Case Studies: What We Liked (Fall 2015)

As a class, we reviewed last semester's case studies, and we really liked...

  1. Clarity, clarity, clarity
  2. Clear headers
  3. Chronology
  4. "Try it Out" button on bottom, with a contact or CTA afterwards
  5. Consistent, fine typography
  6. Realistic ideas
  7. Realistic, story-driven case studies
  8. Showing the product in the header

Case Studies: What We Liked (Summer 2014)

As a class, we reviewed last semester's case studies, and we really liked...

  1. the generous use of headers, and important phrases emphasized in bold, making it easy to scan
  2. video clips
  3. real pictures of the authors working
  4. when prototypes were clearly linked to (we found prototypes embedded in the page to be confusing)
  5. app review screenshots - which seem like a good, easy way to get user research
  6. good typography and use of color
  7. when we could click on artifacts like wireframes to see them up close (and were kind of frustrated when we couldn't click on tiny thumbnails)
  8. luxurious use of whitespace
  9. charts to help make research easily digestible
  10. big clear callouts in screenshots and pictures, so we could quickly understand what value they provided, and even give us some new insight
  11. We liked forward thinking, innovative ideas


Case Studies: What We Liked (Spring 2014)

As a class, we reviewed last semester's case studies and listed the important attributes

  1. We liked it when case studies were easily scannable. This usually meant three levels of hierarchy:
    1. A big clear headline
    2. Breaking the document into several major sections, each with a dominant sub-headline
    3. Easy scannable chunks with callouts and clear leading sentences in each section
  2. Lead with eye-catching imagery that communicates the topic
  3. Professional aesthetic and production values
  4. Telling a good story, and using the story to frame the entire sequence of the case study. E.g. "It all started with...", "then I surveyed...", "Which lead to..."
  5. Using a topic that people can relate too, that is "popular" in its appeal
  6. Competitive research screenshots, so we can see the market context
  7. Keep scope in check, don't get so ambitious that quality wavers
  8. Extra points for interactive prototypes, make sure the link is dominant so its not lost on the page
  9. If you show a thumbnail for a wireframe or other deliverable, let us click into it to see the details
  10. Single-scrollable page works great
  11. Link to the sections from the top of the page
  12. Show pictures of yourself doing the actual work, it makes it real
  13. Make sure to highlight your *AHA!* moments, what insight did you generate that no one else knew before?