Evaluation Question 3 - What have you learned from your audience feedback?
Throughout the project I regularly conducted target audience feedback, this was so that I could see if my products appealed to my target audience and gather constructive comments associated with them. I would then make changes to my products based on the constructive comments to ensure that my products appeal to my target audience. Audience feedback is vital to any project with a client because, you need a wide variety of opinions in order for the product to appeal to a mass market. Overall, I feel that the audience feedback I conducted throughout the project was highly successful as, I have made three media projects that are appealing to my target audience.
✓ Positive Feedback
Constructive Feedback ✗
Music Video
Test Shots
Feedback from my target audience has shown that my test shots have been successful with my target audience as they liked the fluidity of them. However, Rory commented on the fact that he thinks that the camera angles are too static which will consequently make the music video look boring, so as a result I adjusted my storyboard so that it includes a variety of different angles and camera shots so that the audience remains entertained and intrigued. Moreover, Rory also commented on the additional use of more locations as the primary location is a school setting, so adaptions were made so that the music video is less heavily focused on being filmed in a school setting. This in turn would help the continuity and improve the flow of the video so that the audience remains interested and focused on the narrative that is being conveyed in the video.
Katie also pointed out the fear of the camera being too stationary and commented on the fact that the different angles and shots would improve the flow of the video whilst making the narrative look more interesting. This was taken into account during the filming shoots after the test shots, so as a result I filmed multiple different camera angles and shots that show motion, some of these scenes synchronised with the lyrics.
So, I learnt that I needed to film from multiple different camera angles and positions in order to keep the target audience interested in my music video. This feedback was vital to the development and final outcome of my music video as without this advice, I would've created a music video that would've looked boring and didn't interest the target audience as I was making the video appeal to me and not my target audience. Looking back on my original storyboard, I can agree with them as there are very few changes in the camera angles, so the video would've looked boring, this made me realise how important target audience feedback can be and how it can affect the outcome and success of a product. I continued to get audience feedback on my products, especially the music video but I focused on asking question that would provide constructive criticism so that I could improve the video, ensuring that it appeal to my target audience. I wanted to make sure that I was satisfying the target audience. I gathered the feedback in a variety of ways, however the main one was asking them questions then writing down their responses so I could upload them to my blog later and make the changes to the products swiftly. This helped me make decisions and feel confident in what i was doing, in order to create a successful, appropriate music video.
Video Prototype 1 (Ends at 1.41)
✓ Some of them liked the pacing of the video and how I consistently cut on beat.
✗ However, others thought that I overused it to the point where it became boring and repetitive.
To combat this I adjusted the video so that it features different transitions like fading to white and cross dissolving to make the video more captivating. However, the song has sharp beats that are repeated throughout the song, meaning that the jump cut remained as the transition that is used primarily.
✗ Some of the clips were way too long and tended to drag on a bit, meaning that they began to lose interest.
My response to this was to shorten these clips which increased the pace of the video and consequently retained the audience’s attention.
✗ My target audience thought that adding in a few cut away shots would benefit the flow of the music video and would aid in the video’s ability to captivate the audience.
My response was to add in some cut away shots to establish new sequence locations and to slow down the pacing of some parts of the song for dramatic effect.
Responding to Audience feedback in prototype 2 of my music video - Adding more transitions
These are some of the cut aways that I added to the prototype 2 version music video in response to the audience feedback requesting more.
These are some of the cut aways that I added to the prototype 2 version music video in response to the audience feedback requesting more.
These are some of the cut aways that I added to the prototype 2 version music video in response to the audience feedback requesting more.
These are some of the cut aways that I added to the prototype 2 version music video in response to the audience feedback requesting more.
Responding to Audience feedback in prototype 2 of my music video - speeding up clips
I have learnt that my target audience can be split on a decision, for example half of my target audience like the jump cuts whereas the other half don't, so to try to appeal to both i kept the main transition as a jump cut but I also included lots more different transitions like fade to white and fade to black.
I have also learnt that my target audience do not like looking at a visual for too long as they will lose interest quickly, so I have increased the pace of the cutting so that they are constantly supplied with visual stimuli.
I believe that I have learnt a lot about my target audience from this feedback, as I have come to realise that they have a short attention span so I need to use face paced editing to retain their attention and that I need to increase the pace of the visuals so that the narrative is conveyed concisely and quickly, whilst the audience are paying attention.
Video Prototype 2 (Ends at 2:27)
✓ I like the video, the visuals are really attractive draw my attention.
This response made me feel more confident about my music video, i feel like I have hit the pace that the editing needed to be in order to grab and retain the target audiences attention.
