INTERCULTURAL DESIGN (TASK 1-3)


INTERCULTURAL DESIGN (TASK 1-3)

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Irdhina binti Mazli Sham (0366894)
Intercultural Design - Bachelor of Design in Creative Media - Taylors University



TABLE OF CONTENTS:
  1. Lectures
  2. Instructions
  3. Tasks
    1. Proposal
    2. Field Study and Data Collection
    3. Final Project
  4. Feedback
  5. Reflection


LECTURE

VISUAL IS A POWERFUL PERSUASIVE MEDIUM
  • 40% of people perceive VISUAL > TEXT
  • 90% information to the brain is VISUAL
  • VISUAL processes 60000x faster than TEXT

VISUAL CULTURE: study of objects beyond textual meaning
  • focuses on materiality and interaction

VISUALS ARE...
  • SEEN
    • all-inclusive including nature
      • NATURE ≠ CULTURE unless given meaning/interpretation
  • PRODUCED BY HUMANS
    • visual representation with functions, content and communicative purpose

DESIGN SIGNIFICANCE
  • BASIC ASSUMPTION (PURPOSE)
    • values, principles, practice
  • NORMS AND VALUES (AESTHETIC)
    • look/feel, elements, functions
  • ARTEFACT AND PRODUCT
    • tools, technology etc
Fig. 1. Edgar Schein's organisation culture model infographic




INSTRUCTIONS




TASKS

Proposal

For task 1, we were required to form a group of six and create a proposal following the theme of Everyday Design. Since the class consisted of different courses and semesters, the maximum number of students from the same course/semester in a group was three to give a fair chance to everyone. I managed to pair up with two friends and three strangers:
We started out with a brainstorm document to put the ideas we had in mind alongside the resources. Although some of them used ChatGPT (which can be inaccurate), the base information (such as the name of the object) from it is still usable.

Some of the topics proposed included both physical (jewellery, books etc) and abstract (constellations, roman numerals etc) items but we ultimately settled for teacups as our finalised topic.

BRAINSTORM DOCUMENT:



Once the chosen topic was expanded and approved by Ms. Anis, we started working on the three ideas to consider as a final product. In the end with Ms. Anis' suggestions, we ultimately settled for:
  • Social Adventure Game
  • Tea-Brewing and Sharing Website
  • Interactive Invite
PROPOSAL SLIDE:




Field Study and Data Collection

For task 2, we were given two weeks to collect physical data through various ways, including a visitation to relevant places. Our data collection consisted of four different methods: 
  • Interview
  • Survey
  • First-hand experience (netnography)
  • Secondary research
We decided to visit two teashops in order to conduct separate interviews from the respective teamasters. Aside from interview, we also conducted a survey made by Xenyi to figure out people's views on games and tea culture, which got 53 responses in total. Netnography mostly consisted of playing the games that inspired our idea as well as similar interactive websites. Finally, secondary research was done on the Internet for further information regarding teacups and their significance in tea culture.

PROCESS:

For my part in Task 2, I was assigned with going to a tea shop named Hi-Tea Malaysia alongside Belinda to cast an interview with the teamaster, Ms. Lee. She helped explain to us the symbolism of different motives on each teacup and what they mean when given to certain people.

The interview itself consisted of a set of questions listed below regarding teacups, tea culture and tea ceremonies:

  1. How do you think the role of the teacup has evolved in tea culture over time?
  2. Are there specific teacup designs in your shop that reflect traditional or cultural influences?
  3. Do you find that customers are drawn to certain types of teacups based on cultural preferences or traditions?
  4. How do you see the act of serving tea influencing social interactions in your shop?
  5. Have you noticed if the choice of teacup affects the overall tea-drinking experience for your customers?
  6. Do you incorporate any specific rituals or practices around tea service that highlight the importance of the teacup?
  7. From your experience, how does the design of a teacup (material, shape, size) impact the taste or enjoyment of tea?
  8. Do you think teacups play a role in promoting mindfulness or relaxation during tea consumption?
  9. Are there any teacup designs specifically meant to enhance the health benefits of tea, like those used in traditional Chinese medicine?
  10. How do you select the teacups you use or sell in your shop? Do you prioritise specific materials, craftsmanship, or aesthetics?
  11. Have you noticed any modern trends in teacup design that reflect changes in how people enjoy tea today?
  12. Do you think teacup design today still carries the same meaning and significance as it did in the past? Why or why not?

For the slides (excluding template and title pages), I did the:
  • Interview (Hi-Tea Malaysia) – pg. 9-10
    • Following Ms. Anis' suggestions, I wrote down the name and position of the interviewed, their area of expertise, information gained from both interview and visiting, and feedback from the previous task.
Fig. 2. Notes taken based on the interview from Hi-Tea Malaysia

  • Game Inspiration (Hades) – pg. 32-34
    • I included several screenshots and screen recording of Hades 2's gameplay with notes such as keepsakes from existing characters that can give boosts, mini-games used as farming ingredients, and companions that aid or harm the protagonist.
Fig. 3. Notes taken based on Hades [observation]

Fig. 4. Notes taken based on Hades [companions]

Fig. 5. Notes taken based on Hades [mini-games]

  • Website References – pg. 39-41
    • I used three websites (Library of Babel, TINAWDC, Wake It Up) as reference and listed down their interactive features alongside a brief introduction on each website.
Fig. 6. Notes taken based on Library of Babel

Fig. 7. Notes taken based on TINAWDC

Fig. 8. Notes taken based on Wake It Up

  • Ideation – pg. 55-59
    • The ideation included reasons at why we chose the social adventure game as a final product (flexibility, engaging learning strategy, encourage teamwork).
    • Belinda and I also expanded on the idea by giving visual notes on the interactivity of the cover page as well as a sketch compilation to showcase different game mechanics.
Fig. 9. Reasons for choosing the game

Fig. 10. Interactive feature notes for cover page

Fig. 11. Concept sketch compilation 

Fig. 12. Concept sketch compilation 
DATA COLLECTION SLIDE:

CLICK HERE FOR CANVA WEBSITE TO VIEW GIFS/VIDEOS



Final Project

The final project consists of creating several short videos to showcase our product and topic on a social media platform, TikTok. We decided to do a mix of informative, interview-based and game-based videos.

