S.M.A.R.T objectives

During the last session of the week, we were assigned to create SMART objectives. SMART objectives are vital in the design process to ensure that you have specific goals and deadlines. I need to stay focused and on track as this term is extremely demanding. 

SMART objectives 

Specific- What do I want to create?

I will be designing 5 lamps with primary inspiration of primitivism. My main inspiration will be the cavemen. Four out of the five products will be made digitally on software and the last one will be 3D manufactured. The 3D product may be at a smaller scale than the actual product.

My target market will consist of ages 21-35 years old. My vision is to create simple, archaic inspired products for babies. I will be focusing on different aspects of the caveman era to further develop my designs. 

My designs will be 5 evolutionary lamps based on different primitive eras. 

Both colour palette and materials will be inspired by the cavemen and will be decided after the research.

This term, unlike the last two terms, I will be focusing more on aesthetics and comfortability. Working for children can be a tricky subject as I have to ensure that my products provide maximum comfort. 

I will be researching the history of cavemen and looking at existing products inspired by them. One of companies I will be looking at is named 'Cavemen Furniture' to draw more inspiration.

Measurable- How will I know that I achieved this?

All of my products will be displayed on design boards. This will signify the end of my project. I will be completing sufficient research, developing, working on software and manufacturing a product to reach the end of the project. 

I want to use SketchUp as my software to create the products and Adobe Illustrator to create my design boards when I have my designs finalised. Ergonomics, anthropometrics, materials and aesthetics will be a few of the many factors that I will research and include in my design board.

Achievable- Is it in my power to accomplish it?

Last term, I created 6 products and managed my time very well. I do believe that I have enough time and effort to create these 5 products. I will be choosing to manufacture the less challenging product as it will be impossible to create something very complex. 

Realistic- Can I realistically achieve it?

I have 7 weeks ahead of me to design everything. Good time management and planning will ensure that I will finish everything on time. This term, the focus module is art and design as contextual studies finishes on the 5th week and there is no more 2D3D. Therefore, my focus will be solely on art portfolio, ensuring that I finish everything before the deadline.  

Timely- When exactly do I want to accomplish it?

Even though my deadline is in seven weeks, I would like to have completed my project by the beginning of week 9. This will give me time to reflect on my work and improve it before submitting it. I set a goal to finish my work by week 8 but it was slightly unrealistic. Therefore, I am giving myself one more extra week to complete everything. 

Was this helpful? Definitely! SMART objectives really help me organise my thoughts and make sure that I have achievable and realistic goals. I am now ready for the sign off next week and I will start researching the different sections of the caveman era. I will be changing my SMART objectives once I have the specific products that I would like to create. 

In the following paragraph, I will condense everything into one small paragraph for my project sign off. The goal is to be as concise as possible:

The product design project I will be completing this term, focuses on the theme Primitivism. I will be using the caveman era as an inspiration to create products for my targeted audience which includes children from ages 21-35 years old. I will create a collection of 5 pieces, four of them made on software and one will be manufactured using materials and colour schemes which are related to cavemen. The completed work will be presented on digital design boards. If I have more time, I may create a short video showcasing the 3D manufactured object.