organizing ideas and mapping out a course of action
plan
To plan is the 3rd step in the Design Process.
When a student plans a project, they have to think about the best way to handle the task that they have been given. Hopefully, the student is thinking about what they will need to do in the short-term to complete the long-term goal. They have to take stock of available materials and best-suited resources. project planning can also be synonymous with organizing. Because the student has an idea for how to employ materials and resources, problems, obstacles and delays that impede the project development are reduced. As part of the larger sequence of design steps, students are able to reevaluate their initial ideas in Design Journal 1 against other sources of inspiration in both Design Journal 2 and 3 to begin shaping them into their project.
The work of planning is idealistic. Much like starting a puzzle, the student should take inventory of all the pieces, the space to work, and mark the shape of what will ultimately be a complete picture. Whether it be a puzzle, an essay, or a video, the planning step of the design process helps to organize components of a whole. It also considers the needs of those who will engage with the final piece. Will the thing be understandable? clear? usable? functional? aesthetically pleasing?
Specifically, in Design Journal 3, students were asked to move from a narrow view of elements found in similar work to their project (perspectives, tone, visual design, etc.) to a broader examination of how those works operate as a whole. In the 3rd journal, students were given space to document their responses to their sources of inspiration (DJ-2). Instead of simply collaging together images and/or excerpts or describing similar works, students critiqued what made them effective. Moreover, students could begin to map out how to improve ineffective approaches to dealing with the same kind of material and/or content. In essence, the journal entry began to identify rhetorical strategies that were impactful.