Context & Process by Alecia McEachran

CONTEXT & PROCESS

PROCESS BOOK Alecia McEachran

DRAKE UNIVERSITY

SPRING 2015

PROJECTS PrEP Campaign • Lamp • CodeBots

PrEP CAMPAIGN research HISTORY OF HIV/AIDS When did it surface in the US? First known cases found in gay men in NY and CA HIV/AIDS first came to light in the early 1980â&#x20AC;&#x2122;s How it came to be is subject to debate (believed to have been transferred from monkeys to humans in Africa) Spread through travel Gay sexual revolution played a large part in taking the virus worldwide Increase in availability of heroin in 70s stimulated the growth of intravenous drug use and sharing unsterilized needles helped pass HIV along Blood transfusions became routine and donors were paid to give blood (which attracted intravenous drug users) People were unaware how easily HIV could spread so blood donations were unscreened and sent worldwide, giving many the HIV virus http://www.avert.org/origin-hiv-aids.htm

What were the early attitudes? Fear surrounded the emerging HIV epidemic Very little was known about how it was transmitted which made people scared of those infected Key affected groups: men who have sex with men, people who inject drugs, and sex workers Stigma and discrimination is directed towards these people simply because others disapprove of their behaviors Participants who reported high levels of stigma were over 4 times more likely to report poor access to care â&#x20AC;&#x201C; contributes to the expansion of HIV epidemic Unwillingness to take an HIV test means that more people are diagnosed late (makes treatment less effective, increases the likelihood of transmitting HIV to others, and causes early death) Stigmas and discrimination consequences: Loss of income and livelihood Loss of marriage and childbearing options Poor care within the health sector Withdrawal of caregiving in the home Loss of hope and feelings of worthlessness Loss of reputation http://www.avert.org/hiv-aids-stigma-and-discrimination.htm

PrEP CAMPAIGN research What is HIV/AIDS? What does it do to the body? HIV (Human Immunodeficiency Virus) is a lentivirus (slow virus) that attacks the immune system HIV causes AIDS (people diagnosed with AIDS test positive for HIV and people without HIV do not get AIDS) STAGES: Acute infection - Large amounts of the virus are being produced in your body - Develop flu-like symptoms - The virus uses CD4 cells to replicate and destroys them in the process - Your CD4 count can fall rapidly - The infected cells lose their ability to do their job in the immune system and the body then loses the ability to fight many infections Clinical latency - HIV reproduces at very low levels - May not have symptoms - May live with clinical latency for several decades with treatment - Without treatment, this period may last an average of 10 years (some may progress through the stage faster)

Aids - Without treatment, people typically survive 3 years - More severe symptoms such as rapid weight loss, recurring fever, night sweats, extreme tiredness, swelling of lymph glands, long term diarrhea, sores of the mouth, anus, or genitals, pneumonia, blotches on or under the skin, memory loss, depression, etc. https://www.aids.gov/hiv-aids-basics/just-diagnosed-with-hiv-aids/ hiv-in-your-body/stages-of-hiv/ https://www.aids.gov/hiv-aids-basics/hiv-aids-101/signs-andsymptoms/

PrEP CAMPAIGN research BROCHURE INFORMATION What is PrEP? PreExposure Prophylaxis is a once a day medication taken to reduce the risk of becoming HIV positive. It must be taken before coming in contact with HIV to reduce the risk of infection. Truvada is the only medication currently approved by the FDA to be prescribed as PrEP PrEP interferes with HIV’s ability to copy itself in your body after you’ve been exposed, which prevents it from establishing an infection. PrEP does not protect against any other STDs It takes PrEP seven days to become fully effective

Who should take PrEP? If you are HIV negative and can answer ‘yes’ to any of the questions below, you may want to consider PrEP. Do you use a condom sometimes or not at all? Have you had any STIs in the past year? Do you bottom? Have you taken post-exposure prophylaxis (PEP) in the past year? Are you in a sexual relationship with an HIV-positive partner? Do you have more than one sexual partner? Are you having sex with someone whose HIV status you don’t know? Are you potentially exposed to HIV through injection drug use? Do you exchange sex for drugs, money, housing, or any other need? Contact a Prevention Specialist at Project HIM to get a PrEP Consultation and determine if you are a good candidate for PrEP. If you are HIV negative and are worried about your chances of getting HIV, you may want to consider PrEP. To learn more about if PrEP is right for you or to schedule a free confidential HIV test, visit projecthim.org or call 515-248-1595.

