MFA THESIS by Paige Pei Chun Hsu
Paige Pei Chun Hsu Hello@paigehsu.com paigehsu.com 415 583 5676
Academy of Art University School of Graphic Design 79 New Montgomery Street, San Francisco, CA 94105
INSTRUCTORS Phil Hamlett, Jeremy Stout, Bob Slote, Anthony Pagoda, and Brian Toth BOOKBINDERY Blurb.com PRINTING Blurb.com TYPEFACES Gotham Rounded SOFTWARE Adobe Illustrator, Photoshop, InDesign
All the works in this book were hypothetical projects and made for educational purposes. © 2015 Paige Pei Chun Hsu. All Rights Reserved. No part of this publication can be reproduced without express permission from Paige Pei Chun Hsu.
Guide Taiwanese Students to Explore Future Possibilities
CONTENTS PREFACE
005
Background, problem, strategy and goal
RESEARCH 015 Personas, interviews, insights, and competitors
PROCESS 051 Ideation, timeline, visual inspirations, identity, and framework
DESIGN SOLUTION 073 Identity system and final execution
TESTING 105 User testing and feedback
COMMON DIRECTION
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PA I G E P E I C H U N H S U
M FA T H E S I S
AC A D E M Y O F A R T U N I V E R S I T Y
THE START Why did I choose this topic and where did the ideas come from?
I am a graphic designer with an MFA degree in
they were on. Even though some students had
Graphic Design from the Academy of Art University.
their own interests, due to respecting their parents’
My undergraduate degree is in Social Work at the
wishes, they chose majors and careers that they
National Taiwan University. Although I did not end up
did not like in the end.
being a social worker, the classes still taught me a lot. I learned to see things in a different way, and my education made me a more sensitive person. Surprisingly, this kind of focus has helped me become a good designer since I can easily imagine being in someone else’s shoes and working to meet his or her needs.
When I came to the United States, I met teenagers who were more open–minded and expressive than students of the same age in Taiwan. They were more independent, and knew about their talents, abilities, and goals. When I talked to them, I was surprised that they knew clearly why they were studying and what would help
For my thesis, I’ve chosen a project that will guide
them achieve their goals. For example, Locus was a 7th
Taiwanese high school students to learn more about
grade middle school student who wanted to become
themselves, and to explore their future potential
an accountant, and he knew that he must emphasize
careers options. The story goes that when I was
his math skills in order to become an accountant.
a tutor while studying at the university, I met many
Another girl, Jane, who is in 9th grade, loved music
high school students who were stressed out by their
and asked her mom to let her study piano after school.
parents. They didn’t know why they were studying
They had the intrinsic motivation while learning and
so hard, and for what. That reminded me of my
studying, so they had passion in what they were learn-
college life. Many friends, even myself, chose majors
ing, and felt accomplishment while studying. I wish
because of our parents’ expectations, or because
children in Taiwan could have more chances to think
their entrance examination score made them go
about their futures in their early years instead of blindly
there. Most of the students did not clearly know what
putting their efforts into aggressive academic studies.
their major was, or why they had chosen the path
This is why I chose this topic as my MFA thesis. P R E FAC E
003
COMMON DIRECTION
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PA I G E P E I C H U N H S U
M FA T H E S I S
01
AC A D E M Y O F A R T U N I V E R S I T Y
PREFACE What’s going on?
P R E FAC E
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COMMON DIRECTION
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PA I G E P E I C H U N H S U
M FA T H E S I S
AC A D E M Y O F A R T U N I V E R S I T Y
BACKGROUND Taiwanese students blindly put most of their efforts into chasing high scores and entering good schools, but not into their future direction.
In Taiwan, there is a strict belief that studying hard
By the time they reach college at eighteen, students
can improve quality of life in the future. Parents
often don’t know what to choose, and how it will
tend to think academic performance is essential to
affect their lives. Therefore, most students choose
their child’s future development, and some parents
majors driven by their GPA, the scores they receive
believe that competitive academic study is the only
on the college entrance examination, or parents’
way to succeed. Compared to the educational sys-
expectations, but not by their interests or talents.
tem in the United States, students have to choose
Success is all about academic achievement. That
a major track much earlier, as early as high school.
is the reason why parents stress educational performance. However, students blindly put most of their efforts into intense study, but lack the opportunities to think about what they really want to do with their lives. Getting high scores and getting into a good college are the main pursuits of high school students.
