The challenge of composing a design brief is brevity. The guidelines set forth in our course texts seem to call for a 3-ring binder full of information covering topics ranging from research methodology to specifications, style guides, and the details of the workflows. As someone who is inclined either by instinct or training to fret over the details, my particular hurdle this week was to include enough information in my brief to convey an executable set of guidelines for potential project managers, developers, engineers, stakeholders, and anyone else who may sign onto the ReminderX project down the line, all while keeping the document manageable and, well… brief.

Among other considerations, the class was advised to discuss constraints in our design briefs, though admittedly, I glossed over this topic in favor of discussing potential selling points for future releases of the ReminderX product. My first impulse was to pick over my work with a magnifying glass, noting all its inconsistencies, shortcomings, and missing components. But in the interest of job security, I refrained from plying my readers with designer’s insecurities. No one wants to pay for the services of a professional whiner. In reviewing the final reports of my Blackboard group members, I was able to take some cues for shaving down my user journeys and breaking down larger blocks of text into more concise, bullet-pointed recommendations. (My English-major default setting is to express ideas in a dense, narrative style.) I also tweaked the annotations in my brief, since the heavier line weight of the wedge-style dialog bubbles tends to visually overpower the screen designs.

Speaking of Blackboard groups, although I was hoping to hear some insightful suggestions for improving my screens, as I write this reflection, my post has only received one critique, leaving me little to act upon. This is not the first time this has happened. My instructor-assigned mentor group, on the other hand, has been responsive, supportive, and very helpful. They are my peeps. We’ve regularly posted assignment drafts to our shared Google drive, shared notes and insights, and cheerleaded each other during stressful moments. Based on my experience in this course, I would recommend that the instructor-assigned mentor groups also be used as our discussion/critique groups to enhance our shared learning experience as well as avoid the problem of knowledge gaps and unbalanced feedback.