Minor Project / Haelan Herbs

4/4/2023 - 15/7/2023 / Week 1 - Week 15 
Nurul Adlina Rizal / 0345429 / Bachelor of Design in Creative Media
Minor Project
Haelan Herbs


JUMPLINKS

    > Website
    > Presentation Deck


LECTURES

Week 1: 

Mr Choong briefed us on the Module Information Booklet which includes the tasks for the semester and the requirements. We formed groups based on our interests. 

Design Thinking for Beginners

What is design thinking?
Human-centered problem-solving approach. 

Five Steps of Design Thinking

1. Empathy
2. Define
3. Ideate
4. Prototype
5. Test 

Fig 1.0: Multi-Disciplinary use of Design Thinking (7/4/2022)

Empathy Research
- starts with asking the right questions, talking with people about their challenges, ambitions, and constraints


To define the problem, we can look at the formula in the figure below. 


Fig 1.1: Problem Statement (7/4/2022)

Then, to start the ideation process, we start with how might we?

How might we (intended action) for (primary target user) so that (desired effect)?

Prototype
Cheap, Fast, Simple
MVP (Most Viable Product)

Testing
- share what we've made to receive feedback
- helps keep the people we're designing for at the center of our project

Week 2: 

User Persona

  • fictional but realistic portrayal of a target user for your product

From User Research you will understand your users':

Needs and Goals
Pain Points
Behavior Patterns
User Characteristics

  • clarifies who you’re designing it for
  • guide your design decision

Persona Groups

  • remember the major needs
  • focus on one user group and one pain point

Single User Persona

> Fictional name

> Image

> Summary Quote

> Demographic Profile

  • Personal Background
    Age, Gender, Education, Persona Group & Family Status
  • Professional Background
    Occupation, Income Level, Work Experience
  • User Environment
    What technological devices do they have excess to?
    Location?
    How often do they collaborate?
  • Psychographics
    User Attitudes, Interests, Motivations, Pain Points

> User End Goals
ex: discover and book holiday destinations

> Scenario
how they interact with your product to achieve their goal
- When, Where, How



INSTRUCTIONS

Fig 1.2: Minor Project Module Information Booklet (7/4/2023)


Fig 1.3: Brandialogue Apothecary Brief (7/4/2023)

Task 1: Proposal

Week 1 (4/4/2023)

We started out by forming the Problem Statement. It was not too difficult due to the research already been done by Brandialogue on our target audience. Then we divided tasks on our Contextual Research. I got the task on research the size and growth of the market. While researching, it was difficult to find any valuable information. Most of the articles and sites discussed statistics and numbers. However, I found pieces of information regarding key trends and the popularity of herbal medicine and agarwood essential oils which are what our brand will be mainly focusing on. I hope my research was able to help in creating a brand for our target audience. 

Fig 1.4: Market Size and Key Trends in Herbal Medicine and Agarwood Essential Oil Market (7/4/2022)

Week 2 (11/4/2023)

After completing all our Contextual Research, we then started working on the user personas and the interview questions that we wanted to ask each user persona group. Moreover, we met Mr Damien, Ms Zae's partner, to ask some questions and see a sample of the product in person. The session led us to set a time for a site visit where we could see the place that makes these types of products. Then, we worked on the persona profile together as a group.


Fig 1.5: User Personal Profiles (29/4/2023)

We crafted the questions for the different personas that we want to have in our survey questionnaire later on. 

Fig 1.6: Question Block (15/7/2023)

Week 3 (18/4/2023)

We started working on our survey questionnaire using Google Forms. We decided to make it open to everyone and let them answer questions based on the user persona that they fit into. We have four different sets of questions for four user persona groups. After completing it, we started to share it amongst our family, friends, and the public using social media such as Instagram, Facebook, Reddit, etc. 


Fig 1.7: Introduction to our Survey Questionnaire (29/4/2023)

I shared the link to my Instagram accounts to get responses. 