P R E FAC E
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COMMON DIRECTION
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P R E FAC E
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COMMON DIRECTION
PROBLEM High school students waste their time and efforts studying subjects that they are not fit for or they do not like; parents worry about their children’s future lives, and society wastes a lot of educational resources.
Working environments have changed a lot between
Students study so hard in high school, but lack the
recent generations. Educational level was the most
personal motivation to study. In Taiwan, students do
important qualification for our parents’ generation;
not know why they need to study. They often lose
however, it isn’t as crucial today in Taiwan. Due to
their interest in learning. After they graduate, they
the change in the work force, educational level is no
do not know what to do because family and school
longer a guarantee for getting a good job. However,
has given them limited opportunities to explore
parents in Taiwan still push their children toward a
future possibilities. They don’t have a clear under-
strict academic education.
standing about majors, and how their choices will
This causes children in Taiwan to experience extreme stress related to their schoolwork. According to the Taiwan Education Panel Survey (TEPS), more than
influence their future. Therefore, they tend to choose majors that meet parents’ expectations, or are based on test scores even though they don’t like the field.
80% of high school students attend “cram school”
Unfortunately, parents rarely understand what their
after regular school hours in order to strengthen
children’s interests are, and those kinds of conversa-
their exam preparation. The exam–oriented educa-
tions seldom happen within Taiwanese families. Also
tional system kills the students’ creativity, and turns
for some students who chose majors on their own,
schools into factories.
around one quarter of student’s preferred majors that do not match their parents’ expectations. This can evoke family conflicts.
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M FA T H E S I S
AC A D E M Y O F A R T U N I V E R S I T Y
P R E FAC E
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COMMON DIRECTION
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Strategy & Goal Our goal is to encourage students to explore their own interests and talents, and to discover their future potential careers.
First of all, I want to encourage student interest in
Parents can support their children in different ways,
exploring their personalities and knowing more
such as helping them to explore their interests
about themselves on their own. In order to engage
or guiding them to find out what their potential
teenagers, the materials I use need to be fun
abilities are, but not telling them directly what to
and playful.
do. Academic performance shouldn’t be the only
School work is secondary. Whenever talking about school work, students often feel stressed and
thing parents care about with their children, and it shouldn’t be the main topic within the family either.
bored. School should not only provide knowledge,
As this topic is related to traditional culture, it is
but also offer more opportunities for students to
not that easy to change parent opinions. However,
consider their future careers. In this way, students
we can at least make a difference so that students
could have a blueprint about what their lives might
understand more about themselves, and parents
look like, and start to think about their future in a
also understand more about students. This way,
less stressful way.
we hope they can find common ground. We don’t know how successful our approach will be, but I believe that some children and parents will definitely benefit from it.
P R E FAC E
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COMMON DIRECTION
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PA I G E P E I C H U N H S U
M FA T H E S I S
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AC A D E M Y O F A R T U N I V E R S I T Y
RESEARCH What’s out there?
RESEARCH
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COMMON DIRECTION
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M FA T H E S I S
AC A D E M Y O F A R T U N I V E R S I T Y
RESEARCH I did a lot of primary research talking to individual people and doing online surveys, and secondary research reading papers related to this topic.
What are the realities for the whole family? The
about what they are doing now, and wish they could
college graduation rate is 88% now. Not only is the
have made better choices based on what they really
college graduation rate increasing, but also the
wanted. They felt they wasted time doing things
unemployment rate. That means “degree inflation”
they may not be interested in, but didn’t have the
is happening in Taiwan now, and educational levels
courage to change career paths because they have
no longer guarantee one gets a good job. However,
devoted so much time and effort to it.
parents in Taiwan still overemphasize academic performance regardless of its effect on their children. Parents even have some preferred “successful” majors that they want their children to choose, such as medicine, accounting, and business. However, are those students really happy? According to the survey from Taiwan Ministry of Education in 2014, 27% of high school students chose schools depending on their grades, and only 22% of students chose majors depending on their interests. However, 47% of office workers regretted the choice they made while entering college. They are not happy
RESEARCH
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COMMON DIRECTION
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RESEARCH
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COMMON DIRECTION
PERSONAS Persona are archetypes built from an explicit observation of the potential users.
