NOS

02.

NOS

Logo of final concept ‘NOS kampioenspel’.

Task

The Dutch broadcasting foundation (NOS) asked for a solution to the following question:

"What is the best way to keep Dutch people updated on the latest news regarding the World Cup in Qatar?"

We crafted a more in-depth research question to hone in on a specific target group, which was phrased as follows:

"How can we keep families who use the World Cup as a way to bond informed about the ethical issues surrounding the Qatar World Cup without disrupting the ambiance?"

My team and I where responsible for researching, concepting, prototyping and creating a solution that we presented in the form of a product video. In this I communicated closely with my fellow team members while my focus lay on teaching my team new design skills, conducting research, concept creation along with 2D/3D design and -animation.

Our solution “NOS kampioenspel” uses gamification to present users with news about the FIFA World Cup in Qatar.

Why?

To keep the Dutch people updated on the latest news regarding the World Cup in Qatar.

For whom?

The Dutch broadcasting foundation (NOS) that wishes to inform more people on news surrounding the FIFA World Cup in Qatar. And for soccer enthusiasts who use the World Cup as an occasion to spend time together with their family.

My role

Design teacher, UX researcher, concept creator, 2D/3D visual artist & animator.

Overall process

• Kick-off

• Sessions with clients (To gather input from them: what wishes and needs do they have and do we need to incorporate the NOS app?)

• Desk research (To gather information on the stakeholders)

• Determining a target group

• Field research (To gather insight into the target group)

• Creating a persona

• Framing the problem

• Co-create to generate ideas

• Desk research (To gather more information on the stakeholder)

• Developing a concept

• Prototyping

• 2D/3D design and animation

• Creating a concept video

• Presenting product towards NOS

Persona

With a focus on user-centered design, I conducted semi-structured interviews with the target audience to gain a deeper understanding of their needs and behaviors. Based on these insights, I proposed the creation of personas to serve as a continual reference for the design team.

The personas effectively represented user goals, motivations, and behaviours, allowing us to make informed choices that directly aligned with the user’s needs. As a result, the design process was guided by decisions based on our understanding of the target users. This led to a leading to creation an user-centered solution.

Persona’s to portray the target audience.

Concepting

I led a collaborative brainstorming session with IT students to gather ideas for a family-based game about the 2022 Football World Cup in Qatar. Through active listening and capturing of their thoughts, I worked with my design team to iterate and refine the concept.
‍
The result was a unique and engaging game concept that blended education and entertainment, offering players a fun and informative experience.

Concept session to gain a different perspective, develop new concepts and get insight into their feasibility.

Visualizing

I was tasked with creating visuals for our final product video to present to stakeholder. To bring the concept to life, I utilized Blender for 3D modelling and animation. Although I had limited experience with the software, I took the initiative to research and study tutorials on YouTube to acquire the necessary skills. To save time, I sourced a free 3D models from the internet and integrated it into the project. My efforts paid off, as the final product video effectively communicated these parts to the stakeholder.

Frames showing Blender models and 3D rendered still frames.

My approach

Researching target group and problem

• Discover values of target group and stakeholder NOS

• Frame the problem

• Create persona

‍

Developing concept

• Co-create several ideas for possible concepts

• Create sketches of concepts.

• Help build prototype

• Create and animate 2D/3D visuals

‍

Presenting concept

• Create storyboard for concept video

• Deliver animated frames to co-worker and finalize concept video

• Prepare visuals on Miro for presentation towards stakeholder representatives and experts

• Get feedback from stakeholders, experts and target group

‍

Final product

The final product was an explainer video that demonstrated our concept for solving the stakeholder's problem. Through the use of stock footage, 2D and 3D animation, the visual aspect of the solution was brought to life, while a voice-over added audio support to further explain the concept. The video showed a game concept that blended education and entertainment, offering players a fun and informative experience.

Product video to help the client visualize and understand the concept ‘NOS kampioenspel’.

What did I do?

• Interview the target group and research the problem

• Analyse the data and create persona’s

• Concept creation and sketching

• Create and animate 2D/3D visuals

• Create storyboard

• Preparing animation frames

What did I learn?

During the project, feedback from stakeholders and instructors highlighted the need to better consider how, when, and why users would engage with the app. Additionally, the decision to incorporate recipes into the game was not well understood, suggesting we were attempting to merge too many concepts into one game.

The experience taught me the significance of incorporating the target audience and experts into the design process for gaining fresh insights and alternate perspectives on the problem. Moreover, I honed my skills in 3D modelling and animation using Blender, where I previously had basic knowledge but lacked the ability to apply it effectively. Through further practice, I deepened my expertise in the program.

Furthermore, I made a conscious effort to support my team members by sharing tips and tricks in Adobe After Effects and Illustrator and demonstrating how to effectively use various tools within the programs. This not only helped my team, but also allowed me to deepen my own understanding of the tools.