Minor Project
28/8/2023-13/12/2023 (week1-week15)
Ng Jia Xien (0355062)
Minor Project
Instruction
1. Establishment of the "Viya" team
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| Fig1. Project Brief |
In our first class, we were required to build a team and work on a chosen project. At first, I joined the "Sleep Care" team, but I found that I couldn't learn anything related to my specialization, which is entertainment design, so I changed to the "Avatar Creations" team. Our team got 5 people including 3 from entertainment and 2 from animation.
Our task is to help our client gain more followers for their virtual influencer - Viya
2. Contextual Research
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| Fig2. Work Assignment |
We already know each other from the previous semester, so it is easier for us to work in a group and Qiao Yin was chosen as the leader of the group. Since we didn't know anything about our project, we started by assigning sections to study in hopes of getting some basic understanding of what we would be doing next.
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| Fig3. Contextual Research |
The above is the part of the research I was responsible for, and while it didn't help the project much, we did gain a better understanding of the mechanisms of virtual influencers and how they work.
After getting feedback from Mr. Mike, we also did the analysis of other influencers that Viya can learn from, this progress does help us a lot in understanding how experienced virtual influencers companies launch their virtual influencers.
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3. Online Survey
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Above is the user persona that we created before the online survey section.
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| Fig6. Survey Questions and Interview Notes |
We were planning to do an online questionnaire and have already done the draft question, but after consultation with Mr. Mike, we found that the questionnaire was not effective for us to collect the answers and responses that we required. In the end, we changed our plan to interview, as it is more specific and able to dive deeper into the questions.
After compiling the responses from our respondents, we've summarized a few areas that Viya needs to improve if it wants to increase followers.
4. Insights Discovery
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| Fig7. Insights Discovery |
"Insight Discovery" was basically a tool to help us organize the situation, including consolidating the data we had obtained and the next steps to be taken. After the entire group collaborated on the "Insight Discovery", we all had clearer goals for the future of Viya.
5. Proposal
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| Fig9. Expectation Outcome |
Initially, we decided to come out with 3 different key visuals to show how we gonna launch Viya, but in the end, we found that we should focus on one that could best represent our idea and effectively convey our concept. So, we decided to work on Instagram stories and post mock-ups to show how we gonna improve Viya.
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| Fig10. Viya's face on the existing model |
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| Fig11. Instagram Stories Mock-ups |
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| Fig12. Instagram Posts Mock-ups 1 |
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| Fig13. Instagram Posts Mock-ups 2 |
After a lot of hard work by our whole team, the above is our final outcome of mock-ups. There is still a lot of room for improvement, but it is good enough for us to show it as a prototype to our client and introduce him to our idea.
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| Fig14. Task Assignment for Presentation |
Then we have our first proposal presentation to our client. The client is quite satisfied with our proposal but mentions that they have an interest in coordinating with the brand, they do provide us with some brands that they think have the potential for Viya to coordinate with.
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| Fig15. Research for Local Brand |
Based on what the client wanted, we did research on local fashion brands that have the potential to coordinate with Viya, including clothes, shoes, skateboards, hats, accessories, snacks, etc. However after our own group meeting, we considered that Viya is still in the fledgling stage and is more important for her to build up her defined personality and backstory, and luckily the client agreed with the suggestion and we reached a consensus that we should first enhance Viya's backstory and characteristic.
6. Final Outcome: Content Development
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| Fig16. Customer Journey Map |
Before content planning, we also mapped out our "Customer Journey Map" to better understand our customers' needs and expectations. Having clear goals allowed us to better map out the next steps and stay on track at all times.
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| Fig17. Milestone |
We even created a milestone to show what our project will do for Viya's future.
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| Fig18. Content Calendar Week 1 |
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| Fig19. Content Calendar Week 2 |
After of two weeks discussion and consultation with Mr. Mike, we finally came out with a detailed social media content calendar for 2 weeks. One story per day is to keep Viya active on social media and 2 posts per week are to reserve time for technician work. Such a plan maximizes the exposure of Viya 2.0 to the viewers and attracts the attention of the viewers through a highly active Viya 2.0, which leads to an increase in followers.
For the final outcome, we decided to work on a week's content to show the client an example of how to improve Viya.
7. Final Outcome: Photoshooting
The client (EDT) delayed the demo session that should provided to us, which resulted in a delay in execution, but it also provided us with breathing room as other tasks were still catching up with us.
Finally, we had a shoot at IKEA and Pingmin Market. According to our research and information provided by the client, the whole shoot was a great success and all members of our team were satisfied with the results. Especially Hoi Yee, our team member who modeled for Viya, did a great job with her poses, which helped us a lot in the shoot.
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| Fig20. Photo Shooting Day |
8. Final Outcome: Post-production
After getting those well-posed photos, we now need to composition Viya's head into our model. But the hurdle is none of us has mastered the software we going to use - Unreal Engine.
The biggest frustration we encountered throughout the process was our desire to use Livelink's functionality to adjust Viya's facial expressions. The original method used by the client was to manually adjust Viya's facial expressions, which had the advantage of looking more natural and lively, but the disadvantage was that we didn't have as much time as we would have liked to have mastered the mechanics of adjusting Viya's facial expressions, and we did have a lot of photos that needed to be edited.
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| Fig21. Viya's model in Unreal Engine |
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| Fig22. Viya's model in Unreal Engine |
First of all, not all of our group members's laptop can handle Unreal Engine, Livelink also have the requirement on the device, so only half of us in the group can do the exploration of the software. So we split our group members into two groups, which are the Unreal Engine group and the Photoshop group, this decision was for us to have a more effective workflow and let our group members have enough time for other submissions.
I was one of the members of the team responsible for working on Unreal Engine, and I often thought that my laptop would explode during a run because it was too hot. Me, Qiaoyin, and Kai Yi would stay on campus and work on Unreal Engine together, but without success. But our efforts were not in vain, as I accidentally used my iPad to connect to the Livelink while exploring alone at home, and it worked!
Next, we followed the advice we got from EDT and we finally managed to get a close-up of HD's viya head.
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| Fig23. Final Outcome: Stories |
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| Fig24. Final Outcome: Posts (Pingmin Market) |
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| Fig25. Final Outcome: Posts (Ikea) |
8. Final Outcome: Presentation Slide
Below are the presentation slides for the proposal and final outcome.
Reflection
Throughout the 15-week MINOR PROJECT, my learning journey exceeded my expectations. Initially unfamiliar with the concept of virtual influencers, I progressed from a state of confusion to gaining a fundamental understanding, eventually reaching a point where I could actively contribute to their creation. Mr. Mike's guidance was invaluable, particularly in bridging the gap between design and marketing. I realized the importance of comprehending the marketing aspects, communicating effectively with clients, and crafting proposals.
I must acknowledge the exceptional teamwork within my group. Each member brought unique expertise, fostering a positive atmosphere that greatly contributed to our collective success. Without their support, I wouldn't have performed as well as I did. This project not only expanded my technical skills but also highlighted the significance of collaboration and interdisciplinary knowledge in achieving comprehensive project outcomes.
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