Project II
The PechaKucha
Exercise 1: The First Draft
For this project, we are working on our Pecha Kucha presentation. This is the first time I have heard of this format of presentation. But this is the format we will be following for this project:
“The Pecha Kucha 20x20 presentation format is a slide show of 20 images, each auto-advancing after 20 seconds.” The images advance automatically and you talk along to the images.
Kickoff
To start, we were given a list of prompts from which we can use as an overarching theme of our Pecha Kucha:
It seemed like a good idea at the time
How did I get here?
Why I’m perfect for the job
5 times I said yes and regretted it
Hindsight is 20/20
Post cards from…
It was the most unforgettable day
My college bucket list
Let’s go on a journey together
Why you must own a cat/dog
This is what work / life balance looks like
Who I am vs. who I am perceived to be
Let me introduce you to my hero
First Line + Last line
Once we selected our theme, we wrote down what our first and last sentence would be.
Post-It PechaKucha
Next, we began to draft out our initial Pecha Kucha slides on post-it notes.
Reflection
The Pecha Kucha 20x20 presentation format is a new concept to me. I think the concept is interesting in that you need to make sure that you are in sync with the 20 second slide transitions and you have no control in when or how fast the slides are changed. Like that first example that was shown in class, there was some creative and funny use of the consistent 20 second slide transition. And the most recent Pecha Kucha shown by Maddie Headrick really shows how powerful this format can be, in delivering an emotional narrative.
Exercise 2: The Second Draft
During class, we held a feedback session on our scripts for the Pecha Kucha. It was my chance to have someone hear my script and to see if my narrative was comprehensive or if they understood the message I wanted to convey.
The Feedback
After reading my script to my classmates and discussing about it during the feedback session, I received really helpful advice on how to improve my Pecha Kucha. Overall, the message that I was trying to convey was clear to everyone that heard my script. But, there were some sections of my script that could flow better. One of the changes I made to the script was moving a part where I talk about my experiences with architecture / engineering firms during high school closer towards the beginning of the body section. The feedback I got was that it was jarring for them to hear me talk about my experiences within architecture school and all of a sudden jump to my experiences in high school.
Reflection
I thought this second exercise was beneficial for the development of my script. Reading it to others revealed flaws in my script that I wouldn’t have noticed reading it myself. After receiving feedback from class and thinking about how that could change my Pecha Kucha, I have an idea of what my next steps are. During the discussions I had, there was some suggestions as to what images I could use for the Pecha Kucha. Apparently hearing my script evoked some mental images. For my next iteration, I’ll be taking those experiences into account when deciding on what images to put on my 20x20 slide deck.
Exercise 3: The Final Draft
For our next project, we created 20x20 Pecha Kucha presentations. The theme I chose for my Pecha Kucha was “How did I get here?”.
First Line + Last Line
To start off, we conducted a first line + last line exercise. For this exercise, we selected the theme our Pecha Kucha would be based on. From there, we wrote down the message that we wanted the audience to leave with. So the theme that I selected was “How did I get here?”. With this in mind, I wanted to leave audiences with the this message: your journey will often go unexpected ways, but that is okay.
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For the first and last line of my Pecha Kucha, I started off with the question, “How did I get here?”. To end off my Pecha Kucha, I wanted them to realize that how they got to where they are will go in ways that they never expected, but that is okay.
Post-It Notes
After that, we worked on the structure of the Pecha Kucha. To do this, we were given some post-it notes. We had one color for each section of the Pecha Kucha: the introduction, the body, and the conclusion. On each post-it note, I wrote down a 1–2 words that could be the title of that slide. Underneath, I wrote down some bullet points that quickly outlines the content of that slide. I continued doing that for the introduction, body, and conclusion, forming the rough structure of the Pecha Kucha.
Reflection | Feedback + Script Draft
Working on the script over the course of the project was an insightful writing experience. I received feedback from both my instructor and my classmates. As I continued iterating my script, I made a new document and labeling it as the second revision or the third revision and so on. In class, the feedback I received was after I had done a run of the script to another classmate. After the discussion, I would record what was suggested for improving my script. With my instructor, feedback was given over google docs, in the form of comments.
As I iterated over my script, it really helped me understand the importance of timing, brevity, and engagement. During the initial form of my script, it was difficult to fall within the 6 minutes and 40 seconds time limit. This mean’t that when I ran through my script, it was a challenge to keep my classmates engaged. Later on, I would trim my script down, but I also had to balance that with making sure the audience understood the narrative I wanted to convey.
As I neared the last iteration of my script, I was able to make the content simple enough so that it stayed within the time limit, but I needed to practice being able to deliver the content in time. In this case, each part of my Pecha Kucha needed to be within 20 seconds.
Reflection | Pecha Kucha Images
The Pecha Kucha is a presentation that includes a series of images which I will talk over, with my script. For my images, I used Unsplash to select my images. For each slide, I envisioned what would best help the audience to better understand what I was talking about. For example, during the part of my script where I discuss how architecture is an inherently long process, I used an image of a building being constructed from a birds eye view. I chose this image in particular because the lens which took the photo gave the building that “miniature / scale model”. This image encapsulates the design and construction aspect of architecture.
For the peer review of the selected images, we ran through our script while playing our slides, which were timed to 20 seconds each. For some of the images, I chose some that were text heavy. In particular, the image that does this was when I talk about taking the course User Centered Research and Evaluation. I present the bridge-synthesis model, which is a very text heavy diagram. But my peer reviews found it to be distracting, so I removed the text and only included the shapes of the diagram. This made the image less of a distraction from my main content while still conveying that ‘technical’ process I learned.
Final Video
https://drive.google.com/file/d/1F6Pvg4RwST723bHv7sMv39YpuU8ti5CP/view?usp=drivesdk
Reflection | Project Summary
Overall, I enjoyed creating the Pecha Kucha for project 2. Starting with a broad, general theme, drafting a rough outline, narrowing down the narrative, and focusing on refining the presentation allowed me to practice my storytelling skills. As an aspiring UX designer, these principles will help me in communicating with others about my designs. For example, I can envision myself using these principles in creating a presentation for stakeholders that is compelling or being able to speak to my work in a way that is clear and concise. While I did struggle at first with keeping only the essential information to convey my narrative, I was able to craft an effective narrative through peer reviews and critique sessions.