PrEP CAMPAIGN research Why take PrEP? With 50,000 new HIV infections each year in the United States, and no cure or vaccination available, prevention is key. PrEP can reduce your chances of getting HIV and is even more effective when combined with condoms and other prevention tools. 99% effective if taken 7x a week 96% effective if taken 5x a week 76% effective if taken 2x a week PrEP only has minor short-term side effects, which include nausea, vomiting, dizziness, headache, and fatigue. These problems typically arise in the first week or two and disappear shortly after.

What are the costs? If you have insurance: Low or no co-pay If there are costs to you, those costs can be covered through Gilead Co-pay Assistance Coupon Card Visit www.GileadCoPay.com or call 1-877-505-6986 for more information and to see if you are eligible. If you donâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t have insurance: Low or no co-pay Gilead U.S. Advancing Access Program provides assistance to patients who do not have insurance or who need Financial assistance. They provide assistance for those eligible and who cannot afford to pay for TRUVADA. To learn about eligibility, contact Advancing Access at 1-800-226-2056. Partnership for Prescription Assistance (PPA) Program is designed to help uninsured Americans get the medicines they need at no or low cost. Call toll-free 1-800-4PPA-Now (1-800-477-2669) or visit www.pparx.org to see if you qualify.

PrEP CAMPAIGN look & feel

These are the colors we chose for our campaign. We wanted to use neutral colors in order to appeal to our audience.

Panton Thin Panton Regular Panton Black The typeface we chose for our campaign is Panton. It has a wide variety of variations to use as well.

PrEP CAMPAIGN look & feel

The name of our campaign is PrEP Talk. This is our logo which uses the typeface and main color of our campaign.

PrEP CAMPAIGN look & feel

These are some examples of the stock imagery we chose for our campaign.

PrEP CAMPAIGN look & feel

Examples of our imagery style using a color overlay.

Examples of our illustrations that are to go along with our images.

PrEP CAMPAIGN brochure inspiration This NYC PrEP & PEP brochure was the inspiration for the size, folding, and look of the brochure. We wanted to create a smaller brochure, rather than the normal long ones. We also wanted to stray away from a tri-fold and instead went with this method of folding, as it is more intriguing and allows for a more interesting division of information, as you can see here with the PrEP and PEP.

PrEP CAMPAIGN brochure inspiration

PrEP CAMPAIGN initial ideas

My initial idea for the brochure was to create a box with cards (similar to a deck of poker cards) that will have some basic information on them. The box can also fit a condom to be put in the Project HIM condom dispensers.

PrEP CAMPAIGN initial ideas

The first thing I did was to create a template for the box and cut it out to see how it would fit together. I also cut out the cards that would go inside.

PrEP CAMPAIGN initial ideas

This is my first iteration of the cards for the box. I wanted to use tabs with icons for the different cards, which talk about what PrEP is, why to take it, who should take it, and what it costs. These include the most basic information about PrEP to create awareness and let people know a little about it. This was created before we nailed down the imagery of our campaign, so it includes mainly just the information.

PrEP CAMPAIGN initial ideas

PrEP CAMPAIGN initial brochure

Pre-Exposure Prophylaxis is a once a day medication taken to reduce the risk of becoming HIV positive. It must be taken before coming in contact with HIV to reduce the risk of infection.

701

Truvada is the only medication currently approved by the FDA to be prescribed as PrEP.

WHAT IS PrEP?

PrEP interferes with HIV’s ability to copy itself in your body after you’ve been exposed, which prevents it from establishing an infection.

Truvada • •

PrEP does not protect against any other STDs It takes PrEP seven days to become fully effective

WHY TAKE PrEP? With 50,000 new HIV infections each year in the United States, and no cure or vaccination available, prevention is key. PrEP can reduce your chances of getting HIV and is even more effective when combined with condoms and other prevention tools.

99%

96%

76%

effective if taken 7x a week

effective if taken 5x a week

effective if taken 2x a week

WHO SHOULD TAKE PrEP?

PrEP CAMPAIGN initial brochure

If you are HIV negative and can answer ‘yes’ to any of the questions below, you may want to consider PrEP.

WHAT ARE THE

COSTS?

Do you use a condom sometimes or not at all? Have you had any STIs in the past year? Do you bottom? Have you taken post-exposure prophylaxis (PEP) in the past year?

If you don’t have insurance:

If you have insurance:

Low to no pay

Gilead U.S. Advancing Access Program provides assistance to patients who do not have insurance or who need Financial assistance. They provide assistance for those eligible and who cannot afford to pay for TRUVADA.

If there are costs to you, those costs can be covered through Gilead Co-pay Assistance Coupon Card

Are you in a sexual relationship with an HIV-positive partner? Do you have more than one sexual partner? Are you having sex with someone whose HIV status you don’t know? Are you potentially exposed to HIV through injection drug use? Do you exchange sex for drugs, money, housing, or

To learn about eligibility, contact Advancing Access at 1-800-226-2056.

any other need?