“My parents told me not to get together with classmates who get bad grades in school, because they are bad students.”
Who is the project for? The target audience are Taiwanese students, 13 to 15 years old, and their parents. Each persona is based on a imaginary character whose profile captures the features of an existing social group. In this way the personas assume the attributes of the groups they represent: from their social and demographic characteristics, to their own desires, habits, and cultural background.
Amy, a hard–working child _ She works very hard on school work and has high standards for her academic performance. _ Her parents told her if she wants to live a better life in the future, then she has to get higher grades on exams. _ She spends most of her time doing homework and preparing for exams; therefore, she has less time to develop her interests.
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M FA T H E S I S
“My parents only care about my academic performance and which school I will attend. They kept giving me pressure to study hard. I feel like I am an exam-taking machine.”
Jerry, a stressed–out child _ He feels deeply pressured about academic performance and fears to fail exams. _ After school, he has to go to the cram school to enhance his courses. _ On the weekend, he seldom goes out to have fun with friends but stays at home studying instead.
AC A D E M Y O F A R T U N I V E R S I T Y
“I know I can do well at school, but I just don’t want to perform well because if my parents know my ability, they will keep pushing my limits. I hate my parent’s annoying chatter.”
Roy, a slacker student _ He is smart and capable of doing homework, but he is too lazy to do it correctly and doesn’t do it until the last minute. _ He always gets at least a B while doing absolutely nothing other than playing video games all the time. _ How much he participates in the class depends on how much he likes the teacher.
RESEARCH
021
COMMON DIRECTION
“My parents think that the arts and sport are just my interests that can’t be a job, so they want me to find something more serious. We always argue about this.”
June, a sporty chick
“Taking care of my children is my responsibility. I want the best for my children.”
Bryan, a helicopter parent
_ She loves to play volleyball and table tennis and normally goes to the gym five days a week.
_ He and his wife both have high education level; therefore, they want their children to do as well.
_ She cares about her school performance as well as her
_ They are very worried about making sure their kids are
health. She doesn’t always get an A but at least not lower
successful. But instead of focusing on developing traits like
than a C.
self–reliance and perseverance, they focus on academic
_Sports and friends are the center of her life.
skills and their kids’ academic performance. _ They are so invested in solving their children’s problems that their children never learn to solve any of them on their own.
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M FA T H E S I S
“Higher education level could have a better chance to succeed and could overturn one’s life. So I want my children to attend the best school!”
Terry, a pushy parent _ She emphasizes children’s academic performance and thinks the only way for their children to succeed is to attend the best school. _ She sees their children as extensions of herself, rather than as separate people with their own hopes and dreams. It seems like she is chasing her “lost dreams” trying to make her children succeed. _ S he overscheduled her children’s after-school lives,
AC A D E M Y O F A R T U N I V E R S I T Y
“If my little angel could do well at sports, I think she can do as well in school!”
Karen, a soccer mom _ She is a woman who comes from an upper middle class family and is a trophy wife of a husband who hardly spends time with his kids. _ She is an active participant in the lives of her children and she devotes her life to her children. _ She drives a SUV (Sport utility vehicle) and she picks up their children from school, and takes them to an after school program (Karate, Soccer, Baseball, Football.)
and tends to compete with other parents about her children’s performance.
RESEARCH
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COMMON DIRECTION
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RESEARCH
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COMMON DIRECTION
INTERVIEW I conducted several interviews with both Western and Asian children and their parents.
Question for Parents: 1. To how much do you know about your child’s school life and their academic performance? 2. What extent do you think your child’s high academic performance will affect his/her future success? 3. Do you think your child’s good academic performance is a kind of social expectation? And what expectations of your child? 4. H ow much do you think you pressure your child to succeed academically? 5. What do you think good communication is? How is your communication with your child? Do you have some good communication tips to share with us? 6. To what extent do you know about your child’s interests? 7. H ow well do you think you understand your child? 8. What kind of experiences do you want to share with your child? 9. What kind of topics do you usually talk about with your child? 10. What kind of activities do you want to participate in with your child?
