So I have been having difficulty lately in finishing a case study. I have been writing out the details of what I did, created visuals to go along with the written content, showcased the final design iterations, included all the research and the visuals for that and lastly put in the original images to show where it all started. Now my problem is how to organize.
Of the three case studies I have finished, they all have followed a timeline format. I started with the project description, went through the research and design and finished with the final designs. It looked good to me. Until one of my instructors pointed out that I should showcase my final design work first instead of last.
I like that idea and searching other prominent designers portfolios shows this is a highly recommended idea. It looks really good and is probably the only thing most are interested in anyways, so why put your best art at the end? Ok, I am sold.
I decided to try this out on my latest case study. Admittedly, it has taken me awhile to figure out to showcase the final designs. I had to try a few different layouts and spent an afternoon learning how to make 3d perspective displays. As it turns out, that was all time well spent. My big hurdle was how to display a landing page that is three times longer than the the fold (typically 1024px in height).
If we have time for a slight tangent on the main discussion: 3D perspective modeling is very important! Showcasing work in 3D and/or in a device skin is imperative for viewers to understand the context of your design. I have been doing the #dailyUI challenge for a few weeks, but not putting web page or mobile app designs into a computer skin or mobile skin to show where it would be used. Those designs just look like some random graphic design or doodles on a sheet of paper. Without having context, the impact of the work is lost because observers have no idea what they are for. Context is the key word here. Try to show context as much as possible. I designed a temperature thermostat. I should put that on a wall in a house. People would get what it is. Showing it in a 3D model is just icing on the cake, although probably necessary now with how competitive design has become on the internet. Ok that is the tangent, back to the story.
So I have my showcase piece at the beginning of the case study to draw people in or simply give them the only thing they are interested in. What do I do for the next case study? If I do the same thing again and showcase at the front, will all my case studies start to look homogenous? That has troubled me for as long as I have been trying to figure out how to format the case study. It has taken a lot of consideration to come to the conclusion that this might be the best way to go in almost all case studies.
One thing I noticed on corporate website case studies is that they are short. Very short. Some barely go past the fold. When they are this succinct, there is no where else to put the final designs, but at the top. Many UX/UI Designers like to include a little more background work than that. We all like to make cutesy diagrams and animated images (those of us who can code proficiently) to showcase how important all the details are and how we made decisions. I like doing this too, even if I am still learning how. Those might just be expanded ways to show off design chops, but they serve an important purpose: keeping the reader invested in the story. Without those final designs at the forefront, the reader may never even read past the first image or sentence.
For now I will be working on exploring this showcase first structure in all my case studies. It seems to really work and has a contemporary appeal. I have not explored other ways to structure case studies yet. I plan to do this. I always like to change things up from time to time. So as I learn more I will write an update to my blog.
