121120 gd co_p_the studio

Integrating digital technology into productivity and workflow in The Studio _ Eden Potter / Alan Young _ November 2012

GDCoP 2012Integrating digital technology into productivity and workflow in The Studio

Eden Potter / Alan Young



Proposal


What is The Studio?The Studio is a postgraduate programme in the AUT School of Art & Design that acts as a bridge between academia and industry. It is modelled on a working design studio, where students work on projects from industry, or develop projects for industry.

What is the project?This project investigates a range of digital productivity apps and tools that are concerned with workflows and studio management. The aim is to facilitate an integrated, networked studio environment.This report is on Stage 1 of the project, where tools are trialled and analysed against our needs.


Studio workflowThere are two levels:


Job TrAckINg

TImE-kEEPINg

rEcorDINg INformATIoN

clIENT lIAISoN

SUPPlIEr lIAISoN

brIEfS

ProJEcT mANAgEmENT

rUNNINgA STUDIo

DEADlINES

rEcorDINg INformATIoN

CrITICAl PAThWAYS

INDIVIDUAl TASkS

rUNNINgPrOJECTS

1 2

This report focusses on the workflow aspects depicted in black text on the above diagram.


Studio workflowWhatever we used to manage projects and clients in The Studio needed to be:


_ A scalable system_ Easily updated_ Accessed via a range of platforms_ Able to be shared_ Able to be customised

Slide content

Typical headingTypical subhead


Studio workflowWhat we initially used Project list for work-in-progress

The Studio / briefs /10102012 1

THE STUDIO : External briefs 10/10/12 CLIENT JOB # DESCRIPTION JOB CONTACT STAFF to

CLIENT

STAFF

DIRECTOR

DEADLINE STATUS DESIGN

TEAM

The Studio

STU12-01

Visual identity and collateral

Raul Sarrot

EP/AY

RS

EP/AY

TBC

Ongoing sessions ex-The

Studio HQ with Raul

Nicky

Holly

Sarah R

Melissa

Jayesh

AUT Health &

Counselling

HEA12-01

Research / communication design

Stella / Gary

AY

AY/EP

The Studio group ideation

session 2pm Wed 10 Oct.

Holly

Melissa

Gifted Kids

GIF12-01

Visual identity / logo redesign

Deb Clark (CEO)/

Sue Barriball

EP

EP/AY

Ist stage

concepts w/o

08 October

Initial concepts being

presented.

Sarah R

Holly

Mons Royale

MON12-01

Merino underwear: Design packaging,

POS Display unit

Hamish Ackland

AY

AY/EP

Meeting with

Hamish end

October

Meeting with Product

Design students cancelled.

Need new date?

Nicky

Holly

Platters Catering

PLA12-01

Comp to design logo AUT coffee blend.

David Green

EP

EP/AY

Concepts by

31 August

Contact Platters again?

Melissa

Nicky

The Research

Agency

TRA12-01

Design of client presentations.

Amber

AY

AY/EP

Sam

Sarah D

bold text = project actioned and in progress / coloured bold text = project actioned and in progress, with active event in the week



Studio workflowProject list for work-in-progress


What we didn’t like about this format.It used paper.Dependent on a sole personal device (Eden’s laptop) to update.Not visual (‘admin-ish’).relied on one person updating.Hard to update during meetings (‘on the fly’).Team members relied on the paper version for meetings; they didn’t look at the document until then. This eroded the sense of ownership of, or involvement in The Studio projects.

What it is and how it worked.The project list document (also known as the job board) was created in microsoft Word. It was updated weekly by Eden and uploaded on AUTonline for the weekly WIP (work-in-progress) meeting. Printouts were produced for each designer in The Studio before the meeting.

Studio workflowSome web-based tools we investigated


SHArED TASk lIST for TEAmS ProJEcT mANAgEmENT AND collAborATIoN Tool

ProJEcT mANAgEmENT / collAborATIoN Tool

for TEAmS

iPHoNE / iPAD APP TOmANAgEmENT & orgANISATIoN

collAborATIoN AND orgANISATIoN Tool for

STArTUPS

iPHoNE / iPAD APP TO mANAgE PErSoNAl AND TEAm TASkS oN THE go

Slide content



Studio workflowWhat we are trialling


About TrelloA web-based project management and collaboration tool. Projects are organised into ‘boards’ and ‘cards’, like a kANbAN board (see below).https://trello.com

Slide content



Studio workflowWhat we are trialling


Trello limitationsNo tagging of content keywords.Not as useful for complex projects.limited email integration.limited keyboard shortcuts.