✓ The pacing of the visuals and story is great.
Again, this comment made me feel more confident in the music videos ability to convey the narrative in a clear manner.
✗ The drumming parts of the song don’t sync up with the music, so it’s out of time and makes the video look unprofessional and undermines the authenticity of it and detracts from the quality of the music video
My response to this was to re-edit the drumming scenes so that they did sync with the beats of the song, so this issue was resolved.
✗ Use more close ups to show the artists expression as it will really emphasise their emotion. It would add more depth to the narrative and make me feel more empathetic towards the character.
My response to this was that i used more close ups during the bed scene and the breakdown scene at the end of the music video as they both act as emotional voyeurism. This will make the audience empathise with the protagonist and may make them feel like they can relate to his situation more.
✗ Punch scene is out of sync
My response to this was to re-edit this scene so that each clip hits the beat of the song - so it maintains the fast pace that is continued throughout the music video.
✗ Reduce the amount of time I spend lip syncing, the target audience got bored watching it and found it cringey.
My response to this was to use more cut aways during this scene so there are less visuals of the protagonist singing.
✗ The lip-syncing is out of sync.
My response to this was to re-edit this scene so that each clip hits the beat of the song - so it maintains the fast pace that is continued throughout the music video.
The following is a screenshot from the comments section of my music video prototype 2 page where I collected audience feedback to the video and adjusted is correspondingly.
The following is a screenshot from the comments section of my music video prototype 2 page where I collected audience feedback to the video and adjusted is correspondingly.
Response to Audience feedback - Drumming part 1
Synchronising the singing scene
Response to Audience feedback - Drumming part 2
From conducting this feedback I have learnt a lot. Firstly, my video had terrible issues syncing up with the visuals which were fixed shortly after, however, I also learnt that my target audience don't like to see the artist singing the song which is the opposite of what I thought they would want to see as the artist singing in the video is a convention of music videos. I have also learnt that my target audience like the fast pace of my editing and narrative, it shows how I was correct about the short attention span hypothesis. I also learnt that I have not synchronised the visuals with the beats of the song very well so I practised doing this for a while then re-edited the music video to fix it. Furthermore, I also learnt that this current state of the music video had lots of room for improvement which I have capitalised on, so now I know that I am definitely appealing to my target audience whilst also over time improving the videos quality overall.
Video Prototype 3 (Final)
The audience Feedback to my final video came in two different forms, one being a video questionnaire, the other being an online questionnaire. To see what I've learned from the online questionnaire, click the image to enlarge it and see details that I have written on each image. I am pleased that my target audience were able to see the rock genre being reflected in my music video as it demonstrates how I've implemented different rock music video conventions. They all noticed and like the drumming scenes suggesting that my music video appeals to them. So, I have learned that I can create a music video where the target audience can identify the genre. One member of my target audience like the school setting environment and commented on how it looks realistic. So from this I have learned that I can create realistic looking environments which strengthen a narrative. They all said how they liked the narrative and can relate to the main character, which informs me that I have successfully created a character in which my target audience can find a personal identity in, so I have successfully applied Blumler and Katz's uses and gratifications theory to my music video. Two of the three members of my target audience both didn't like the same thing, how the visuals were repetitive, especially during the chorus. This suggests that I should have used different, more exciting visuals during the chorus rather than repeating the same ones. The Asian individual, Christian Kumar, struggled to understand what mental health had to do with the narrative so he was unable to comprehend my preferred reading but this could have happened because of cultural differences. So I have applied Stuart Halls' reception theory to my music video. Although it does also suggest that I didn't illustrate the mental health theme clearly enough in the music video. So I have learned that you should keep a plot simple, so that these complex issues don't end up confusing someone as it can spiral out of control quickly. I have also learnt that I have created an effective promotional package for my artist as my target audience were able to see the ways in which i created synergy between the three products. They were able to identify the same actor, same clothing, same colour scheme and the theme of mental health is continued throughout. One member of my target audience was also able to spot a link between the visuals and music, saying that it cuts on beat, so I have applied Andrew Goodwin's theory of a music video (Dancing in the distraction factory) to my music video. However, there was still room for improvement in my music video, one member of my target audience suggested that I should've shot some scenes at night to add a realistic atmosphere to the music video, whats more, a convention of rock music videos is that they are shot at night, so my music video wouldn't be challenging a convention if I had filmed at night and It would've looked more realistic. The audience members agreed with me and thought that I had created an effective rock music video, even one of them who is not a massive fan of rock could see how it appeals to someone who likes rock music. This solidifies my belief that I have created an effective rock music video that appeals to my target audience, however it is not perfect and has some faults.
