Revsion.

Lo3- Research methods

Types of research:

1. primary.
2. secondary. 

Both research types allow us to do audience research, helping us: 

• Improve the product based on feedbag from public
• help us find out audience's interests / preferences to help us target them better
• help us understand the product that were making. 

PRIMARY RESEARCH

Definition - where you organise and prepare research yourself. 

Types of primary research:

Focus group - this is where you gather people from your target audience to give you feedback on your  ideas / product. 

A focus group has effective features, such as:

• You can ask probing questions due to it being in person. 
• Qualitative data due to probing questions. 
• feedback allows you to adjust the product to your T.A's preferences. 
• Relevant pre and post production.  
• Data can be collected within a short period of time (instant data.)

A focus group has ineffective features, such as:

• Biased feedback (people may not have to to speak up )
• Ethics - making sure location of focus group is accessible to all regarding distance and impairment. 
• You need other documents such as a visualisation digram (if meeting is on ideas / print based product), moodboard, story board if product is video based.
• Takes a long time to process data. 
• Duration of focus group, time consuming. 

Survey - A survey is a list of quantitive questions that are answered by your target audience in order to gain easily processed feedback on your ideas / product. 

Surveys have effective features, such as: 

• Quantitative data (yes no questions), are quick to complete therefore giving you instant feedback. 
• Cost effective, only need a pen and paper minimum. 
• Collect a large sample, you can ask a range of people, take a range of peoples opinions into account. 

Surveys have ineffective features, such as: 

• Lacks qualitative data (explain questions), therefore no detail to help you improve the product. 
• Responses, it could tale a long time for your feedback to return to you. 
• Other documents, a visual representation of your ideas / product. 

Questionnaire - A list of qualitative and quantitive questions that are answered by your target audience in order to gain feedback on your product / ideas. 

Questionnaires have effective features, such as:

• Quantitive data, quick to answer, therefore giving you instant feedback
• Qualitative data, give you detailed feedback allowing you to use it to improve your product
• Aimed more towards your target audience 
• Collect a large sample, you can ask a range of people, take a range of peoples opinions into account. 

Questionnaires have ineffective feature such as:

• Responses, it could tale a long time for your feedback to return to you. 
• Other documents, a visual representation of your ideas / product. 
• May take a long time to analyse data due to qualitative data

Meeting - is something you'd have with your client. 

Meeting have effective features, such as:

• Direct feedback
• speaking to your client, able to update them on progress, you can tell them about the ideas you've got / what the outcome of your audience research was.
• You can ask probing questions due to it being in person. 
• Qualitative data due to probing questions. 
• Feedback is going to be honest and valid due to the fact that you're representing them as a brand and therefore the client won't accept designs that they think won't represent them the way they want, allowing you to be ensured on what changes need to be made. 
• You can have more than one meeting.
• You don't have to meet in person, e.g. you can Skype.
• 'Meeting minuets', have evidence on what was said to help you look back on what changes need to be made. 

Meeting have ineffective features, such as:

• Technical difficulties such as no internet connection to Skype. An alternative could be a phone call & send your visuals over text / email. 
• May not like your design meaning launch date possibly being effected.
• Need other documents such as visuals. 

SECONDARY RESEARCH  

Definition - looking a existing sources / information / products. 

Types of primary research: 

Internet - Where you look at existing sources such as websites / reviews / online products to gain data on elements regarding your product such as layout, theme, genre and so on. 

The internet has effective features, such as:

• 
  

Journals - Written by a professional / academic person such as a historian. 

Journals have effective features, such as:

• 
  

Books - General books based on the theme of your product, typically non-fictional. 

Books have effective features such as:

• 
  

Mock question answer.

Alexia could use a visualisation digram to communicate her ideas to Garmz. A visualiisation would be more effective to demonstrate ideas compared to other planning documents such as a moodboard. Due to the fact that although both planning documents demonstrate the theme, house tyle colours anfd fonts, the visualisation digram visually shows you what your ideas would look like when put together, for example, Alexia would be able to show what the ideas she has for the  'wardrobe' 'shoerack' and 'accessories' sections that Garmz would like to see on the website, whereas a moodboard can only show initial ideas such as colours, fonts and images. Secondly, a visualisation diagram includes annotations, connotations and denotations, meaning Alexia would be able to justify why she thinks her design ideas would be suitable for the 18-35 year old target audience, whereas moodboards do not feauture elements such as annotations therefore meaning Alexia could potentially forget why she decided to chose the deisgns she did, or, Garmz won't understand the concept of her ideas. However, despite the benefits of a visualisation diagram, they can still have constraints such as  being very time consuming to create due to the fact that they're neat and thoughtfully presented, potentially affect the presentation of Alexia's ideas as she may not have enough time to get document prepared for the meeting to the standards she wants, whereas although a moodboard doesn't show the visual outcome of the product, they're to quick to make due to it's non-linear presentation.