To learn more about if PrEP is right for you or to schedule a free confidential HIV test, visit projecthim.org or call 515-248-1595.

Partnership for Prescription Assistance (PPA) Program is designed to help uninsured Americans get the medicines they need at no or low cost. Call toll-free 1-800-4PPA-Now (1-800-477-2669) to see if you qualify.

The brochure started off looking like this. I didn’t have a front or back cover yet. I was just adding in the content and some images. I didn’t end up printing this version out either.

Visit www.GileadCoPay.com or call 1-877-505-6986 for more information and to see if you are eligible.

SIDE EFFECTS PrEP only has minor short-term side effects, which include nausea, vomiting, dizziness, headache, and fatigue. These problems typically arise in the first week or two and disappear shortly after.

PrEP CAMPAIGN second brochure box

In this version of the brochure box, the tabs went away because I figured it would be easier and cheaper to not have to cut each of those out and they werenâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t completely necessary. Once I got the brochure mostly complete (as seen on the next page), I was able to incorporate the same look, through the imagery, illustrations, and color overlays, from those to these cards.

PrEP CAMPAIGN second brochure box

PrEP CAMPAIGN second brochure

In this version of the brochure I changed a lot of things. I reduced the color pallette from four to two colors. I based this idea off the NYC PrEP & PEP brochure so that the left side was one color and the right side was another. I also switched to having all the content in the secondary inside pages and just using big, bold images in the primary inside pages.

PrEP CAMPAIGN second brochure

PrEP CAMPAIGN final brochure

This is the final version of the brochure, which didnâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t change a whole lot from the second iteration. Here I finally created the front and back covers. The front cover uses the same image color overlay as the rest of the campaign and also includes our logo with the PrEP Talk cut out, much like in our social media materials. I made some minor changes to font sizes and placement of type as well as switched out three of the images to better fit with the content.

PrEP CAMPAIGN final brochure

PrEP CAMPAIGN final brochure box

This is the final version of the cards for the brochure box. The only change was the switching out of two images, much like in the brochure, to better fit with the content.

PrEP CAMPAIGN final brochure box

Instead of having a box to hold these cards, I decided to change it to a pillow pack. These will be easier to print and create in bulk. They will easily fit a condom in them with the cards and will work well for the condom dispenser.

PrEP CAMPAIGN final thoughts How has this project changed your thinking about a public health campaign? How has this project changed your thinking on what constitutes a public health campaign? Since I have never worked on a campaign before, it was very different to see all the parts come together. There is a lot of work to be done in a campaign and I feel that having an overall consistency throughout the whole campaign is important, but also one of the more difficult parts when you are working with other people because everyone has different ideas and you must work together to come up with one consistent theme and look. Public health campaigns are spread throughout many different platforms. When I think of a campaign, I forget what all goes into it (social media, websites, print materials, participatory projects). You need to make sure your overall look fits in with all those platforms.

Did you have a different creative process than before? I feel as though I did more research on this project and went back and forth between research and brainstorming than I normally do. I feel as though this is because it was a more â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;real lifeâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; type of project. We had to make sure our ideas matched what the client wanted and what was going to work out in the real world. We were trying to make people aware that this product exists and that is a hard thing to do. Seeing as it is a campaign relating to HIV, it must be done in a way that people do not feel threatened or afraid of it. Did you add anything new to your process? In my process for this project, I had more collaboration with others. Although I was doing more of my own thing with the brochures, I had to make sure that I communicated with others about the look of our campaign. Since I havenâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t worked on a group project like this before, that made the process change quite a bit. We had to work together to get a consistent theme and look which meant that we had to communicate with each other more throughout our process.

PrEP CAMPAIGN final thoughts Did you try something new or did you rely on previous successes? My brochure was primarily influenced by a previous PrEP & PEP brochure that we felt was very successful. Most medical brochures are very content oriented and very bland. This brochure was bright, bold, and included large imagery to grab the viewer’s attention. This was the basis for my design. I wanted to keep the content to a minimum and grab the viewer’s attention with the colors and imagery. Did you experience any failure? I went through several different iterations of this project and experienced some things that I decided to do differently as I went on. I realized later on that some of my ideas would not be as easy or cheap to create, so I changed it up a little bit to make the printing and cutting process easier. Although these may have been failures in the beginning, I feel as though my final piece became much stronger in the end. Did your research influence any of your decisions, any group decisions? If yes, what decisions and why? If not, explain why? We researched campaigns that are out there now and what works, mainly the birth control campaign. That campaign was very similar as it was something that people were unaware of at first and that was a controversial product. This definitely influenced our decisions. We wanted our campaign to be light and not be based on scare tactics. We noticed that the most successful campaigns are light hearted and grab people’s attention with catchy sayings and images.

