Your primary efforts over the semester will be developing this high fidelity prototype.  You can think of this as version 1 of your studio project.  As these projects are self-driven, there are few requirements.  Those that exist are:

  • The project must be interactive
  • The project must include digital media
  • The project must be of an appropriate scale and scope for a Master’s studio project
  • The project must be exhibited publicly (though this will happen in the Spring)

Your final prototype for Studio 1 should show meaningful progress towards your studio project goal.  High fidelity prototypes should be made full scale, using similar materials you expect to use on your project, implementing similar code, etc.  This is a way to really test all of your ideas out and see how the fit together, identifying problems before they become disasters. It also helps you determine if you have set the right scope for your available time and skill set. In that vein, it is best to tacle whatever you think will be the hardest part of the project now.

It may be helpful to think of your prototype as belonging to one of three categories: 

  • Wide: all content for your studio project is determined, but perhaps not brought up to full quality yet. Examples:
    • A fully developed website or app with some CSS and graphics and a style guide for the rest
    • A fully written narrative with some art assets and sketches for the remainder
  • Deep: content for one aspect of your project is fully developed from start to finish, while other material is just sketched out. Examples:
    • A complete level 1 of a 3 level game
    • A complete path through an interactive narrative with an outline of alternative endings
  • Alpha: 50% of all content for project is developed and the remainder is outlined

Of course documenting your work is just as important.  The quality of your documentation and presentation has significant impact on how it is received by any audience. 

To submit this assignment, enter a link to a page from your web portfolio that contains:

  • your video
    • 3-8 minutes in total length.
    • Video should be well lit, stable, in focus, well edited, have good audio, have no background distractions, etc. The Maker Space has facilities and equipment for this).  If your prototype has any physical, environmental, or experiential components, you will need to film those with a camera.
    • Include a demonstration of your prototype, discussing its functionality/playability. (I recommend doing this in the first part of your video.)
    • Describe your concept for the project, its values, intended audience, etc.
    • Explain how you got to where you ended up – what was the design journey that led you to this solution? What is the reasoning for your design decisions? How do you intend those decisions to affect user/player experience?
  • a still image of your prototype (like the video, this should be well lit, clear, and free of clutter).  For screen based works this may be a screen capture. Depending on your project, you may want to include an additional detail image or alternate view as well.
  • a brief description of your project, 150-250 words, identifying what it is and who it is for.