Design Methodology 2: Weekly Capstone Updates

Week 4:
This past week, I completed my Faculty Review Presentation. I spent a decent amount of time reflecting, researching, and trying to identify what my capstone will be. I slightly shifted my topic selection to revolve more around mental health issues increasing in young adults as a result of comparison and social media. I still want to explore the path of making an animation because there is an emotional aspect that can be drawn from visual storytelling, which will be important.

The working title of my capstone is “Thief of Joy,” which is inspired by the quote, “Comparison is the thief of joy,” which is attributed to Theodore Roosevelt.

Then, I identified three constraints for my project:

• audience: young adults
• format: an animation
• message: promote a sense of hope and reassurance that young adults are not alone in their struggles with mental health

I also determined the immediate, intermediate, and ultimate outcomes that I want to achieve:

• immediate: the audience will empathize with and relate to the storyline and/or character(s)
• intermediate: the audience becomes more aware of, and potentially decreases, their usage of social media platforms
• ultimate: promote mental health awareness of young adults struggling as a result of social media comparison

Moving forward, I will need to begin the research phase and seek out answers to important questions. Hopefully, through primary, secondary, and qualitative research methods, such as interviews, found data, and gathering experiences and opinions, I will gain necessary information that will strengthen my project and overall direction.