liz-PPD and Enterprise: 2009

What Problem did you identify?

After looking at each others 100 photographs that we had taken we came to the conclusion that our problem should be that students at Leeds college of Art are not aware of information about art and design events and exhibitions in leeds as there is not enough information given to them

What evidence did you find to support your decisions?

For our evidence we created a questionnaire and handed it out to students of the college in 1st, 2nd and 3rd years. The questionnaire was designed to see whether the students had heard of events and where they took place and how they found out about this information. We found that the older students (in 2nd and 3rd year) had more knowledge of the galleries and buildings events are held in. We found that the new younger 1st years hadn't heard of the places or been given information about the places.

What methods did you use to gather evidence and what form did it take?

The methods we used to gather information was Primary research where we created two questionnaires and handed them out to the appropriate people. Also as a group we collected information from the internet (leeds city council, leeds live it, love it site) and tourist information center and made a spread sheet of the appropriate information relating to our project.

What methods of research did you find useful and why?

I found the information we collected from the tourist information center useful as it was easy to understand and in the form of flyers and booklets that you could flick threw unlike on the internet where you have to scroll threw page after page.

I think the Questionnaire would have to be the best information received as it gave us an idea of what other people thought and not just our own opinion on the subject. It also helped decide which route to go down with our problem and ideas on how to solve it.

How did they inform your response to your problem?

The information we collected informed a response to our problem as it told us that the information was out there (in the tourist information center and the internet) the problem was that it wasn't been given to the students. The information needed to be accessible to the students, they shouldn't have to go out looking for it, and this was the problem we where trying to solve so that students are aware of what is going on around them.

From the questionnaire we also asked how they normally find out information and the most popular was notice boards, emails and facebook was suggested. From this it helped us solve our problem by knowing where the information should be going to.

What methods did you encounter as being problematic?

By doing a questionnaire you are relying on the persons to be telling the truth which could be encountered as a problem as we can not be 100% sure that they are telling the truth.

The internet could also be encountered as a problem as you do not know when it was last updated or that it is 100% reliable.

How did you overcome this?

Our group kept the questionnaire anonymous and therefore we felt that the participants wouldn't feel the need to lie. It was also optional so if they didn't want to take part they wouldn't have to.

We also stuck to websites which where official so they would be more reliable.

What research could you have carried out that would have proved more useful?

For further research we could have visited these places and asked question to the people that worked there and visited the place. This would give us a better idea of exactly how the places advertise themselves and how many student do visit the places.

5 things i have learnt about Design Process:

1: Research is the key to solving a problem, the more information you find the easier it is to solve the problem

2: Research doesn't have to come out of a book.

3: listen to other peoples opinions as I may have not even thought about the ideas they have.

4: a lot more work can be done in a group in a short amount of time as long as everyone understands what they are doing

5: I tend not to listen when someone is too over powering and will only except they're own idea.

5 things i will do different next time:

1: not be ill

2: research more

3: make sure my outcome still fits with the problem

4: express my opinions more

5: help with more of the designing