Fig 1.8: Sharing Survey on My Instagram Story (29/4/2023)

Week 4 (25/4/2023)

We had collected a total of 186 responses to our survey which is more than enough for our user research. What is left is for us to summarize and analyze the data collected. Moreover, we conducted a site visit on 28/4 Friday with Mr. Damien to D'Advance Agarwood Solutions' office. 

Link to Google Drive of our photos: 

Product Packaging Images

Fig 1.9: Incense Stick Box (25/4/2023)

Fig 2.0: D'Advance Products (25/4/2023)

Fig 2.1: Bag Design (25/4/2023)

Fig 2.2: Tea Packaging (25/4/2023)

Site Visit Images

It was really nice to visit the office and we were very grateful to Ms Zaiqi's tour of the place and explanations of their products. 

Fig 2.3: D'Advance Agarwood Solutions Site Visit (25/4/2023)

Fig 2.4: D'Advance Agarwood Solutions Site Visit (25/4/2023)

Fig 2.5: D'Advance Agarwood Solutions Site Visit (25/4/2023)

Week 5 (2/5/2023)

We worked on our Miro Board and Google Slides. For Miro, we worked on Insights, How Might We, and the User Journey Map. Moreover, we worked on our Project Tracking Document as well. I helped in updating the interview section by rewriting all the questions and answers we received from our site visit the previous week. We also started working on the Brand Identity which includes the brand name, art direction, brand values, logo, vision and mission, objective and purpose as well as the brand's unique selling point. Last but not least, we worked on completing our proposal slides on Google Slides using all the information we gathered. I worked on the brand identity section. Adeline, our appointed art director, started working on the design direction and the brand logo using the brand name we decided to be Miyu Herb. 

Fig 2.6: Miyu Herb Logo Varations (2/5/2023)

Week 6 (9/5/2023)

We continued working on the Google Slides based on the feedback received. I worked on the brand identity section based on the feedback as well as the User Journey Map. I asked for feedback from the group to make sure this section was perfect. We also created the product list to confirm how many products we would be making for the project and Kickstarter. Moreover, we brainstormed a new brand name as a team by making many different ones together and Haelan Herbs was voted the highest. Therefore, moving forward the brand will be Haelan Herbs. 

Fig 2.7: Brand Name Brainstorming (9/5/2023)

Week 7 (16/5/2023)

Our new brand name was approved and we stepped on the gas by creating a new logo, posters and updating the art direction. We had a group meeting to finalize the slides and created a more detailed touchpoint for the User Journey Map. 

Fig 2.8: Finalized User Journey Map (16/5/2023)


Fig 2.9: Haelan Herbs Logo Variations (16/5/2023)

Week 8 (Independent Learning Week)

We continued working on our proposal slides. I helped in making the Persona & Survey section slides shorter and more concise. I believed that the information gained from the survey should be easy to absorb using the method of organization that I used which was color-coded answers. Then, we updated the design of our slides to follow our art direction and rehearsed our presentation together. 

Week 9 (30/5/2023)

We had our presentation and received mostly positive feedback. We also had feedback on aspects that we needed to work on such as bringing our insight to use. Other than that, the Gantt Chart was created, by our lovely group leader, Adena, and our tasks moving forward were divided and assigned according to it. Additionally, we worked on the website wireframe. 

Final Proposal Deck


Fig 3.0: Proposal Deck (16/7/2023)

Task 2

Week 10 - Week 11

For the two weeks, we worked on Social Media Content ideas and update our art direction. 

Social Media Content Google Sheets Link:

New Color Palette

Fig 3.1: Updated Color Palette (13/6/2023)

Gantt Chart

Gantt Chart Link:

Fig 3.2: Gantt Chart (13/6/2023)

Week 12 (20/6/2023)

In Week 12, we worked on videos that we thought could work with Haelan Herbs' content. We wanted to show Mr Mike samples of the videos to receive feedback on them as well as have a template and format of our future Haelan Herbs video content would look like. 

Tea Making Video

Process

Previously, the video was filled with harsh cuts to match with the song in the video but Mr Mike said the brand fits a more softer feeling with fade-ins and fade-outs. 

Fig 3.3: Tea Making Video (16/7/2023)



Final

Fig 3.4: Introducing OUD Tea (20/6/2023)


Social Media Content Calendar

We had also finalized our social media content calendar and assigned the posts to each person who were expected to work on the social media content. 

