Initiating the design

There are several questions that need to be answered to determine the positioning of the device. These questions will be used to establish the design criteria. The following chart of guidelines is proposed as a working tool. It will allow the necessary information to be gathered as reference throughout the creative process.

This tool is completed throughout the steps proposed.

Tableau d’orientation

Downloadable tools
File “Transmission device?”
Downloadable PDF
Chart of guidelines
Downloadable PDF

 

Defining the intention and objectives of the transmission and/or dissemination device

The initial intention can be broad. It refers to the impact the project will hopefully achieve. It stems from a need, a request, an observation or an aspiration, and is briefly stated through actions to be undertaken.

Here are some examples:

Number 1
Observation: The young people in my community's elementary school do not know the origin of their school's name.
Intention: Share the history and the origin of the elementary school’s name.

Number 2
Need: A teacher intends to share an important legend with the community but does not have the necessary materials or knowledge.
Intention: To transmit a legend.

Number 3
Aspiration: I want to share my findings on the history of our community.
Intention: To share the history of our community.

There are many possibilities. Here are some key words that could be found in the intention: transmit, raise awareness, inform, highlight, educate, familiarize, experience (an emotion, an experience, etc.).

Downloadable tool
File “Defining the intention and objectives of the device”
Downloadable PDF

 

Who is the device intended for?

Why is identifying the public important?

It is important to know who the public will be to ensure that the means and media used will appeal to them, as well as information and language that is intelligible and appropriate to their needs and ability to understand.

The project may also be intended for various publics. It is therefore important to know the nature of their diversity making it easier to propose a variety of similar or complementary means.

Fiche pour le persona

How to gain insight about the audience?

The persona exercise may be applied. It is a technique often used in communication and marketing, which is also useful when preparing a cultural transmission project. It involves creating a variety of public profiles which the project will address. A template for creating a persona is proposed in the downloadable tools. This form has been adapted to the context of cultural transmission, but it may be modified as needed. The creation of a persona can be modeled on a familiar individual, which may help in defining the characteristics to be taken into account.

The persona(s) will become a reference during the design process. It is important to refer to it regularly for validation. For example, if one of the characteristics of the persona states that the individual does not know how to handle new technologies but often listens to the radio, the idea of creating a website will be quickly discarded. On the other hand, the idea of creating a podcast for radio broadcast could be retained.

Downloadable tools
File “Who is the device intended for?”
Downloadable PDF
Persona form
Downloadable PDF

 

What will be the context setting?

Here, the question is to define when and where the device can take shape. Here are some questions to enlighten reflection:

Duration and recurrence

Should the device be accessible in the long term (e.g., exhibition, website, outdoor sign, etc.)?
Is it a one-time event?
Is it a recurring event (e.g., a radio show)?

Available funding

What can be done with the available funding?
Should/can the following fees be paid: rental, broadcasting, etc.?

Accessibility

Is an accessible physical location available?
If so, what are the accessibility requirements?

  1. Indoor or outdoor
  2. Monitored hours of operation
  3. Availability of facility (day, week, month, etc.)
  4. Level of access: open to all or restricted secure access
  5. Convenience of access: stairs, elevator, etc.

Are these conditions appropriate for the selected public?

Downloadable tool
File “What will be the context setting of the device?”
Downloadable PDF

 

What is the key message or messages to be conveyed?

The message(s) refers to what the public should remember as a result of experiencing the device. There may be one or more messages, varying in quantity according to the scope of the project. For example, if the device is a one-minute radio vignette, one message will be sufficient, whereas if the device is an exhibition, there may be a greater number of messages.

Intent: To convey a legend

Objectives:

  1. Share our oral tradition;
  2. Promote our language;
  3. Hold an encounter with an Elder and the youth

Messages:
The legend’s moral or lesson.
Our Elders are important for the transmission of our legends.
Legends share our history.
Legends are a good way to learn our language.

Downloadable tool
File “What is the key message or messages to be conveyed?”
Downloadable PDF

 

What should be the public’s experience?