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Question for Children: 1. How much do you like your school life so far? 2. H ow stressed are you from school? What causes the stress? Why? 3. Do your parents pressure you to succeed in academics? How do they push you? 4. Why do you think you go to school? What is your motivation for studying? 5. Do your parents compliment or encourage your academic performance? 6. H ow much do you think your parents understand you? Do they listen to you? 7. H ow would you describe your relationship with your parents? 8. Do your parents know your interests? Do they respect your interests? 9. What is your parent’s attitude while they are talking to you? In what kind of situation do you tend to listen to your parents the most? 10. What do you want to know about your parents’ life experiences? 11. What kind of activities do you want to participate in with your parents?
RESEARCH
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COMMON DIRECTION
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RESEARCH
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AC A D E M Y O F A R T U N I V E R S I T Y
RESEARCH
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COMMON DIRECTION
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RESEARCH
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COMMON DIRECTION
Western Parents
“Learning how to learn is more important than the score itself. It’s more about learning habits, how to focus and the process of learning.” —Anne
“The score will affect the child’s self–esteem. When they get good grades, they feel better and they know they can do it.” “My expectation of my children is that they are happy as long as they can do well on their own.” —Maro
Western Children
“The test is really packed and jammed, so that really stumped me. However, my mom encourages me to do my best, and gives me large flexibility on my leisure time.” —Sammi
“My parents push me on the academic performance a little bit. But, if I keep my grades high, they will lay off.” —Lucas
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Asian Parents
“Education is great because it gives you a chance to compete.” —Ro–Shawn
“Education level is highly critical and important in children’s future growth.” —Rob
“I want my children to know how differently I was raised from how they are being raised now. I want them to be more appreciative of what they have now.” —Ron
Asian Children
“My parents do not understand me. They only care about my scores and what school I enter. I even doubt that they would still love me if I got bad grades, entered a bad school or got lower– paying jobs.” —Kenneth
“My parents want me to do what they wanted to do.” —Stan
“I prefer to be a smart kid in a dumb class than to be a dumb kid in a smart class. It is much easier to meet my parent’s expectation.” —Geronimo
RESEARCH
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COMMON DIRECTION
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RESEARCH
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I wish I didn’t get high scores on the college entrance examination because this high score made me qualified to enter medical school, which I am not interested in. However, my parents forced me to choose this major. If I had gotten lower scores, I might have the chance to choose the major I wanted. —Amy
My parents even have some preferred “successful” majors that they want me to choose, such as medicine, accounting, and business. —Jay
I spent four years studying in accounting because my college entrance examination score placed me there. However, I felt very stressed studying there because I am really not good at numbers. —Stephanie
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RESEARCH
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COMMON DIRECTION
INSIGHTS Through this process, I found these groups of insights came from both the primary as well as secondary research, which motivated my process development.
Change in Society The 2015 Taiwanese university acceptance rate is 96%. The university degree is becoming the new
96%
high school diploma. That means “degree inflation” is happening in Taiwan now, and educational levels no longer guarantee a good job.
University acceptance rate 2015
In Taiwan, for the older generation, often the definition of career success means becoming a politician, business person, or a doctor, while the younger generation thinks of success more broadly.
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Parental Influence 52% of graduates feel that their choice of educational majors are influenced by their
52%
parents’ expectations. 49% of the graduates regretted their choice after graduating.
A big reason that children don’t talk to their parents is that they don’t know what they want
...
to do, so they do not think they can have a conversation about this.
RESEARCH
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COMMON DIRECTION
Cram School Culture
72%
72% of high school students go to a “cram school,� an after school program focusing on standardized test training, to enhance their academic performance.
Cram school culture in Taiwan: Students become increasingly incapable of studying and exploring the world of knowledge on their own.
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RESEARCH
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Taiwan
U.S.A.
Specific subjects
Early Academic Decision–Making There is a difference in educational systems between Taiwan and the United States. Taiwanese students have to decide which subjects they want to take during their second year of high school. (This is the equivalent of 11th grade, as Taiwanese system is structured differently). Those subjects often determine the choice of their college majors. For example, the two main directions are Liberal Arts and the Physical Sciences. If students choose the Liberal Arts during 11th grade, they will not take any Chemistry, Physics, Biology nor Geology in their third year of high school. Those students will likely choose majors not related to sciences, such us Literature, Business, Social Sciences or Law after they graduate from high school because
To the contrary, the educational system in United
they didn’t spend most their time and effort on
States gives students more opportunities to
scientific subjects. That means Taiwanese students
explore potential future majors. In the U.S., most
need to make decisions about their future direc-
of the subjects in the early years of college are more
tion as early as in high school.
general, and students can take all kinds of low– level classes. Students are able to decide or switch majors later, even into their third year of college.
