Interaction Design · Project 1 of 3 · Weeks 1–5
ID Project 4: Final - Comprehensive Process Book
The semester as a designed artifact
FORMAT
Individual
WEEKS
Final
METHODS
Editorial design,
Process documentation,
Quantitative data visualization,
Critical self-assessment,
InDesign layout,
Reflective writing
TAGS
Why this project
This course uses an ungrading approach. Students do not receive point-based grades on individual projects — instead, they propose their own final grade in a written self-assessment and defend it in a one-on-one conference with me during finals week. The Process Book is the evidence they bring to that conversation.
This structure does something that traditional grading cannot: it asks students to look at their own work honestly and make an argument about what it demonstrates. The best self-assessments I've read are more rigorous than any rubric I could apply — students who genuinely engaged with the course know exactly where they excelled and exactly where they fell short, and they can point to specific evidence in their Process Book for both.
The requirement is to design the book, not just compile it. The Process Book is itself a design project, and the quality of its editorial design is part of what it demonstrates. A student who can organize fifteen weeks of complex, messy work into a coherent, well-designed narrative has demonstrated something real about their capacity as a designer.
The Brief
PROJECT PROMPT
Your Process Book is not a portfolio. It is not a collection of final images. It is a curated narrative that shows how you think — how you understand users, how you solve problems, how you test and revise based on evidence, how you grew across fifteen weeks.
The book documents all three projects in sequence, each as its own chapter with a consistent structure: research, visual research, sketches and thumbnails, in-process documentation, final work, and a written concept statement. It closes with a 3–5 page self-evaluation that honestly assesses your achievement of course learning outcomes, your strongest work, your areas for continued development, and where you see your practice heading.
Format is a single high-resolution PDF, 50–90 pages, designed in InDesign with a consistent grid, typography hierarchy, and visual system across all sections. Two copies are required for the pop-up book chapter. All quantitative data from Projects 2 and 3 must be visualized — charts, tables, and comparative analyses showing measurable improvement across iterations.
Submitted during finals week. Used as the primary evidence in your final grade conference.
DELIVERABLE
A single high-resolution PDF (300 dpi, 50–90 pages) containing complete documentation of all three projects.
Required sections for each project: project brief page, research, visual research, sketches and thumbnails, in-process documentation, final work, and written concept statement meeting specified word counts.
Front matter, including title page and table of contents. Back matter, including a 3–5 page self-evaluation addressing all eight required reflection areas.
All quantitative data is visualized accurately.
File named LastName_FirstName_ID_ProcessBook_Spring2026.pdf.
What I've learned from running this