Web Design/Group Activities/Paired Bio Pages

The whole web design class has been approached by a local newspaper and asked if we could put together a bunch of (brief) biographical pages about us - the local web design students at the local college.

The purpose of each biographical page is to enable readers to see a little into the life of a student, their goals and aspirations, likes, world-views, hobbies or views on current events. They've asked also if an aspect of each page-design could reflect something of the persons character (such as the choice of colours, font or theme graphics).

The newspaper has asked for the pages to be in either a word-processor format or HTML.

Outline of Activity
In this group activity you'll get the chance to:
 * interview another participant in the class - finding about their interests and passions - as well as,
 * demonstrate any background skills in design, communication or technology that you've picked up in school or work (none assumed!)
 * learn from each other!

Duration (suggestion only):
 * Planning client interview - 10 mins
 * Conduct interview (and possibly take photo of your client or for background image of your page) - 30 mins
 * Report back results of interviews to the group - 10 mins
 * Create Bio page - 60 mins (or longer, depending on your page!)
 * Discuss final bio pages (both from designer and clients perspective) together with whole group.

Planning your client interview
As well as the normal details such as names, interests, motivations etc., you may want to run with a theme or metaphor for your client's bio page and interview. Be as creative as you feel comfortable, but remember that the person you're interviewing is your client - you are creating the page to reflect their personality, not your own!

There's some interesting personal interview-type questions on Everything you ever wanted to know about each other.

Relationship to Qualifications
If you already have substantial HTML/CSS skills and knowledge, you may be able to use this activity to demonstrate your skills for assessment purposes. Talk to your facilitator for more information.