Mock question plan.

• Introduction 

- state which document would be more relevant than an alternative document ( VD vs Moodboard )

• VD effectiveness

- visually shows you what ideas look like when put together, for example she would show what the 'wardrobe' 'shoerack' and 'accessories' sections will look like - Moodboard can't do this due to its 

- includes annotations, connotations and denotations to help - This would allow alexia to justify 
why she thinks her design choices would appeal tot he 18-35 year old target audience. - Moodboards do not include them therefore you may forget why you've chosen those design ideas or Garmz may not understand the concept of your ideas.

• VD ineffectiveness

- A visualisation diagram can be very time consuming to create due to the fact that it's neatly and thoughtfully presented, potentially affect the launch date as Garmz want the website ready for may, which isn't a lot of time, whereas although a moodboard doesn't show the visual outcome of the product, to quick to make due to it's non-linear presentation. 

Lo4 - Regulators.

• ASA - Advertising Standards association.

- Regulate all advertisements such as on TV / Video and Radio. 

- Have guidelines to ensure that the content is appropriate to the target audience, such as pre/post watershed rules.
- Wouldn't be involved within the production stage, but pre-production as they only regulate the adverts once they've been complained about as the products are expected to know the guidelines of ASA when creating it. 

• BBFC - British Board of Film Classification 

- Give films age certificates. e.g 12A, 15, 18, U, PG. 

- Ensure that the content is suitable for the audience, for example if a film is rated a 15, no one below this age is able to watch the film at cinemas, they cant buy / rent the DVD in stores either.

- BBFC rate films based on the amount of explicit and graphic content they include, for example, a film with a BBFC 18 rating would include a lot of explicit language, 

• PEGI - Pan European Gaming Information 

- Give games certificates. e.g. 12, 15, 18 8, 3. 

- They regulate all kind of games such as computer games, xbox, iphone and so on. 
- apply content description graphics to the packaging of games to show the audience some of the controversial elements that are in the games (typically seen on PEGI 15-18 games) such as racism,  drug abuse, threat / horror and so on. content description graphics have been applied to games due to the amount of moral panics games have caused and it also helps parents decide whether they want their children being involved with these sort of activities. 

• OfCom - Office of communications 

- Regulate TV and radio. 

- Ensure that the content is suitable for the audience. For example, due to the fact that most live Radio shows are broadcasted throughout the entire day, guidelines have to applied such as ensuring that no explicit language or biased options on things such as politics or people are included as this could influence a younger, more impressionable audience. 

- Pre/post water shed guidelines - cannot play explicit music or use explicit language before 9pm on radio due to the thought that children are typically in bed by this time and therefore will not hear it. 
For TV, no explicit language or graphic scenes can be portrayed in programmes before 9pm for the same reasons. 

• IPSO - Independent press standards organisation 

- Regulate print based products. E.g magazines, newspapers.
- "Editors code" - i.e. their guidelines, these ensure that the products are suitable for the target audience of the products. 

• W3C - World wide web 

- For website only. 
- Give advice and guidelines to content for websites, they even give you help on how to get good content on your website. 
- don't necessary regulate websites but they do supply support.

• PRS - Performing rights society. 

- Responsible for any music that used in a media product, for example adverts,  jingles, theme music, sound effects, melodies. 

- affecting any sounds we hear in radio. 

- you sign up to them and give them access to your music, if they think it's acceptable you will repaid the royalties if your song is used within a media product. 

- however, if it is seen that someone used your music / SFX etc, without your permission, you can sue them as they haven't contacted PRS to use your property, meaning it's a copyright issue. 

• Trademarks

- includes logos, colours and slogans. 

- applies to all media products: Music, SFX, colours, shapes, characters.