Audience Feedback to Video Prototype 3
The results show that my the majority of my target audience (28 out of 33 people) can identify the video as being under the rock genre, suggesting that I have clearly displayed symbols and icons.
Clearly my target audience can relate to the protagonist as he is the most appealing part of my music video which was the aim. This demonstrates how I have displayed conventions of rock music videos in ways that appeal to my target audience, thus suggesting that I have created an effective music video.
This suggests that my target audience agrees with me as the majority of them voted yes, saying that I have created and effective rock music video.
The results show that my the majority of my target audience (28 out of 33 people) can identify the video as being under the rock genre, suggesting that I have clearly displayed symbols and icons.
Website
During the construction of my website I needed to gain audience feedback to ensure that i was making an appropriate product marketed towards them. When I did my mock designs I asked a few members of my target audience what they thought about the design layout and possible improvements. I'm glad i did this because they made me realise that I was missing some important conventions of an artist's website and made me realise some issues throughout.
Website Mock up
Target Audience Feedback:
✗ They said that the website could be more interactive –-> My response was to make the website more interactive by embedding links onto the site so navigation is easier. By doing this the website also becomes more interactive.
✗ They said that there were too many images in the gallery section, so many that it was distracting the audience from the main focus of the website, which is the music video – My response was to reduce the number of pictures in the gallery section on the website so that the focus is restored back to the music video
✗ They also commented on how I should fill up the empty space on the home page – My response was to fill this space with some merchandise which will act as another form of promotion which in turn may boost sales of the artist’s merch
✗ One member of my target audience suggested that I could create a slideshow for the pictures that are in the gallery section – My response was to use this idea in my final design for the website as it will make the website look more professional and authentic
✗ One member of my target audience said that they didn’t like the cover image for the digipak as it was too grey and looked bland and boring – My response was to use a lighter shade of black and white so that the greyscale is not overpowering.
✗ As seen on the digipak feedback – some members of my target audience didn’t like the font that was featured on the digipak as it looked childish – My response was be to run a tally with 15 people from my target audience to see which font they like the most and the winner of the poll will be used in the final design. By doing this I know that I will be appealing to the majority of my target audience even though the sample is small.
✗ They also didn’t like the image on the tour page, they said it was too big and recommended that I either remove it or use a smaller image as it distracting – My response was that I removed the image as it is too distracting from the main focus of the page, which is the tour dates.
Results for the Tally
I presented this to a group of 15 members of my target audience and told them to pick their favourite font.
My results show that the majority of the Target audience like the font Bad behaviour, so in the end I wont be changing the font. However, by doing this I now know that I am appealing to the majority of my target audience.
These were some comments made from different members of my target audience after they had looked at my website mock up.
I presented this to a group of 15 members of my target audience and told them to pick their favourite font.
Website Prototype 1
When I made this website on wixsite, I needed some more feedback as the layout and navigation worked properly this time and looked more realistic and genuine. I asked them to write down their opinions in order to gain detailed answers for me to work with. This was extremely helpful as I found that because I was looking at it for so long, I didn't notice things that other people did when they first saw it - this made me realise improvements which is useful because without implementing these improvements, the website wouldn't be as good.
Audience Feedback:
Home page:
✗“I think you should add a little description of the album in the space underneath the buy now buttons as it will fill the empty space, or include something along the lines of #1 Best seller to fill the empty space as it is distracting and look unprofessional.”
✗“You should add the logo of the artist (Twenty one pilots) to the homepage, as it is a convention of homepages and will make the website look more authentic.”
✗“The Homepage is lacking in terms of content, I think you should add something to develop it as in its current state it looks unfinished, include something like the latest news about the artist as that seems to be a convention of website like these.”
✗“I think you should make the background black and the text white as it would make the site look more classy and polished.”
✗“I think you could improve the website by making it more navigable, for example making it so that navigation through a page is faster and easier rather than just making it easy to get to the page.”
✗“The links on the homepage that are suppose to redirect you to the sites where you can purchase the album don’t work, you should add these links as it would improve the websites interactivity.”
Music page:
✗“You need to change the image on the music page to a picture of you – the current one is not you and is misleading as I got confused about who the artist was”
✗“You need to change the image of the swing set to one that you took as it is misleading and adds to the atmosphere of the website.”
About page:
✗“You need to change the image on about page to picture of you as the one there is not you so its unclear who the artist actually is”
Merchandise Page:
✗“The merch page looks really bad and takes away from the sophisticated design of the website, you should either change it completely or just remove it as it doesn’t add much to the website.”