What impacted you most about this project? I was impacted by the whole idea behind the campaign. It was a product that I had not previously heard of and it was neat that I was going to be a part of something that was going to reach a wide audience and that was an important matter. PrEP could help so many different people and I think it is such a great product that people should really know about and have the option of taking if they want. What was the most challenging part of this project? Finding the right images to use in the campaign seemed to be the hardest part of this project. We wanted to find images that didn’t feel too posed or too stereotypical. We wanted imagery that drew the viewer in and grabbed their attention. Since I was working on the brochure, imargery was an important part of that. I needed images to fit the different ideas that I talked about in my brochure. We also wanted to think about the client and try to keep their costs low as well. Did you print and test your designs out before presenting to the class or client in context? Yes, I printed out my designed and critiqued them. Since I was working on print materials, printing them out was an important step. Since the final piece will be printed, it was important to see what they would look like as a final piece. This helped me to see minor errors or inconsistencies that I could fix.

PrEP CAMPAIGN final thoughts What did you take away from this project? (Creatively, knowledge wise, process wise) This project was very different than any other project I had worked on before, mainly because it was more of a group effort. My process was definitely different because of this, but it was a very good experience to have. Being able to work in a group on a large project is important because it is something that you will experience in the real world. Communication and collaboration are two things that I will take away from this project that will help me later on. What were your initial thoughts and feelings at the onset of this project? I was a little nervous and overwhelmed at the beginning of this project. It seemed like a large task for such a small group to create this campaign on such a short deadline, seeing as we had to create a theme, look and feel, find imagery, come up with content, and create materials for multiple different platforms. How did they change by the end of the project? Towards the end of the project I felt much better about the whole thing. The group worked well together in deciding the look and feel and the whole idea behind the campaign. We all seemed to do well at making our pieces fit into that idea. I was a little skeptical about my pieces at first, but they seemed to come together well in the end.

How will you take what you learned or experienced from this project and apply it to your future work? This project gave me great experience of working with a group on a large project. In my future work I will be sure to communicate with others. If you had 5 more weeks to work on this project what would you do? If I had 5 more weeks, I would have liked to make different iterations of my pieces with a little bit of a different look so as to have more of a variety of materials to give to people. I would have also liked to research imagery a little more, as that seemed to be one of the last steps we worked on as a group. What is one way you would assess the effectiveness of the project? How to assess or evaluate the success of this project? After seeing the final product, I feel as though this campaign will be successful. We have covered a number of different platforms that will give Project HIM the opportunity to get the word out about PrEP to a wide audience.

LAMP initial ideas What forms am I attracted to? I love geometric forms and would love to create a lamp utilizing shape and lineality. What type of light fixture would I like to create? I would like to create a table lamp that is mostly enclosed, but allows light to shine through. What materials would I like to use? What materials are available to me? I would like to create a lamp out of wood with a dark stain. I have a laser cutter, files, and glue available to use. I would also like to use a soft, dimmable LED light bulb. What size would I like my structure to be? I would like to create a smaller structure that is approximately a foot tall.

LAMP inspiration

These wooden lamps were the inspiration for my structure. I wanted to create something similar in which I utilized geometric forms to create a light fixture. They are very much the size and form I wanted my structure to be.

LAMP final idea These were some of my sketches based on the existing lamps I liked. Some of my ideas dealt with making the pieces different sizes or twisting them as you go up, but ultimately decided against some of those ideas as they would not connect together very well.

I decided to stick with something more straight up and down like the images above. My final piece is based on these two lamps.

LAMP things to consider As I went along in figuring out how to construct my lamp and working on the prototypes, these are a few questions that I came across.

How am I going to change the lightbulb? Is too much or not enough light coming through? How am I going to cut out the pieces? Where will the cord come out? Are there any other materials I could use? What kind of feet am I going to use on the lamp? How am I going to be able to connect the top piece?

LAMP prototype one

I realized I would need some help with cutting out the pieces of my lamp since I did not have the materials needed, so I was able to find someone with a laser cutter that helped me to cut the pieces. The laser cutter was able to cut out the pieces precisely. I used CorelDraw to program the sizes of the pieces. This prototype is made out of clear acrylic and is a small version of what I would like my lamp to look like. For this prototype, I just glued cut out pieces in between the layers. It was tricky though because I had to line them all up with each other.