- a trademark is an asset / design, which is legally owned by a person / organisation, such as the McDonalds logo. 

Lo3 - Planning documents - 20 marker plans.

Production schedule.

• Introduction.

A production schedule lists which activities need to be completed in order to proceed with the production of your product. Each activity is accompanied by a timeframe, milestone, list of resources, contingency and date (each an effective feature). Helping you organize your time and activities more affectively. Production schedules are usually based off of Gantt charts. Production schedules only list a certain amount of activities due to the timeframe in which they are created, e.g. a production schedule would typically last for 1-2 weeks before a new one would need to be created

• . Five effective features. 

- Are relevant to everyone in the team. 

- Work similar to a to-do list giving a goal to work towards. 

- Are cost effective as you only need pen and paper. 

- They're easy to read.
- They factor in delays (contingencies) helping reduce the possibility of the launch date being affected. 

• Three ineffective features. 

- Task's aren't typically very clear regarding detail and who they're aimed at, possibly confusing people. 

- They have to be available on sources such as email .etc, that are accessible to everyone which may be hard to establish as people work better using different technologies. 

- If timeframes, milestones and dates aren't realistic the would production process could fall apart and the launch date would be affected.

Focus group.

• Introduction.

A focus group is where you arrange a group of people to give you verbal and written feedback on your prod, this group of people should consist of people that are within your target audience, based on age, gender and lifestyle.

• Five effective features.

- May get more detailed feedback due to there not being a limit on what the audience can say back you.

- You get various ideas and opinions. 

- Can ask probing questions (can get as much information out of them as you want by asking multiple questions) - creating qualitative data. 

- use feedback to improve designs / the product (whatever you showed them).

- The meeting is recorded therefore saving the writing ideas and so on down. 

• Three ineffective features.

- Time consuming to arrange.
- Ethical issues such as impairment, must be assessable and fair for everyone.

- Answers being biased - needs to consist of people who are not connected to you in anyway or aren't afraid to agree with your idea just for the sake and money of it. Creating invalid data. 

Blue-sky-thinking.

• Introduction.

Blue sky thinking is where you arrange a meeting with everyone in your team to express individual ideas to come up with an overall plan of the product should look like. E.g. themes, the target audience, fonts and so on would be discussed within this meeting. 

• Five effective features.

- Everyone gets a say in what they think should be included within the product.
- There isn't any pressure on one specific person / everyone works as a team
- The meeting is recorded therefore saving the writing ideas and so on down. 

- You can explain your ideas in detail, allowing everyone to understand more easy. 

- If there is a problem it can be discussed in person, meaning people don't misunderstand concerns over things such as email.
- Cost effective. 

• Three ineffective features. 

- Ethical issues such as impairment, must be assessable and fair for everyone.

-  Time consuming to arrange.

- Responses to ideas being fake - due to the fact that these people are colleagues they may lie and say they like their ideas so that they don't upset the person, leading to invalid data. 

Mood board.

• Introduction. 

A Moodboard is a planning document that typically consist of visual elements such as images, colours, fonts and so on, helping give an overall understanding on the themes, target audience and genre of your product.

• Five effective features. 

- Visual, therefore they're easy to understand

- Can be cost effective if you're making them from cutting and sticking images from magazines atc. 

- Are relevant to everyone within the team.

- Easily adaptable. 

- Don't take long to make as you don't typically create / draw any images yourself, allowing you to spend longer creating the actual product. 

• Three ineffective features. 

- Due to there use for initial ideas and non-liner appearance they can be messy, making it hard for some people to understand. 

- They don't include annotations or connotations. therefore not being suitable when trying to show someone why you want the colours and themes you do for your product. 

- They don't visually show you what the product would look like post-production. .

Mindmap.

• Introduction 

A Mindmap is where you write down multiple ideas, connotations, annotations based on the product you're creating, including the themes and target audience you want, helping give an overall understanding on the foundations of your product.

• Five effective features

-  Detailed, therefore helping give an in-depth description on what you want your product to include. 

- Easily adaptable

- Cost effective as all you need is a pen and paper,

- Can be relevant to everyone within the team

- Everyone can contribute their ideas as they're non-liner. 

• Three ineffective feature

- Don't include images or any visual elements.

- Can look messy as handwritten and non-linear- hard to understand

- You'd need to accompany it with other documents such as a visualisation diagram or moodboard.