Fig 3.5: Social Media Content Calendar Month 1 (20/6/2023)

Fig 3.6: Social Media Content Calendar Month 2 (20/6/2023)


Week 13 (27/6/2023)

With the Social Media Content Calendar finalized and task assigned, I worked on my social media posts which were the two transition posts, Post 13-15 and the videos. 

Kickstarter Posts

To inform the audience of our kickstarter page and upcoming kickstarter for our oud line. I worked on these with Yiki. 

Fig 3.7: Kickstarter Post 1 (27/6/2023)

Fig 3.8: Kickstarter Post 2 (27/6/2023)

Email Planning

I was also assigned to Customer Service part of Haelan Herbs so I worked on the emails first by making write-ups for each scenario. 


Fig 3.9: Email Planning (27/6/2023)


Social Media Posts

Here are my progress and drafts as well as finalized version of all the social media posts I was assigned to do. 

Slide Link: 

SOCIAL MEDIA POSTS by Nurul Adlina


Post 13

Fig 4.0: Post 13 (27/6/2023)


Post 14

Fig 4.1: Post 14 (27/6/2023)

Post 15

Done with the thought of turning this into a informative carousel to share more information. 

Fig 4.2: Post 15A (27/6/2023)

Fig 4.3: Post 15B (27/6/2023)

Fig 4.4: Post 15C (27/6/2023)


Transition Posts

Posts 19 - 21

Fig 4.5: Post 21 (27/6/2023)

Fig 4.6: Post 20 (27/6/2023)

Fig 4.7: Post 19 (27/6/2023)

Fig 4.8: Post 19-21 (16/7/2023)

Posts 31 - 33

Fig 4.9: Post 31 - 33 (16/7/2023)

Week 14

Brand Guideline

Fig 5.0: Brand Guideline (16/7/2023)

Insta Feed Mockup 

Fig 5.1: Insta Feed Mockup on Google Docs (16/7/2023)


Oil Mixing Video 

Process

Fig 5.2: Oil Mixing Video (16/7/2023)


Final

Fig 5.3: Oil Mixing Video (16/7/2023)

Customer Satisfaction Survey

Fig 5.4: Satisfaction Survey (16/7/2023)

Week 15

The website had been finalized with minor chanegs before the presention in Week 15. This was all thanks to Alicia's hard work. 

Website

Figma Link: 

5 Products Video

Draft

Fig 5.5: 5 Products Video Draft (16/7/2023)

Final

Fig 5.6: Final 5 Product Video (16/7/2023)





FEEDBACKS

See Project Tracking Document under Consultation Log. 



REFLECTIONS

Week 1
I was very excited to start a project that required industry collaboration. It was an opportunity and chance to take a step into working in an industry and in a team of designers each with different specializations and sets of skills. My specialization isn't really necessary for the task I have chosen but I think it is good to step into graphic designer shoes and be more well-rounded. 

For Week 1, we were introduced to the module by getting a brief of the Module Information Booklet as well as the different projects that we can choose to work on. There were projects that were focused on brand design and some were focused on solving a serious problem such as domestic violence. I was interested in two things which were Lily Doll and Apothecary. Those two were in the realms of what I was already interested in day to day which were adorable toys and personal care. In the end, I chose Apothecary because I wanted to dive more into the world of brand design which I am not used to since I specialise in Animation. I also think my skills could make the Apothecary project even more interesting in terms of having motion graphics and interesting visuals to market to its target audience. With that,  we created a group of six of us who were also interested in the topic and started working on the contextual research together. It was not difficult for us to work together and the task distribution went smoothly. It is most probably due to the already present synergy in the group since we were all friends and have been classmates since our foundation year. The task I was given was to research the size and market growth. It was a bit vague so I focused on the market growth of Agarwood and the market growth of natural remedies. I got to learn about calculating market volume which is an essential tool when starting a business. It is to calculate the potential of the product you are selling. On Friday, we had a Zoom meeting with Ms Zae from Brandialogue (our industry collaborator) which gave us the chance to ask her all the questions that had stirred up in our mind since the day we were given the project. It was a beneficial session since after the meeting, we had a better understanding of the project and what our collaborator expects from us as a team. 