LAMP prototype one

I cut out this piece to use to try to line up the spacer pieces, but it was hard to glue the pieces on and not get this red piece stuck. Many times I would try to pull it off and pull off some of the spacer pieces with it. The glue also did not seem to stay super well and the pieces were falling off. It took awhile for it to dry and was very fragile.

What I would like to change in the next prototype:

- Find a new way of attaching the pieces - Make it full size so I can find other difficulties that may come in the final piece

LAMP prototype two

For this prototype, I decided to add the ability to be able to spin the lamp. Above are sketches I made of how I would go about doing this.

LAMP prototype two This prototype is made to size and is made out of acrylic. To connect the pieces together, I used threaded rod and cut out the black pieces to use as spacers. Since I didnâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t have a long enough rod, the clear pieces were used to connect them to each other. I do not have feet on this prototype. This is something I will need to consider in my final lamp. The structure of my final piece will be very much the same as this, but taller, as the light bulb goes to the top of this structure when placed inside.

LAMP final lamp process - Made the layers and the base a little bigger than in the second prototype - Cut out the base pieces, 12 square pieces, and circles for the feet and the top of the lamp with the laser - Sanded the black (from where the laser burnt the wood) off of the sides of each piece - Sanded the tops and bottoms of each piece - Drilled a larger hole in each of the beads - Stained the beads - Stained each of the other pieces - Glued the base pieces together - Threaded the lightbulb holder into the base piece - Glued the feet onto the lamp - Cut the threaded rod to about a 11.75â&#x20AC;? tall - Threaded the rods into the base - Sanded the holes of the square pieces so they would fit well onto the threaded rod - Put all the layers of beads and square pieces onto the rods - Measured the exact height needed for the threaded rods - Recut the threaded rods to the exact height - Threaded the rod into the base and put the layers and beads on the rod again - Cut a hole in the top circle pieces - Threaded the circle pieces onto the threaded rod - Added felt pieces to the bottom of the feet

LAMP final lamp

Cutting out the square pieces with the laser

Beginning to put the lamp together

LAMP final lamp

The final lamp was made of walnut and finished with a darker stain. Here are some images of the final lamp, lit and unlit.

LAMP final lamp

LAMP failures Although my final lamp was definitely a success, it came with difficulties along the way. Here were some of the issues I ran into and how I fixed those: - Prototype 1: Connecting the pieces was difficult and they were not all exact I fixed this in my next prototype by using threaded rod instead - Prototype 2: When cutting out the pieces, they did not cut through completely I slowed down the speed of the laser and made sure the thickness of the material wasnâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t too large for the laser to cut through - Prototype 2: Threaded rod was not long enough I bought two 3 foot long threaded rods and cut them down to size in the final - Prototype 2: The spacers were too thin and took too long to drill out I found some wooden beads that were a good size to use between the pieces - Final: Holes were not big enough in the square pieces Had to sand and/or drill the holes larger to fit onto the threaded rod - Final: Burnt edges on wood pieces Slowing down the speed helped a little, but mostly had to sand it away - Final: Sanding the pieces took a long time I found different things to sand with (sand paper, files, etc.) and had people help me - Final: Chips in the wood pieces from sanding I tried to only sand one way and then put the better pieces towards the top and the chipped parts down - Final: Stain was sticking to paper Had to restain some of the pieces - Final: Had to recut the threaded rod (was unsure of size) I cut the threaded rod, put the lamp together, then measured where to cut the rod to and had to take it apart, cut the rod, then repiece the lamp - Final: Drilled a hole through one of the top pieces Luckily I had a few extra pieces and was able to sand it and stain it and redrill the hole

CODEBOTS design brief What general topic or subject matter are you interested in? Computer Programming Within this general topic, what problem appeals to you that you would like to solve? Many say they would love to learn the basics to coding and programming, but do not think they have the time or tools necessary to do so or they think it is too complicated. Children at a younger age do not get enough exposure to the field. There needs to be more interest in it, as programming is becoming an essential tool in the world today. What research will be necessary? The basics of computer programming, the â&#x20AC;&#x153;Hour of Codeâ&#x20AC;? initiative, integration of Computer Science into K-12 curriculum, and teaching strategies

What are some goals for this project? To teach the basics of computer science and gain more interest in the field, especially to younger age groups that may want to go into computer science when they get older Where might this fit in the field of design? Visualizing data, art and science, and education What medium/s are you interested to work with? Print materials (workbooks) and games (online, card, or board games) What do you want to learn about that you have not yet, or would like to get a deeper understanding of? The basics of teaching strategies and how design plays a part in that

CODEBOTS schedule Here is the schedule I created for myself for this project: March 31 April 2 April 7 April 9 April 14 April 16 April 21 April 23 April 27 April 30

Game Ideas/Game Design Research/Printing of Game Research Finalized Game Idea/Begin Writing Game Instructions/Begin Design Finish Design/Instructions Send Game to Printer/Finalize Workbook Content Begin Design of Workbook Design of Workbook Design of Workbook Design of Workbook Finalizing Content/Design PROJECT DUE

I was able to stick with my schedule and even complete the board game ahead of schedule, since I knew shipping could take awhile.

