Design Plan 1.
How to Make a No-Sew Throw Pillow Slipcover.
Purpose:
• My motivation for writing this set of instructions is to give young adults who don’t know how to sew an option for creating slipcovers for their throw pillows. I hope to give young adults a way to spruce up their dreary dorms or tiny rentals.
• I want my audience to feel like they have accomplished something. I want them to be proud of their DIY moment and revel in its utter beauty.
• I have lived in about six tiny dorms/apartments since I’ve started college and most of them feel like a prison cell. Having some décor always livens things up and makes me feel better.
• The best possible outcome would be for a young adult to create something beautiful that they are proud of. And hopefully they will feel some pride in their handiwork.
• The worst possible outcome is that people get confused, don’t have the right materials, make a bad cut, put the project together and then HATE it.
• My project will be a great creative outlet as well as a way for the young adult/student to claim his or her space. Living in a dull place can feel like you are a visitor in your own room. Having some personal décor can help you feel grounded.
Audience
• List characteristics:
o Young adult, probably a student or young professional. (likely a female)
o Doesn’t have much time not much time because of school or work.
o Lives in a small space that lacks personality. (room, dorm, apartment)
o May be seeking independence from parents
o Impatient
o Unskilled in sewing
o Wants to be entertained
o Has a few bucks to spare on materials
o Some may enjoy crafts, others may not
• My audience will probably be searching for information online. They would most likely be bored and just surfing. Some may actively seek out how to decorate a dorm room. They will probably be turned off by very complicated steps or visual clutter.
• Most relevant
o Young adults (probably female)
o Unskilled in sewing
o Lives in a small boring space
Context
• Communication will take place through written means. Most likely when the reader is at home. They will be sitting at a small table or on the floor, so it will probably be best if it is all on one page.
• I will not be there. Very informal.
Strategies
• Will use energetic, entertaining language.
• Will have either photos or line drawings to show steps
Medium
• Probably one sheet of paper
• Maybe with holes to put in a 3-rong binder and laminated to be sturdy for moving between school and home.
• Maybe post online
• Will need to be colorful.
Arrangement
• I will put the list of materials needed in a separate box, probably with a different background color.
• On the left will be the instructions
• On the right, the corresponding photo or illustration will be aligned with the text.
Testing
• The best way to test it will be to make the project myself and have one of my roommates attempt the project. We both fit into the audience. If the roommate has trouble with the instructions, I’ll know what to fix or correct.
Design Plan #1
-You seem very personable with your purpose, and I think the fact that you're writing about something that you've experienced and you know very well will help you have a warmer feel to your readers and make the overall product better.
-I think you should think about having someone that does not know you as well test the instructions. With your roommate, she may try to be too nice or since she may be around you while you're writing it, she may know more than, say, just a random girl in a dorm room on your hall.
-This connects well with our project because it is very well organized and thought through.
-I think you should stick it online with a printer friendly button so that the student will have the option of reading it online or printing it out(since most students own computers now). Also, while making it colorful is a good quality, make sure to not go overboard because it can make it too hard to look at and not easy to read.
Wow, lot of detail, nice.
Wow, lot of detail, nice. Your purpose is your own so not much can be said negatively about that, though it is good that it is defined. This sounds like the instruction set for me as I can tell right from the audience wich is narrowed well. You've imagined this well and I can see the setting of the of where the audience will be perfectly so good audience and context. Stragegies, okay good two points. Are you going to use a certain type of font or spacing? One sheet of paper is a good idea because as you said the audience will most likely be lazy and want simplicity. Arrangement, sounds like you have it all orgainized. Testing sounds good though if you do it yourself, take into account that you already know the steps so you will probly be able to do it faster than someone picking it up for the first time. All in all its a good job.