Week 2
For week 2, we had completed all our contextual research as a team and Alicia, Adena and Adeline presented our findings to Mr Mike in class. We received some feedback which were mostly positive as well as what we can work on next. Mr Mike mentioned to start working on our user personas and interview questions for each of the user persona groups. Yiki, Sasilvia and I started working on the interview questions and separating our users in initially three user persona groups. It was difficult to not make all the questions sound familiar so we had to see if each question were necessary for each user persona group. Later on Friday afternoon, we met with Mr Damien, Ms Zae’s partner, to see the product in person. He showed us a packaging for incense sticks and shared his ideas for the project. He elaborated that natural herbs and remedies is an untapped world that everyone should try out and it should be beginner friendly. That means people who are interested and trying out natural products for the first time are included in our target audience. Moreover, we set a time with Mr Damien on when we could conduct the site visit. With the date set, and meeting with Mr Damien ended, we had our own discussion as a team. We worked on creating the four personas under the four user persona groups. It was genuinely fun to learn about how each persona's background can have an affect on their needs, goals and pain points. 

Week 3
For Week 3, I was unable to attend class but was updated by my groupmates. Mr Mike gave feedback on our personas and user profiles we made. Then, we started working on the online questionnaire that is open to anyone and based on their experience with herbal products, they will be sorted into 4 different categories. It was good that we structured our questionnaire this way because we can share our survey on many different platforms such as Instagram, Facebook and even Reddit. I think it was interesting to get responses from international respondents because it confirmed to us about how there is a market and want for herbal products but with only little knowledge of its potential. With that, we should create a good relationship with our target market and build trust that our product has its benefits. This stage lets us connect with the people we are trying to create a product for and learning more about them will definitely help us create a product that can suit their needs and wants. 

Week 4
In Week 4, Mr Mike reviewed the responses that we had gotten and told us that we can close the questionnaire if we are not entertaining any more responses. He also told us to fill in the Insight section of the Miro. Moreover, on Friday we visited D’Advance Agarwood Solutions as our site visit with Mr Damien. We were introduced to their own products and how they use agarwood for all types of things such as in tea, coffee, as a bracelet, skincare product and the classic incense sticks. This session let us ask the different questions regarding Agarwood and how they market it. There was much to learn and it was definitely a huge benefit to see the products they made face to face. We also took photos of the product as references for our own product design. During the weekend, we worked on our Miro board under the Insights Discovery: Technical and the Project Tracking Document in the Empathy section. We updated our findings from the site visit and the survey conducted. 

Week 5
This week, we had a meeting on Monday to work on our Miro regarding our Insight Discovery: Technical section. I was unable to attend but was given the task to complete Site Visit - Interview section in the Project Tracking Document. This task gave me a chance to recall back what the representative had told us and what questions were asked. Then, on Tuesday, Sasilvia, Yiki and I presented the Miro Board and Mr Mike pointed out some things we were forgetting to ask Mr Damien and Ms Zae. After noting and sharing all feedback with the rest of the team, we settled the misunderstanding between us and our collaborators. With that, we had another meeting on Friday, to rework our Insight Discover in Miro and work on our User Journey Map as advised. We had also started working on the brand identity. This led to us brainstorming the brand name, logo, art direction, brand values, vision and mission, objective and purpose as well as the brand’s unique selling point. The final task left of the week was to try and complete our proposal on Google Slides with all the information we have gathered over the five weeks. Since I was tasked with working on the brand identity section, I struggled a bit since I am not very skilled in this part of the design process. I am grateful for our graphic design members for guiding me along the way. We also didn’t properly decide on certain parts so I was nervous in summarising all of our points to cohesive points and sentences. Moreover, Adeline was appointed as our art director who had started with the design direction and digitalized the brand logo of the agreed brand name, Miyu Herb.