CODEBOTS research BOARD GAME For my board game, I researched game design and development as well as other board games already out there. I looked into other computer programming board games, which were far and few between. One board game I ran across was called C-Jump. It was a little too complicated for younger kids, but I took some ideas from that to use towards my game. I decided to create a board game that focused on the operators in computer programming, much like C-Jump. I also took some ideas from an existing game that Iâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;ve played before. I didnâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t want to make a game that was overly complicated and I felt as though Sequence was a simple enough game that I could alter to fit the purposes of my own game. Here are the two board games that were the inspiration for my board game.

CODEBOTS research

I also researched into how I could get the game printed. I ended up deciding to create my board game through The Game Crafter (www.gamecrafter.com). They are able to create boxes, boards, game pieces, cards, instructions, etc. at a reasonable price. This helped because I would be able to create my entire game from one place. I would also be able to create my own store on the site and others could purchase my game as well.

CODEBOTS research WORKBOOK I also researched how others have gone about teaching computer programming. I wanted to create an easy to read workbook that would teach the basics of programming to anyone who wanted to learn. I researched different books and tutorials that taught Java to beginners as well as good examples and exercises to use as well. I researched different workbooks and how they are designed as well as how the information is laid out. Here are some of the examples I found:

CODEBOTS bibliography Here is the bibliography for the research I did throughout this project. Burd, Barry. “Java for Dummies.” (2011): Robot.bolink.org. Wiley Publishing, Inc. Web. <https://robot.bolink.org/ebooks/Java%20For%20 Dummies %205e.pdf>. “Java Applications Programming.” FunctionX. Web. 9 Apr. 2015. <http://www.functionx.com/java/index.htm>. “Java For Beginners.” Home and Learn. Web. 9 Apr. 2015. <http://www.homeandlearn.co.uk/java/java.html>. “Java Tutorial.” Tutorials Point. Web. 9 Apr. 2015. <http://www.tutorialspoint.com/java/index.htm>. “The Java Tutorials.” Oracle. Web. 9 Apr. 2015. <https://docs.oracle.com/javase/tutorial/java/index.html>. Silverman, David. “How to Learn Board Game Design and Development.” Game Development Tuts+. 29 Nov. 2013. Web. 9 Apr. 2015. <http://gamedevelopment.tutsplus.com/articles/how-to-learn board-game-design-and-development--gamedev-11607>.

CODEBOTS look & feel To start, I came up with a name I wanted to use as the branding for my two pieces. While many of the names I could think of were already taken, I eventually landed on CodeBots. This gave me a theme I could use throughout with robots, which makes sense for computer programming, as robots are computers. I decided upon two different fonts to use in my game and workbook.

Franklin Gothic Book Arial Rounded Bold I also came up with a color scheme to use in my game and workbook.

CODEBOTS look & feel Here is the logo I ended up with.

code

I also created the robots that would appear throughout my game and workbook.

CODEBOTS board game I started with the board game because I knew it would take less time than the workbook and that I would need to give some time for the printing/production and shipping of the board game. I started by coming up with my idea, which was basically a board with the numbers one through ten on it. Each player would have cards and colored chips. The player whose turn it was would roll the die and use that number to determine which card they would like to play. These cards had different Java operations on them that would result in a number from one through ten depending on the die roll. The player would lay a card and calculate the answer and then put a chip on whatever number on the board they got for their answer. The goal was to get five chips in a row on the board. I started by making the board. I rearranged the numbers so that there were six of each number on the board and so that they were spread out. I added the little robots around the board to keep my theme involved. Next I created the cards. Here is what I came up with for the backs of the cards. I wanted to keep it consistent with the board.

CODEBOTS board game The fronts of the cards took the longest because I had to make each card different. I also created wild and remove cards. Here are some examples of the cards.

I then created the outsides of the box to match the rest of the board game.

Also included in the game would be a single die and 3 sets of colored chips. The last thing I created were the instructions.

CODEBOTS board game Creating the instructions was one of the harder parts of making the game. I had to make sure to be detailed enough to be sure people would understand how to play. I started out by creating a two page document that would be printed on letter size paper and would just be folded down to fit in the box. Here is the layout I first started with:

While it works, this just seemed too boring and predictable. I decided to play around with the layout of the instructions a little more.