How should transmission and/or dissemination be experienced? How the public interacts with the transmitted content is very important because it determines how an individual may or may not develop an interest in the subject. It also influences the memory of the latter. If the experience is good and memorable, it is much more likely to have a lasting impression.

In education, it is a matter of pedagogy, whereas the museum field addresses the visiting experience. Yet, both experiences are concerned with how the intention and the content to be transmitted will interact with those for whom they are intended.

Culturally meaningful learning: an experience-based approach

[...] a holistic approach which considers the learner’s multiple dimensions, the development of experiential learning and the contribution of different community members (such as Elders) to a participatory culture of knowledge are all components of a pedagogy inspired by Indigenous perspectives[1].

Our cultural ways of learning have been based on experience for thousands of years. Transmission takes place generally through observation, listening and experimentation. It is through action, interaction and experience that knowledge is acquired and maintained.

How to design the user experience? Here are some questions to enlighten reflection:

Which emotions are solicited?

Which means may prompt these emotions? Testimonials, photographs, etc.

What will be the public’s immersive atmosphere?

Examples: calm/agitated, colourful/dark, funny/dramatic, imaginary/real.

Which senses will be engaged and how?

Touch, sight, hearing, taste and/or smell.

How will the public be engaged?

Examples:
They will have to solve a riddle;
They will look for clues through observation;
They will have to interact with a screen;
They will be greeted by someone; etc.

[1] LÉTOURNEAU, Jean-François, and Médérik SIOUI (2019). « L’enseignement des littératures des Premiers Peuples : de l’Histoire aux histoires », Correspondances, volume 24, number 5. Consulted on July 3, 2019 at: http://correspo.ccdmd.qc.ca/index.php/document/lenseignement-des-litteratures-des-premiers-peuples-de-lhistoire-aux-histoires/.

Downloadable tool
File “What should be the public’s experience?”
Downloadable PDF

 

Which means and/or media best correspond to the transmission project?

In light of the previously completed information and the profile of the identified public(s), it is now time to determine what medium would be best to ensure the project’s effectiveness and that its objectives are achieved. As there may be several possibilities, this step requires reflection. To assist with individual or collective reflection, it may be useful to refer to the mind map exercise.

How to create a mind map?

A mind map is a tool that allows ideas to be displayed and connections between each element to be visually represented.

 
carte_mentale
 

 

Procedure
  1. Place the intention in the center.
  2. Create branches from the various information collected and include short descriptions.
  3. Create a second level of branches to state ideas for this purpose (how to transmit) or specific characteristics related to the information (what to transmit).
  4. Once it seems like all information and ideas are complete, choose elements that seem to fit together and write possible means that address these associations.
 
carte_mentale
 

 

To facilitate creativity
  • Do not censor yourself.
  • Let intuition guide you.
  • Combine all ideas and thoughts.
  • Allow the position of elements to be moved. (The use of Post-it notes can facilitate malleability).
Examples of practice
 
carte_mentale
 

 

Downloadable tool
File “What means and/or media are the most appropriate for the transmission project?”
Downloadable PDF

 
 

Synopsis of a cultural transmission and/or diffusion device

This work process allowed the project in the making to be clearly defined. Depending on the scale of the project, the following phases often require conveying and explaining the project, when seeking funding, introducing the project team or bringing together collaborators. With the information from the chart of guidelines, it is now possible to write a summary that will enable its proper communication. This summary is called a synopsis. The synopsis is usually short, about ten sentences may suffice. Here is the framework for writing an effective synopsis:

Note: Each bullet point corresponds to the information from one column of the chart of intent.
What? The intention of the project.
Why? The objectives for transmission and/or dissemination.
For whom? The selected public.
When and where? The context.

How? The means.
What will be experienced? The experience.
What will be retained at the end of the experience? The messages.

Downloadable tool
File “Synopsis of a cultural transmission and/or dissemination device"
Downloadable PDF