Strategic Plan for the Design Philosophy Papers

Designers: Jennifer Allen | Eric Drewski | Sakshi Gupta | Robert Molnar | Rajasee Rege

Design Problem: My team and I were charged with the task of developing a strategic plan for our client, the Design Philosophy Papers. Design Philosophy Papers (DPP) is an independent, peer-reviewed, scholarly journal that provides a critical analysis of design. DPP primarily publishes online, with an annual print edition. DPP also provides a yearly print edition of a collection of the most prominent articles. The promotion of sustainable design is a core value of DPP and one that makes it unique and appealing to many readers. The editors of DPP desired to increase the journal's readership as wll as attract authors who produce influential scholarly articles. In addition, the editors wished to increase the financial viability of the journal. Design Process: This project required a full assessment of the user experience associated with the Design Philosophy Papers. The team conducted interviews with the editor of the journal, developed an understanding the experience of the people who worked for DPP, its users (subscribers, authors) through primary research. In addition, we conducted secondary research regarding scholarly journal publishing. We iterated on primary and secondary research until we developed a set of core problems experienced by stakeholders. The design solution was a direct result of understanding of the core problems and the needs of the stakeholders as well as the understanding of the open access publishing model. Research and Design Methods: Literature Review Interviews Exemplars Flow Analysis Heuristic Evaluation Brainstorming Conceptual Modeling Information Architecture Personas/Scenarios Prototyping Cognitive Walkthrough Role: I actively participated in all of the activities listed above. My most impactful contribution involved the primary and secondary research, and the development of hybrid the open-access publishing model. Design Description: Our strategic plan provided our client with an effective and impactful open access e-publishing model as well as steps to dramatically enhance their customer's experience of the Design Philosophy Papers website. Design Presentation: Poster Presentation Strategic Plan Timeline Heuristic Evaluation

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