with care. For the specified target audience, I could consider a game, an object or a range of objects, etc. At this point, I need to be open about the form that will communicate my idea most effectively. (Also, keeping in mind my skill sets and specialization)

-From a visual communication design perspective, I need to look at design for children, illustrations, typography, and other elements that are within my skill sets, and incorporate them in my project.