Week 6
In Week 6, Adena and Alicia received a lot of feedback from Mr Mike in their Monday class. It is due to the amount of work we had put in the work before. It was good because we wanted to have everything done well before the day of our presentation. With that, there were parts that I did that required editing such as the objective & purpose, vision & mission, unique selling point and target market. For the brand values section, Adena helped out which I am grateful for since I do not know the best way to present it. Last but not least, I updated our User Journey Map on the slides based on Mr Mike’s feedback. There were some changes made on certain sections which were Decision and Service. I believe Adelina and Yiki as well as Adena had made changes and finalised these sections. To end the week, I decided to ask the group for some feedback and suggestions on the objective & purpose as well as vision & mission slides just to make sure it aligns with everything we are going for in this project. Thanks to Adeline, Yiki and Sasilvia, the two slides were completed. This week, I really owed my group mates for helping out on certain aspects of my tasks. Moreover, other tasks I worked on were producing a product list which later my groupmates added on more and we decided on the final five. We also brainstormed the brand names and voted for which we liked best. As of now, the votes are highest for the name ‘Haelan Herbs’ and following second is ‘The Herbarium / The Herbaria’. I believe these two names are quite suitable for what we want our brand to be. 

Week 7
For this week, we received feedback from Mr Mike on both Monday and Tuesday. On Monday, we received feedback for the Proposal slides and User Journey Map. On Tuesday, we received feedback on the art direction. Since Haelan Herbs was approved for our brand name, Adeline, with the help of Sasilvia, created logos and posters for the brand to have a digital representation of what our brand will look like. There were still some parts that needed to be tweaked before our presentation on Week 9. With that, we had a group meeting on Friday, to finalise slides based on the feedback given and also create a more detailed touchpoint for the User Journey Map. For my part, I worked on the User Journey Map / Brand Journey slide since the map will have to be summarised for our client (Brandialogue) with Yiki. I found that we have a hard time summarising points but also at times we have a hard time at elaborating points. I do not blame us as this type of work is a first for most of us and the task is not easy. We are definitely learning a lot along the way. The week ends with us hoping to get the slides approved by next week to prepare for presentation. 

Week 8
This week was Independent Learning Week. Therefore, we did not get to have physical classes with feedback but our leader, Adena, had continuously updated Mr Mike with progress. Most of our progress lies in making the slides more concise and summarised. While Yiki worked on making contextual research shorter, I focused on the Persona & Survey section. I believed the survey section is important but could be summarised in a way where it makes it easier to read and present as well. I tried my best with all the information given and Yiki had assisted me on these slides too. Later in the week, Mr Mike gave us feedback on the slide design and design direction section which Adeline, our design director, worked on. She made so many different layouts and designs, not only using the graphical elements made but also using photographs. My group mates also worked on redesigning and integrating our design direction onto the slides. Then by the end of the week, we split the presentation parts and I got the About the Brand part. I was relieved because it is the part I worked on most but a little nervous because it is not my strongest suit since it is very graphic design and branding based. Then, I wrote the script for the presentation on Tuesday to prepare. 

Week 9
For Week 9, we had our final approval of the slides from Mr Mike before our presentation on Tuesday. We practised on our presentation during Monday night together as a team. We rehearsed the whole presentation and fixed certain parts that were factually incorrect and even shortened some members' parts so our presentation did not drag too long. Then, on Tuesday, we had our presentation with other Brandialogue groups. We were the third group that presented our proposal to Ms Zae and Mr Damien and we were nervous. However, we did not need to be too nervous because our research, insight and brand development was well done but we were lacking on certain aspects that Ms Zae and Mr Damien pointed out and gave feedback to improve. During the presentation, there were some technical errors but I believed it still went smoothly despite it all. The feedback we received was to focus on our insights and translate it into our design direction, especially the first insight on our target audience’s issue of having too many choices. We proposed to have ready-to-use packages with fast accurates facts but that insight was not displayed or translated well in our design direction. Therefore, we need to work on it more to make sure we can move on to the next stages of the project. Throughout the week, our group leader, Adena, created a Gantt Chart that we could follow and divided tasks to each member based on their skills and strength. With that, our art director, Adeline, started working on the design direction based on the feedback received and our UI/UX specialist, Alicia, worked on the wireframe of our website. 