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Specific subjects
M FA T H E S I S
AC A D E M Y O F A R T U N I V E R S I T Y
I study because... everyone else studies.
Lack of Intrinsic Motivation I don’t care about what I learn; I only care about what grades I get and what school I can enter...
Teenagers in Taiwan do not have intrinsic motivation to study in school. Once a test is over, the learning is over.
53.5% of graduates from universities in Taiwan do not get jobs related to their majors due to the fact that they are not interested in those majors 27% of high school students chose schools depending on their grades, and only 22% of students choose majors based on their interests.
Despite what my parents wanted, I didn’t end up pursuing a career in accounting because I didn’t enjoy it.
RESEARCH
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COMMON DIRECTION
COMPETITORS Knowing my competitors and what services they are offering can help me make further improvements based on what they have done before. It can also help me to think about what more I can do.
Website www.104.com.tw The website is a famous resource for people to find a job. It has many sections including career, job, learn, tutor, and cases. My competitor is the ‘learn’ part http://learn.104.com.tw/, which is for people who want to pursue further education in all kinds of fields. It also has some interesting tests for people to take and analyze the relationship between jobs and education. Their career section http://www.104.com.tw/jb/ career/department/, also provides a great deal of information about the relationships between majors and careers. Students can either search for majors and schools to see related careers or search jobs to see related majors. The jobs section http://www.104.com.tw/jb/jobwiki/ nav, focuses on job details like salary, skills requirements, stability, and future possibilities.
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My Opportunity This website provides in depth information for students. However, since most of the sponsors for the ‘learn’ section are tutoring centers or cram schools, their purpose for offering the test is profit oriented. You need to enter your email to get the outcome and their promotions as well. My website is ad–free, which is good for students to explore. Moreover, appealing to students’ interests is my main purpose; that is why I visualized the personality test to differentiate Common Direction from these other websites. I see these websites as more than just competitors, but also as companions. I have also collected these useful web pages on my website, so that after students explore their personalities and talents, and want to get further information, they can access them directly.
RESEARCH
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COMMON DIRECTION
Board Game Cardshouse Cardshouse is a company in Taiwan that publishes some similar card sets as teaching tools. The following are some of its advantages: Fame and Market Share It has already existed in Taiwan for about five years. Therefore, schools and teachers all know about it and have bought cards from them. Almost every counseling teacher uses their products in class to support their teaching. Detail–oriented and All–round Their cards include more details than mine, which provides more in depth information. Also, they publish several card sets, creating a comprehensive service. Professional Background The creator of their cards is a counsellor who has a professional background in psychology. Therefore, he used more detailed information on the cards that teachers could use in classes. Moreover, teachers trust in a professional theory that could support their teaching. 048
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AC A D E M Y O F A R T U N I V E R S I T Y
My Opportunity Their cards are so popular, meaning that this kind
My work is more design–oriented than their cards,
of teaching material is accepted in schools and
so it looks more aesthetically pleasing. I have
teachers are willing to use different materials
a social work background, which is related to
while teaching. That means I don’t need to open
psychology. Also, because of my background,
up a new market.
I have many personal connections that are related
There are many aspects related to careers. They have done card sets related to almost all of the career aspects, but I fortunately created the
to education and psychology. Some of them are consultant teachers and counsellors who always give me practical suggestions.
one which they lack. Although my cards do not include so many details, the goal is to motivate and attract students to explore different jobs and their future lives. Therefore, the intention is not the same as Cardshouse. On the contrary, teachers could use my cards to stimulate students’ interest first and then use Cardshouse’s cards to teach the details later on.
RESEARCH
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AC A D E M Y O F A R T U N I V E R S I T Y
PROCESS Let’s go explore!
PROCESS
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IDEATION Most students love to play games and have fun with friends and family. Therefore, combining learning and playing is a good way to attract students.
Why Website and a Board Game? Computers have become an essential tool in the last few decades. Teenagers today are more interested in surfing online, and they like to get information immediately. They search, read, share, and exchange all kinds of information on the internet. Therefore, a website might be the most appealing media for them. Teenagers also like to play games, and enjoy having fun with their friends or classmates. Since high schools in Taiwan encourage teachers to use card games or other tools as teaching materials, I found that using board games is a great way to support teaching in class. Students also love to learn and have fun at the same time.