CODEBOTS board game I eventually came up with a layout that allowed me to fold the page in half to create a miniature booklet. This seemed to be a much better solution.

CODEBOTS board game I created the board game through The Game Crafter. I had to create an account and make my game through their website, which was a little complicated at first. They had templates to use to create each item, so you had to make sure everything was the correct size and format. Here are some screenshots of what it looks like when creating a game through their website:

This was the main page for creating my game. I could click the Edit button next to any item to add and edit parts.

CODEBOTS board game Once I clicked on the edit button, it would come up with different items I could choose from. I would then have to click Edit on that item to add and edit it.

CODEBOTS board game

For example, here is where I added the die, chips, and box to my game:

CODEBOTS board game Here is where I added and edited the game board. In the upper right hand corner you can see that they have templates you can use. You can then add a png of your item. You must proof each item and confirm that it looks alright before you are finished.

CODEBOTS board game The cards took the longest because I had to create and then add each of the 80 cards manually, as well as proof each as well.

CODEBOTS board game

I also had to create other assets for my online store on the site. Here is what my board game looks like in the store:

CODEBOTS workbook LEARN JAVA WITH THE

CODEBOTS

asy n, e A fu or kids f way ages to ll of a n code! lear

After sending the board game off to the printer I began working on the workbook. I finalized the content I wanted in my workbook, being sure I was as detailed as possible and not overlooking anything that needed further explanation. I made sure to add lots of examples, as it is easier to learn by seeing examples of what I am talking about, as well as adding in exercises for each section to allow the reader to show what they have learned. I made sure to add an answer key in the back in case they got stuck on something they could look at the answer to help get some clarification as to why it was they way it was. After finalizing the content, I began designing it. I first created the cover. I really wanted it to have the same look and feel as the board game. I intended for the board game and workbook to go together. So someone could read the workbook to learn the basics and play the game to be sure they have the basics down as well as to be a more fun way of learning.

BEGINNERS

CODEBOTS workbook I next created some icons I wanted to use throughout the book to mark certain things in the workbook, such as reminders/tips, warnings, code snippets, and exercises. I have seen other workbooks use icons and I really think they are helpful. I wanted the icons to be bright and eye-catching, as they mark important things throughout the book. Here are the icons I created that matched the color scheme of my book:

CODEBOTS workbook I began adding content to my workbook, but wanted to be sure I was being consistent in everything I did. I made sure to always keep the same margins, same fonts, sizes, and colors, the same treatment for page numbers, etc. I used a different font (Andala Mono, which is the font used when writing Java code) as well as highlighted in orange different pieces of code throughout the book, like so: switch (variable) { case 1: //code here break; case 2: //code here break; default: //code here break; }

I also wanted to allow the readers to decide whether they wanted to write code on the computer too or if they would just like to read along in the workbook, so I made it easy for the reader to do either by adding in screenshots of code I wrote and ran on the computer. I only used the robots when there was a screenshot of the terminal (as seen below) in order to keep the consistency and so as to not overuse the robots.

CODEBOTS workbook I also added some fun illustrations throughout the book to keep it fun, light-hearted, and interesting so that it could be a book for kids and people of all ages.

CODEBOTS workbook Here’s an example of a page in my workbook:

PRINTING VARIABLES REMEMBER! To print out variables, your variable must have a value, so be sure to initialize your variable before printing it. You can use the System.out.println() command. Inside of the parentheses, you would put the name of the variable with no quotation marks, as shown below: int x = 6; System.out.println(x);

You can print out both text and a variable in the same command by using the plus sign, as shown below:

int x = 6; System.out.println(“My favorite number is ” + x);

WARNING! Notice in the last couple examples, there are spaces added in between the text to be printed and the quotation marks. This is because Java will not know to add spaces between different parts. Take the example below:

System.out.println(“My name is ” + firstName + “ ” +

lastName);

Without the space after ‘is’ and without the “ “ in between firstName and lastName, it would print out as:

EXERCISE 1

If you want to add text before and after a variable, it would look like this:

Find the error(s) in this code and fix it.

class Variable { public static void main(String[] args) { String birthdayMonth = February; int birthdayDay = 24; int birthdayYear = ‘2015’;

int x = 6; System.out.println(“I am ” + x + “ years old”);

You can do this with any kind of variable. Example:

System.out.println(“My birthday is ” + birthdayMonth + birthdayDay + “th ” + “birthdayYear”); } }

EXERCISE 2 In the space below, create any kind of variable (int, String, char, or boolean) and give it a value. Print out a line of text using that variable along with other text, as we did above.