My Response To Audience Feedback:
Here is what I plan to do change in order to appeal and adjust the website to what the target audience have said:
1. I added a small description of the album on the homepage to fill the gap.
2. I added the logo of the band to the website and put it in the top left hand corner as that is conventionally where the logo of the band goes on the website.
3. I added a thread of the latest news about the artist to flesh out the homepage.
4. I have Changed the background of the website to black and the text to white to make it look more elegant, classy and sophisticated.
5. I added more features to improve the navigation of the individual pages to make the website more interactive.
6. I fixed the links on the homepage that are meant to take the audience to the respected page where they can purchase the album.
7. I changed the image on the music page to a picture of myself to establish that I am the artist and so that the audience can put a name to the face.
8. I changed the image of the abandoned swing-set to one that I have taken and edited.
9. I changed the image on the about page to an image of myself - for the same reasons as why i'm changing the picture on the music page.
10. I removed the merchandise page and section on the homepage.
I have learnt how easy it is to overlook key conventions of an artist's website. However, due to the feedback from my target audience, I was able to identify what was missing, so I've added the conventions that my website was previously missing, so that my website looks more realistic and authentic. This once again highlights the importance of consumer feedback as without it my final product would be missing a lot of conventions and would consequently look very unrealistic.
Website Prototype 2 (Final)
Website Link - https://liam6656.wixsite.com/myfinishedsite
The audience Feedback to my final video came in two different forms, one being a video questionnaire, the other being an online questionnaire. To see what I've learned from the online questionnaire, click the image to enlarge it and see details that I have written on each image. I am pleased to see that my target audience could recognise the genre of the website through the dark colour scheme, the font and the style of photography. the majority of my target audience was able to make multiple links between the website, digipak and music video. This shows how I have created synergy between the three products, thus developing a brand for the artist. My target audience members liked the colour scheme, the logo and how the font is the same so continuity and synergy are strengthened between the two products. They also liked how accessible and interactive the website was. These are conventions of a genuine website so it could be inferred that I have been successful in creating a website that appeals to my target audience. The main issue that they had with the website is the blank space on the sides of the website. This is an intentional part of the design and gives the website a clean and sophisticated look, so i disagree with the target audience on that point. The also didn't like how much content was on the homepage, they thought it could have been more spaced out or 'diffused into other subject topics.' One member of my target audience thought that there was no meaning behind the slideshow of images but he didn't realise that they were supposed to be promoting the music video since he had already seen it so it was pointless to him as he had already seen the video. Overall, i would say that I have created an effective artist website that appeals to my target audience whilst also being successful in promoting the music video and digipak. There are some changes that could be made to improve the website but those mistakes were all a part of the learning process, so now i know not to make those mistakes again, e.g. not putting the music video on the homepage.
Audience Feedback to Website Prototype 2
The majority of my target audience viewed my website on the preferred platform, a computer, this is the preferred platform because it design the website on a computer so the consumer will be able to see it in its intended form.
My audience thought that My website was easy to navigate, I intentionally added arrows that help direct the consumer around the page in order to improve navigation.
Describe your image.
The majority of my target audience viewed my website on the preferred platform, a computer, this is the preferred platform because it design the website on a computer so the consumer will be able to see it in its intended form.
Digipak
When designing my digipak, I wanted to gain some audience feedback to ensure I was making a digipak that appeals to my target audience. This was quite productive as came to realise that my deign was missing vital parts like the spine and 3 panels. This made me realise how important the feedback was as i needed to make the rest of the digipak so that i could know for sure that my digipak was appealing to my target audience.
Digipak Mock up
Audience Feedback and Response:
There was mixed feedback about my fonts, some said that it intertwines with the pic as they’re both disjointed i.e. ‘BlurryFace’ links with the literal blurred face. Whereas others said that they don’t like the fonts because they look too childish and immature for the genre of music. My response to was the tally that I ran be with the 15 members from my target audience to see which font they like the most and the winner of the poll will be used in the final design. By doing this I know that I will be appealing to the majority of my target audience even though the sample is small. (See results for tally in Website section)
Others said that they liked the look of the disc as it looked professional. They particularly like the background of the disc and how it links with the front covers image.
My target audience also commented on how they particularly like the back cover as it has all the connotations expected to see like a barcode, however it is missing some copyright material which is a convention of a back cover, so my response was to add this missing content so that this feedback is fully achieved.