Week 10 
 In Week 10, Yiki, Sasilvia and I presented to Mr Mike our progress and what we had updated based on the feedback during the presentation which were the website, updated art direction with new color palette and font. However, there were still parts we needed to work on such as creating Haelan Herb’s signature look. Later on, we were working on our parts in the Gantt Chart to keep progressing. 

Week 11
For Week 11, I could not attend the tutorial session on Tuesday to support Yiki with the feedback session. However, Yiki and I added on and updated the Social Media Content Calendar that Sasilvia had filled up the day before. Then, Adeline, our Art Director, showed her progress on the design direction. She even compiled slides that briefed us on how our posters and photo editing should look like following Haelan Herb’s design direction. I really appreciated it because it can help all of us stay consistent with the style that we want for Haelan Herbs. Moreover, Adena made changes to the Gantt Chart so that I could lead on certain tasks. 

Week 12
In Week 12, Adena, Alicia and Adeline received feedback from Mr. Mike on Monday on the updated design direction by showcasing our posters and imagery that has been edited to fit the style that Haelan Herbs is going for. I was glad for the positive feedback because it meant we could move forward with working on more tasks. With that, Yiki and I worked on videos, based on the suggestions and ideas from the team. We created three videos in total including the logo motion graphics made by Yiki with a bit of help from me. I edited the tea-making video to introduce the oud tea product in Instagram reel format so we could imagine how our social media content could look like. On Tuesday, we received feedback for these and Mr Mike mentioned that we should not have any harsh cuts and only use fade-ins and fade-outs to fit our design direction. We also updated him on our website progress with integrated design elements which received positive feedback. Later in the week, on Friday at 2 pm, we had a meeting to discuss the content calendar together. We set up the timeline of our Instagram posts for 2 months. 

Week 13
For Week 13, we received feedback from Mr Mike on both Monday and Tuesday as usual. On Monday, he approved the design direction and evaluated our completed social media content calendar. He stated that we should expedite our progress. Later that day,  I worked on the customer service section by creating emails that the brand’s customers would receive so that we could share them with Mr Mike. Yiki and I also worked on the Kickstarter post for our social media content to show him. Overall, the feedback was positive. There was so much progress done this week by the group. We completed the packaging mockups, did significant progress on the website and made more social media content. Everyone that made progress had shared with the team and received feedback from everyone as well. I believed everyone did such a great job. For me, I made 2 transition posts and 1 informative post. I created many variations since I considered how it would look like on the social media feed. 

Week 14
For Week 14, Adeline, Adena and Alicia received feedback on Monday regarding our product packaging design, mockups and the updated website and social media. I continued on completing social media posts on Monday night so that I could complete all the content I was assigned to and we could get more feedback on. On the next day, Tuesday, Sasilvia, Yiki and I got more feedback on the updated product mockups, introduced to him our brand guideline and I created a google document to showcase how our social media content would look like compiled together. For both feedbacks, it was mostly positive with only a few changes to make. Later in the week, Yiki and I created more videos based on the social media content calendar and I finalised the social media content I was assigned to. I had also done the customer experience satisfaction survey along with its mockup to better enhance Haelan Herbs’ customer experience. I put all of these files into our group Google Drive for submission and presentation slides later. 

Week 15
In Week 15, we all quickly finished up all the remaining tasks such as video making, any changes on the products, social media content and website, finishing up the project tracking document as well as creating the final presentation slides. We had a meeting on Tuesday to finalise everything, mostly the Project Tracking Document and started working on the presentation deck. We also divided the presentation parts and rehearsed it on Thursday night together. My part in the presentation was Customer Service. For me, the tasks I was doing were the final five products video with Yiki during Monday night. Other than that, I updated the social media posts, adding paper texture to have consistency with the other posts and adding the Haelan Herbs logo. Finally, on Friday, we had our final presentation with Mr Zae, Mr Damien and Mr Mike. We received positive feedback for our presentation and I was so proud of our team for all our hard work. With that, we compile all our documents together for submission. 



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