CODEBOTS workbook As you can see in the example on the previous page, it is kind of hard to differentiate or distinguish between the different items on the page. Everything seems to run together a bit and was a little hard to follow. I made some changes and decided to add some transparent backgrounds to make things a little more clear and easier to read. Here is the previous page after making these changes: It is much easier to see what information goes along with the different icons. I made sure to leave space in the exercises for readers to write things, as it is a workbook that I would like people to fill out as they read it.

You can print out both text and a variable in the same command by using the plus sign, as shown below:

int x = 6; System.out.println(“My favorite number is ” + x);

System.out.println(“My name is ” + firstName + “ ” +

lastName);

Without the space after ‘is’ and without the “ “ in between firstName and lastName, it would print out as:

EXERCISE 1

If you want to add text before and after a variable, it would look like this:

Find the error(s) in this code and fix it.

class Variable { public static void main(String[] args) { String birthdayMonth = February; int birthdayDay = 24; int birthdayYear = ‘2015’; System.out.println(“My birthday is ” + birthdayMonth + birthdayDay + “th ” + “birthdayYear”); } }

int x = 6; System.out.println(“I am ” + x + “ years old”);

You can do this with any kind of variable. Example:

EXERCISE 2 In the space below, create any kind of variable (int, String, char, or boolean) and give it a value. Print out a line of text using that variable along with other text, as we did above.

The hardest part of creating the workbook was trying to fit all of the pertinent information on each page so that each page only had to do with one topic. When I wanted to add more information than was able to fit on a page I either had to make images smaller or add another page or spread related to that topic.

CODEBOTS workbook

Some other pages in my workbook I had to create were the table of contents, answers, index, and a page to explain the icons.

The answers ended up taking up an uneven number of pages, so it was suggested to me that I create an index at the end of my book. I went through the workbook and wrote down the important words that were talked about and found what pages they were mentioned on. This, along with the table of contents, helps the reader find things easily throughout the workbook without flipping through all of the pages. The index, unlike the table of contents, also shows all the pages that mention that word, since some things are discussed in other sections as well. The answers are easy to follow as they show the page number and then the exercise number on that page. It gives clear and conscise answers, but also explains that there are other possibilities and that the answers may be only one of the many possibilities.

CODEBOTS workbook

CODEBOTS workbook I originally had the table of contents next to the page that talks about the icons, but my workbook had 46 pages and needed to be divisible by 4 in order to create the workbook, so I ended up adding in the two left-side pages seen below in order to create the correct amount of pages in my workbook.

CODEBOTS workbook

I had not originally planned on adding as many screenshots of code as I did in the end, but it made more sense to do so. As you can see on this page, there are snippets of code highlighted in orange as well as screenshots of code. These things are done for a reason. Things highlighted in orange are just small snippets of code that are shown in between paragraphs that explain what that code means. The screenshots are full programs that show examples of what was previously explained. Readers can type in the code from the screenshots on their own computer and run it themselves to see the output shown beneath them. It is explained earlier how one can do so on their own computer.

CODEBOTS final thoughts This project taught me a lot about game and publication design as well as teaching basics and strategies. I chose to do this project because I also major in computer science and I have heard so many people talk about how they wish they knew some coding. I believe this is something that should be taught to children at a younger age (or at least the basics). Whether someone wants to have a career in computer programming or not, it is a great skill to have. Computer science teaches you to think logically and to be as detailed as possible. GAME DESIGN Creating a board game is something Iâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;ve never done before, but I really enjoyed it. It allows me to be creative and have some fun. I believe my board game was a successful solution to my problem of teaching kids computer programming. It does not directly teach them how to write code, but teaches them to think logically and the basics of programming operations. I think this would be a fun and educational game for kids to play.

PUBLICATION DESIGN I learned a lot about how to teach somebody something new through this project. It was difficult to be as detailed as possible when trying to explain something to someone who does not know anything about the subject when it is a subject I know so well. Since everything I wanted to include in this workbook are things that are now second nature to me, it was a challenge to try to teach it to others. I made sure to include as many examples as possible and explain things in as much detail as possible as well. This is why my research was important. I wanted to be sure that I wasnâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t missing things. I found other books that explain Java to beginners who know nothing about code, so those were great places to look. I also learned alot about creating a publication. Consistency throughout the book was very important. I made sure to use the same type and color treatments throughout. This also helps readers learn better if they know what to expect. They know that anytime there is a yellow icon, something important is being explained and anytime there is orange text, there is important code that is being talked about.

I really enjoyed this project as it incorporated my two majors, computer science and graphic design, into one, which is not something I have gotten to do before.