However, on the other hand, some of my target audience said that there were a lot of conventions of a back cover missing like: The artist's name, how the album name should be underneath the artists name, the barcode should be in the bottom right and corner and that there should be copyright information. They said that since it lacked all of this, it look unprofessional and unrealistic. So my response was to do some thorough research into the conventions of a digipak back cover and adjust the layout so that it conforms to conventions. This enabled me to make it look professional and realistic.
One individual stated that they didn’t like the picture as it needs to look clearer and suggested that I should overlay a sharper image to achieve a cleaner look, however after I explained to him that it was meant to look like a mental breakdown he suggested to keep the abstract as it adds to the intensity of the attack whereas a clear image would subvert this desired effect.
A few people commented on the fact that the digipak was missing a spine and 3 panels so in response I created them and added them to the final design. I used their ideas and implemented a line from the song on one of the panels and for the other two I used quotes rather than a fact about mental health. Using a line from the song will create continuity by linking the music video and the digipak which shows the audience that these two products are a part of the same brand.
One member of my target audience said that the image on the front cover looks to grey, Going on to say that it made the cover look bland and boring. I responded to this feedback by using a lighter shade of black and white so that the greyscale was not overpowering.
One member of my target audience said that I need to even out the spacing on the back cover of the digipak as it is currently uneven. Currently, the uneven state subverts the authentic look that I was going for so my response was to change it so that it all evened out, in order to make it look cleaner and sharper which in turn made it look more authentic.
This was some feedback i got from my target audience after they looked at the design of my digipak mock up.
This was some feedback i got from my target audience after they looked at the design of my digipak mock up.
Digipak Missing content
Audience Feedback:
The main problem with the final design for the back cover was that the copyright for the album was way too big and the red background made it really distracting and drew the audience’s attention away from the main focus of the back cover, the track list and the main image. – I have responded to this feedback by shrinking the size of the copyright so it is in a readable size but not an overwhelming one that overpowers the whole cover.
Another recommendation was that I should change the colour of the artist’s name to orange, as it is currently white, whereas on the cover it is orange, so the white undermines continuity throughout the album. – I have responded to this by changing the colour of the artist’s name to orange, in order to re-establish continuity throughout the digipak.
Digipak - Final
The audience Feedback to my final video came in two different forms, one being a video questionnaire, the other being an online questionnaire. To see what I've learned from the online questionnaire, click the image to enlarge it and see details that I have written on each image. My target audience liked the colour scheme that I used and they also liked how they could see the theme of mental health being explored in the product as well, creating continuity and synergy between my three products. One member of my target audience liked the links between the quotes on the digipak and how the themes that they represent are explored throughout the music video. The two main elements that my target audience didn't like about my digipak are: the complexity of the layout as it is a lot to take in, and how the images on the inside of the digipak are a bit repetitive. So from this I have learnt similar things to what the feedback to the music video taught me; firstly, people don't like looking at content that is repetitive as it is boring and secondly, it is better to go with a simple layout rather than a complex one as the complexity can confuse the target audience and may result in them not liking the product because of it. My target audience were also able to make connections between the digipak and the music video, one individual pointed out how two images on the digipak are directly link to a scene from the music video. So, I would say that I have successfully displayed synergy between my media products and it has helped develop the brand for the artist. One member of my target audience thought that my digipak would've been better if I had used more vibrant, primary colours as it would have emphasised the theme of mental illness.
Audience Feedback to Website Prototype 2
55.81% of my target audience were able to identify the album as being a part of the rock genre, so clearly I have shown the rock genre through the design of my album as I have used conventions of rock digipaks, for example the dark colour scheme. However, only just over half of my target audience were able to identify it as rock so I have learned that I need to improve my design scheme to include more iconography associated with rock so that it is clear that it is a part of the rock genre.
78.38% of my target audience liked the design of my digipak which suggests that my product appeals to the intended target audience, thus increasing my confidence in my designs.
I have learnt from this feedback that the majority of my target audience believe that I have created an effective digipak design that appeals to it's target audience as 86.84% of my surveyed targeted audience agreed with me. So this indicates that I have had success with all three of my products as my target audience find all of them effective and appealing, therefore it can be suggested that I have learned how to create designs and content that appeals to a targeted audience.
55.81% of my target audience were able to identify the album as being a part of the rock genre, so clearly I have shown the rock genre through the design of my album as I have used conventions of rock digipaks, for example the dark colour scheme. However, only just over half of my target audience were able to identify it as rock so I have learned that I need to improve my design scheme to include more iconography associated with rock so that it is clear that it is a part of the rock genre.