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PROCESS
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AC A D E M Y O F A R T U N I V E R S I T Y
Learning should be fun and motivating, and finding an intrinsic motivation for learning and studying is important for students.
PROCESS
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TIMELINE To create a graphical representation of the process by displaying items sequentially along a line. In this way, I can control the pace and progress.
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AC A D E M Y O F A R T U N I V E R S I T Y
Natural of Identity
Portfolio
PROCESS
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AC A D E M Y O F A R T U N I V E R S I T Y
Visual Inspirations & Exploration Explore and get inspired by different kinds of color palettes, typography, graphic elements, photography and visual styles through all kinds of platforms.
PROCESS
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PROCESS
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M FA T H E S I S
AC A D E M Y O F A R T U N I V E R S I T Y
Hello!
HOME
ABOU TP
ROCESS
TEST
中文
Common Dire ct ion is YOUR F UTURE’S GUIDED T OUR
Let’s star t the journ ey! Parent s Guid eS
tudent s Guid e
We help studen ts and their par ents to find the common ground of future su ccess.
PROCESS
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COMMON DIRECTION
Identity Development To target the audience, the overall design is fun and easy to use.
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COMMON DIRECTION
PROCESS
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Storyboards & Wireframes Wireframe is a sketch of user interface. It provides screen blueprints of the software system to be developed.
In order to guide students and parents to easily use the website, I separate the paths for them using different tones ’talking’ to them. From the guidelines, test, outcome, and suggestion, to further resources, I want to create a platform for them to start to explore who they are and what future academic and work options fit them best.
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PROCESS
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AC A D E M Y O F A R T U N I V E R S I T Y
DESIGN SOLUTION Let’s find out!
D E S I G N S O LU T I O N
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Building the Brand To establish a significant and differentiated presence in the market that attracts target audience.
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What is Common Direction? Common Direction is an organization guiding teenagers to learn more about themselves and providing chances for them to explore and understand more about future potential careers. In this way, students and their parents find common ground about future direction. It provides online and print–out resources to support student exploration of their future directions.
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Identity System A great brand identity is a system of elements working together to provide consistency, unity, and flexibility.
Logo The concept of the logo design is overlay and balance. The name Common Direction comes from the core value of finding a common ground for future directions.
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Colored logo on light colors
White logo on deep colors
Transparency 70%
Top
Transparency 70%
Middle
Transparency 100%
Bottom
Transparency 85%
D E S I G N S O LU T I O N
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Color  I used three colors to represent parents, students, and their common ground. The color palette brings up light and warm feeling.
CMYK 0,30,100,0 RGB
253,185,19
Transparency 70%
CMYK 30,0,100,0 RGB
191,215,48
Transparency 70%
CMYK 70,0,15,0 RGB
0,190,215
Transparency 70%
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Type Setting I use Gotham Rounded family as our typefaces because of their geometric shapes, clarity, and friendly feeling, and use Heiti, Yuanti, and Yuppy as our Chinese typefaces because of their modern, fresh, and clean.
中文
黑體 圓體 雅痞
Cc Oo
Gotham Rounded Bold
Mm Dd
Gotham Rounded Book
ABCDEFGHIJKLMNOPQRSTUVWXYZ abcdefghijklmnopqrstuvwxyz 0123456789—&*^%$#@?!/+=().,:;
Gotham Rounded Medium ABCDEFGHIJKLMNOPQRSTUVWXYZ abcdefghijklmnopqrstuvwxyz 0123456789—&*^%$#@?!/+=().,:;
ABCDEFGHIJKLMNOPQRSTUVWXYZ abcdefghijklmnopqrstuvwxyz 0123456789—&*^%$#@?!/+=().,:;
Gotham Rounded Light
ABCDEFGHIJKLMNOPQRSTUVWXYZ abcdefghijklmnopqrstuvwxyz 0123456789—&*^%$#@?!/+=().,:; D E S I G N S O LU T I O N
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COMMON DIRECTION
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Website We help students to learn more about themselves, and to find a common ground for discussion with their parents about future careers success and direction.
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Personality Test Personality tests are a good way to let students become more acquainted with themselves. I visualized the questions and made them into an interactive journey closer to students’ daily situations.