What Trello offersfree!good for simple projects.Native apps on iPhone / iPad.can log in with google+ account.Instantly synchronized over the web. Visual & intuitive.You can invite ‘outside’ parties as members to share / collaborate.


Studio workflowhow we are using Trello


PrOJECTmANAgEmENT

STUDIo Job TrAckINg

& Work-IN-PrOGrESS

Examples of both uses of Trello in The Studio are shown in the following slides.


Studio workflowProject management



Studio workflowWork-in-progress / job tracking


Client projects are organised into lists across the window. In each list, a series of ‘cards’ is created. cards detail deadlines, updates, project team, and reminders.

cards can be duplicated or moved to different lists. They can also be archived.


Studio workflowWork-in-progress / job tracking


Each ‘card’ in the project list can include information and images about the project.


Studio workflowTrello: what does and doesn’t work for The Studio


PrOJECTmANAgEmENT

STUDIo Job TrAckINg

AND Work-IN-PrOGrESS

Easy for all members to use.for student designers, it gives a sense of ‘managing’ the project, enhancing engagement and collaboration.

layout of cards means you can’t see the whole project board at once (you need to scroll to reveal).cards can’t be moved to other boards.

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can have ‘admin’ for the organisation. This means that The Studio staff can still manage the board.


Studio workflowNext stage…


Embed Trello as the system for all project management in The Studio.Trial Trello as job tracking / project work-in-progress.


recording informationcapturing, storing, and sharing

We have also been using digital tools to capture information, annotate it, store it and pass it on to others.

In this report we are focussing on:

Goodreader

Evernotehttp://evernote.com/


recording informationGoodreader


A digital magazine for Westpac. I worked on multiple interactive spreads throughout the magazine. My role was a junior graphic designer at Clanmouse Design Studio.

The ability of iPad app goodreader to annotate / draw directly onto the PDf was used to remotely brief student designers when they were in The Studio, putting together a design job. Students e-mailed us a PDf of the layout, and we wrote and typed instructions and suggestions on to the PDf using goodreader.


recording informationGoodreader


Annotated PDfs were e-mailed from goodreader on the iPad directly to the design team for them to action.


recording informationEvernote


This free app for tablet, smartphone and desktop computer is a notetaker. pinboard, and organiser.It has revolutionised the way we:_ capture information_ pass information to others_ store and manage information_ make presentations

A digital magazine for Westpac. I worked on multiple interactive spreads throughout the magazine. My role was a junior graphic designer at Clanmouse Design Studio.




Note-taking during workshops in The Studio: photographing, sketching, grabbing and filing webpages.

Using Evernote to capture images, film footage, sound, webpages, sketches—on the iPad.




Attending conferences: photograph event, google presenters while they’re speaking, go to their website, download their website, annotate with details from their presentation (Diatom: annotating their website)

Using Evernote on the iPad while at an overseas conference.In this case, one team from NZ worked on a museum display system that was built for a museum in copenhagen, and later when in copenhagen, Alan could go and see it first hand. The details and readily available information inspired the deeper investigation.


Social mediaWe found embracing social media to be a difficult task, but one which we now recognise as having considerable value, and which we are intent on pursuing.

_ increased communication between staff and students due to increased accessibility_ enhanced ability to do group projects independent of contributors’ locations_ ability to communicate and create collaboratively using rich media_ expanding students’ networks and knowledge of the design community

_ learning to use the social media forms effectively was somewhat time consuming_ using social media can, in itself, be time consuming_ increased accessibility of staff can lead to increased workload

Ahead…future aims for this research project in The Studio


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Integrated systems and managementWe will be continuing to testing and use digital workflow tools in studio production and operations.

_ our current research suggests it’s likely we will be able to use a range of integrated tools for our studio management needs, rather than developing our own dedicated apps as originally suggested in our proposal

_ the key to a successful workflow environment is integration. With each iteration and upgrade of apps, developers are enabling more integration as a standard ‘selling point’. for example:Trello + GoogleDocsTrello + DropboxPenultimate + Evernote




Going paperlessThe Studio aims to create a community of change-makers, where social and environmental sustainability are core values. reducing our reliance on paper in studio processes is key.

We hope to achieve this by:_ embedding integrated studio management systems using a suite of web-based digital tools_creating an informed and digitally literate studio culture, where students feel comfortable working collaboratively in the digital space.



Interactive advertising – showing students new forms of communication design, opening up possibilities for their creative process and digital media exploration.


The end (for now…)
