Prototyping is important as it allows a user to test possibilities, identify problems, brainstorm new ideas, consider solutions and experiment with the building process. Essentially, the aim of prototypes is to generate a response or emotion from its audience.
Background
My digital artefact is a YouTube channel with a corresponding Instagram account. My aim is to create more ‘generic’ and ‘basic’ content targeted generally towards teenage girls like myself.
My prototyping progress
“A prototype can be anything that a user can interact with” and in terms my digital artefact, my prototypes include; YouTube videos and Instagram posts and stories.
YouTube – thus far
In addition, to the videos I had already published on my YouTube channel I created another 3 new videos. Within each of these prototypes, I experimented with different aspects in an attempt to better understand my audience and create content they are interested in consuming.
After my first prototype video
After my second prototype video
After my third prototype video
My first prototype was a university vlog and it is by far the most successful video with the most views, likes and more positive engagement. I do need to keep in mind it has been up the longest, however even upon considering that, this prototype received a better response within the first 24 hours when compared to the others. This video improved my channels prior state and also lead to a rise in subscribers.
My second prototype was a, trying to draw my friend’s video. I created this prototype as more of an experiment to see if an audience would engage with a more comedic type of content. I also experimented with engaging my audience with the subject of the video through polls on Instagram and Twitter. This was in an attempt to create interest in the outcome of their decision however, this video did not perform well evident through the negative feedback. This video was also around 5 minutes longer than my first so possibly this could be a contributing factor to the lacklustre response and engagement.
My most recent prototype video was a get ready with me. In this prototype I thought I would experiment by including a friend as it would make me less awkward and I thought it would generate more interest. However, thus far the video hasn’t received an overly positive response. Although there are some likes, comments and I gained 4 subscribers the views are quite poor. Again this video was longer than the previous prototypes so maybe this has something to do with the poor response.
As a result of my prototypes, I have considered possible solutions. One idea is to try to shorten the video length down for my future videos however, this isn’t always possible as it is dependent on the video content.
My prototyping progress – Instagram
I have also created prototypes on my Instagram page dedicated to my digital artefact. Thus far, four posts have been made as well as stories. There has been some positive engagement as my amount of followers have increased and each post also experiences similar engagement. Using hashtags also helped to attract other users to my page.
Here are some post and story insights from my Instagram dedicated to my DA.
Despite this, my prototypes have made me aware that this page isn’t exactly a success. For starters, I am not entirely sure what I should post other then updates that I uploaded a video or stories asking what people want to see. Even then, I post these types of stories on my personal Instagram in which I can reach a larger audience of people.
Although I don’t believe the Instagram based solely on my DA is performing that well, it still acts as a traffic source for my videos. However, these viewers could also be coming from the promotion I do on my personal Instagram, which receives more impressions, reach and engagement.
Here are some story insights from my personal Instagram.
Problems
As explained earlier prototyping is an important learning moment for creators as it gives them greater insight into how their work will perform, what works and doesn’t work, encourages problem-solving and new ideas etc. Consequently, I have been able to identify some issues through reviewing my prototypes.
Some problems I have experienced so far throughout my prototyping process is both time management, technical issues and audience participation.
In terms of time management creating YouTube videos is a lengthy procedure as getting ready, filming, editing and posting takes a long time. I did actually intend to have more prototypes created by this stage in my DA, however due to these time issues I have been unable to. Although there isn’t much I can do about this complication, as shortening these times is diffuclt a possible solution could be to film two videos in one seating. This might be able to help time management as I could have a second video prepared and ready to post earlier rather than later.
Technical issues such as audio, lighting and video quality have all been issues. Possible solutions I have tried was to film with different equipment (my iPhone and then a camera), use a ring light, talk louder and film in different locations. Using a different camera did lead to audio improvement, however I found that the video quality actually decreased. Also, space on my computer has become a large complication throughout the process as video files take up a large amount of room.
Another issue my prototypes have raised is audience engagement. It’s no secret my videos are not exactly successes and only generate small amounts of views, likes and comments. Although I want to improve this, I am finding it difficult to do so.
LINKS:
Youtube: Simply Sez
Twitter: simplysez
Instagram: sarahcreecy
Simply Sez 
Hey Sarah, this is a great post!
Firstly your use of the analytics as a tool is a great idea that I try and do too. It seems like you are interpreting everything and trying to make changes in order to adapt and improve your DA – which is what it’s all about. Your Instagram and Youtube accounts are easy to find through the links you have, but it seems there’s a bit lacking when it comes to links to the lecture material. I found that while analytics are important, it’s good to also use the lecture materials and readings as another critical tool when it comes to the self-improvement of a DA. Try checking out the article posted in week 9 about Facebook analytics as a way to figure out how to improve your reach. The audience interaction is a great help when it comes to figuring out what they do and don’t like, so you’re doing well to have feedback from them coming in. I also like how you’ve outlined problems you are having at the end of this post – it’s an important thing to realise these so that you can grow positively from them!
Overall, you’ve got a sweet DA. I’m keen to see some more videos!
LikeLike
Hey Sarah, this it is clear to see the sheer volume of hard work you’ve put into this post.
As I have found out myself, platforms like YouTube and Instagram are based heavily on a frequent and consistent posting of content. If you fall out of those algorithms it can seem as though the reach of your content disappears! What I love about your DA is how you have utilised Instagram for its clear capabilities in FEFO, as you can post daily without too much of a hassle, but also used YouTube to create much more engaging content (the kind of stuff that is perfect for starting a feedback loop).
A few things you could try to improve on are links to other people doing similar channels with good success stories. As we know, a great way to help create an audience is by sharing other others content!
Having said that, If you’d be interested in checking out how my DA is coming along, here’s a link!
https://vaughnsigalphotography.wordpress.com/2019/10/11/south-coast-bouldering-update/
LikeLike