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16 Kinds of People After getting through the test, which is based on the Myers Briggs personality test, the outcome gives the students a framework with which to understand what kind of people they are and what potential careers they might be best suited for. It is a structured beginning for students to explore themselves. It is important to let them know that everyone has their own potential talents.
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Ads & Promotion The square folded brochure is a advertisement for students. Students can start from the cover and follow the arrows which will guide them to discover themselves.
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Board Game WorkStyles The board game informs students about different work cultures.
There are many essential factors to consider when choosing a career path, such as interests, values, talents, and also lifestyle. I want to give students ideas about the many factors that they must consider in the work world, as well as what careers are at there.
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Through the process of playing the game, students will think and guess about work lifestyles based on their impression of the jobs. They will learn about more careers, start to think about what kind of lives they want to live, and see if those jobs really are like what they expect.
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Two Versions The game has two versions: One is table top version for 2–5 people in school or for a family. Its aim is to facilitate a better and deeper conversation within a small group. Another is a classroom version for around 20–40 people, such us, a whole class to support the teacher in guiding students.
WorkStyles A GAME TO EXPLORE FUTURE CAREERS
Classroom Version Jumbo Sized Cards For 20–40 Players
WorkStyles A GAME TO EXPLORE Table Top Handheld Cards For 2–5 Players
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If children clearly know what career they want, they will feel empowered to let their voice be heard.
D E S I G N S O LU T I O N
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TESTING What do people say?
TESTING
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USER TESTING Knowing how the users experienced the game and the test and getting their feedback can help me improve my work and know if it really works.
Ready to Go! Last summer, I went back to Taiwan and visited two high schools for two weeks doing user testing. Most students in classes were interested in doing the personality test and playing the game. They learned about some careers they had never heard of before. They gave me lots of feedback and suggestions about the jobs they would like to know about, or what would make the game more helpful, appealing and more engaging.
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TESTING
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“Before I played the game, I only knew about some careers: the ones that my relatives or friends were doing.” —Bryan, a 8th grade student
“I didn’t know the lifestyles are so different in various jobs. This is really important to consider when choosing a career path.” —Emily, a 7th grade student
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Students’ Suggestions: 1. T his game should be played in a classroom where students could gather into groups. In the traditional classroom, it is hard for students to sit together discussing and playing any game. 2. T o make this game more attractive and fun, we could make it into a competitive game with actual scores. Students said this would make the game more interesting to play. 3. The type on the occupation cards of the classroom version of the game should be bigger, so that when it is put on the blackboard, every student in the classroom can see the words on it even at a long distance. 4. T hirty jobs in this game are not enough for them. Students want to know more about potential work options out there in the real world. Expanding the second version of the game with another thirty jobs could be a future possibility.
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TESTING
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Looking Forward! After beta testing the website and board game with students, I further refined the website and revised the game cards. Discussions with several consulting teachers in schools led to our thinking about publishing these cards in the near future. Only when these deliverables are actually used by students can we make a difference in the Taiwanese educational system.
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There is no “best job,” but there is a job that suits you best.
TESTING
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Thank You Thank you very much for helping me out when I needed help. You probably helped more than you think you did. I really appreciate it!
Thank you to mom, dad, and June for supporting me all the way through chasing my dream in San Francisco, and always encouraging me and cheering me up. Without your unconditional love, I couldn’t be who I am now. Thank you to all of the instructors that have ever taught me for teaching and leading me through the journey of becoming a graphic designer, and for all the support and encouragement. Especially to Phillip Hamlett, Jeremy Stout, Anthony Pagoda, Brian Toth, Bob Slote, and Jill Ballard. Thank you to my friends and classmates for the happy time we spent together throughout the years in schools. Meeting and working with you guys has been a wonderful experience. I am glad that we finally got through all the processes together and learned a lot from each other. Thank you to those who helped me from the beginning to the end of this project. Special thanks to Grace Sinen Chen, Yi Ting Huang, Kai Lin Lee, Jiang Chang–Ming, Maro, Stanley Yi, Jing–Wu Chen, and Guan Hao. Without your support, I could not have made it this far.
T H A N K YO U
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Paige Pei Chun Hsu Hello@paigehsu.com paigehsu.com 415 583 5676 Š 2015 Paige Pei Chun Hsu. All Rights Reserved. No part of this publication can be reproduced without express permission from Paige Pei Chun Hsu.
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