Dutch Design Field School
Field School Cap Stone Project, Film Making, and Web Development || Jan - Oct 2019
Launched Website || Instagram
Our team of 13 immersed ourselves in Dutch design culture. 3 months studying Dutch culture and history, 2 months traveling and interviewing in the Netherlands, and the next 4 editing films, designing an identity, and coding a website to house all it all.
My Role and Key Responsibilities
In-Field Interviewing
Lead Interviewer, Primary Note Taker, B-roll Coordinator, Video Narrative Editor, Researcher.
Post-Field Production
Website Copywriting Lead, Lead Content Strategist (Web), Social Media Manager, Interaction Design, Project Management, Motion Graphics (opening and ending bumpers).
Key Project Decisions
Peek Behind the Dots
Upon arrival, the large white dots are the first visible items to load in. This was done as a subtle but distinct call-to-action to pique user curiosity given our users were primarily student or alumni designers with nuanced, advanced understandings of interactions. We needed something fresh and exciting to gain their attention. If the user then hovers an exploratory mouse over a dot, it reveals a glimpse of what to expect from the designer interview inside—like peaking through a keyhole.
Film Dots vs. Field Note Dots
We showcased both sides of our field school experience: the Dutch Designer interviews, and our personal travelling experiences. We used a calendar as a abstracted visual metaphor, and a simple toggle on the bottom-left. The dots are laid out in chronological order, descending from top-left to bottom-right, encouraging exploration, but also intentionally avoiding holding any one as more important than another.
Legacy Library
Our field school team and website is but one of many that came before us. To show our deference, we created a dedicated page that directs users to the websites of our predecessors. Similar to the dots on the home page, we surfaced their individuality upon hover, and based it on a visual metaphor: book spines on a shelf. Seeing each of these teams side-by-side was also meant to punctuate the magnitude of the legacy we were contributing to.
Quantifiable Metrics
Our social media following nearly doubled in size (from less than 200 followers to 386).
Over 1000 unique views in only the first 2 weeks.
Key Takeaways
In terms of metrics, our videos were watched more than 2500 times all together, our social media following doubled in size (from less than 200 followers to 386), and we had a couple thousand of unique website visits from all over the world.
However, in terms of what I got out of the experience intrinsically—hands down—this was one of the most rewarding experiences of my education. I had complete ownership over my role, which allowed me to stretch my writing and strategy capabilities. I'm used to working in a smaller team, so a team of 12 was a great opportunity to concentrate on a single craft.
I am proud of what my team and I accomplished, but also incredibly humbled by everyone’s commitment to making something so unapologetically us.