Both the introduction and reflection were made by Xenyi with character sprite from the latter video drawn by me.
  • Informative
    • Three different types of Chinese teacups
      • Gaiwan cup (41s) and Yixing tea ware (50s) video made by Rachel
        • Narrated by me
      • Chenghua Chicken video (50s) cup made by Xenyi
        • Narrated by Xenyi
  • Interview-based
    • Important information gathered from one of the interviews
      • made by Anoushka
    • Compilation/Summary of the teashop visits
      • made by Anoushka
  • Game-based (Animatics/Animations)
    • Teaser showcasing the game (suggested by Ms. Anis)
      • Storyboard: Belinda
      • Animator: Belinda
      • Editor: Belinda
    • Animatic about going to another area through a portal.
      • Storyboard: me
      • Animator: me
      • Editor: me
      • Traditional Background Artist: Eema
    • Animatic about character boost with increased speed.
      • Storyboard: me
      • Animator (Lineart): me
      • Animator (Colour): Belinda
      • Editor: me
    • Animatic about one of the teamwork mechanics.
      • Storyboard: me
      • Animator: me
      • Editor: me
      • Editor (Sound Design): Xenyi
    • Animatic combined with live-action to show stylisation.
      • Storyboard: me
      • Videographer: Xenyi
      • Animator: me
      • Editor: me
      • Editor (Sound Design): Xenyi

PROCESS:

For my part in the final project, I mostly worked on the animatics of the different mechanisms that would be in the game were it to be actually made. Rather than replicating actual gameplay, I decided to illustrate the game through character animation similar to series Angry Bird had about their own characters. Scenes shown below are from Angry Bird Stella and Angry Bird Toons respectively.

Fig. 13. Angry Bird Stella

Fig. 14. Angry Bird Toons 
The storyboards were made using Clip Studio Paint. They were sent to Ms. Anis for approval and once we got the okay, I started animating on krita.

Fig. 15. Storyboard

Fig. 16. Storyboard

Fig. 17. Storyboard

Fig. 18. Storyboard
For the animation, I set a frame rate of 12-15fps and used several techniques learned beforehand to allow smooth animation. Once I finished the animation in Krita, I would edit it on Capcut to either length or shorten a scene/frame.

Fig. 16. Screenshot from Krita

Fig. 17. Screenshot from Capcut
As for the sound, I mostly used Youtube Sound Bank and Pixabay for both background music and sound effects.


FINAL PROJECT SLIDE:

TIKTOK PAGE: LINK



FEEDBACK

WEEK 1: Formed a group, pick a topic related to everyday design.

WEEK 2: We proposed three of the topics (teacups, board games, constellations) we had considered and Ms. Anis was interested in the Chinese teacups, which was also the most detailed.

WEEK 3: We showed her the three ideas and she was most interested in the game as the other two were too straight-forward. Revised the website idea to be more interactive.

WEEK 4: We showed her the revised version of the website idea and got approved. She said to either proceed with the game or website (more doable time-wise).

WEEK 5: We consulted Ms. Anis regarding our progress work and whether we were on the right track. She said to highlight what was said during the interview to put in the slide rather than putting the whole transcript. No need interview transcript and presentation video.

WEEK 6: We showed Ms. Anis our video ideas. She recommended and liked the ideas of animatics and told us we should delegate the task to produce quality work. Those who cannot do digital art can do backgrounds on traditional to help along or work on data gathering for infographics.

WEEK 7: Continuation on Final Project (no consultation).


REFLECTION

EXPERIENCE: This module was an overall good experience despite all the reading and work. I honestly expected the groupwork to only be in one task but it turned out to be the whole module, which I was not as fond of but it is unique in its coursework compared to previous modules. It took me a while to truly understand the assignments due to their vague and open nature but they ended up being quite enjoyable despite the rush in timing. Overall, I liked how flexible this module is in terms of topic selection as you can choose anything as long as it fits the current theme.

OBSERVATION: When researching on Chinese teacups, I fully expected a rich history considering how old they are but even then, my expectations were more than met. I figured teacups would have extensive history dating a long while back but I fully underestimated the actual length of it all from one dynasty to the next. Our group choosing Chinese teacups as a topic was definitely not a grave one since we ended up with a lot of information and ideas on how to proceed with the tasks. Additionally, making observations on one of my favourite games, Hades, was definitely one of my favourite parts as not only did I get to analyse my favourite aspects of the game and characters but I also got to actually play it as part of the assignment. As for the animation, I nearly bit off more than I can chew with animating four different animatic on my own, not to mention making them smooth and editing them at such a rushed timing. Thankfully, I was able to finish them all with the help of Xenyi in adding sound for two of the animatics.

FINDINGS: When visiting Hi-Tea Malaysia, I had the opportunity of actually drinking Chinese herbal tea (magnolia if I remembered correctly) for the first time since the usual tea I would drink at home was considered insufficient (for lack of a better word). It tasted very good, I can see why many people like it. Ms. Lee even managed to inform us that some of the information we had on our proposal slide (task 1) were actually Westernised or viewed from the Western perspective, which I found interesting because it shows further proof that different cultures can have different meanings for the same object.

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