Research

Week 6: Research your final project online and develop a case study to present to class. Include your target audience, main form of instructional strategies, and a sample "similar" site, if possible.

I use Tumblr and make animated graphics for myself during spare time. On what I researched on Tumblr, animated gifs are popular and users like to post them.  Sometimes it's only for fun entertainment and interest. I am going to based on users who make animated graphics for Tumblr.

Why We Love Animated GIFs?
Here's a great article about why we love animated gifs. I agree about when some people are not interest in such animation, it is unavoidable. It's hard not to get attracted to the animation. (Source) These animated graphics are made of frames and animate repeatedly. Sometimes, animated graphics are made for advertising, so it's not only for entertainment. However, some animation can be annoying and marked as spam. The article says, "and yet animated GIFs that show just a few seconds of someone making a funny face repeatedly become exponentially more appealing to someone than a picture of the same person that did not move." I agree because an animation of a picture would be more interesting than a still image with no movement. A still image is boring, but an animation has more movement, meaning, and significance that make sense and attract the audience.

Target Audience:
It depends on the user making the animated graphic. What is the intended use and purpose? Is there a message the user is trying to say? When making these animated graphics, we should know who we are trying to target. (Source) Since making animated graphics are for fun, there might not have any message to communicate through. However, if the audience is interested in what the graphic is related to. The targetted audience are teenagers, young adults, and anyone who would like to learn how to create animated graphics/gifs. I assume this tutorial is for users who already know how to use the basic Photoshop. If not, I might teach a simple basic introduction to Photoshop.

Instructional Strategies: 
My strategy is to teach based on hands-on. It's easier to teach just typing on text and showing screencaps of the program. By doing this way, the learners can follow what I do step by step while they try it by themselves too. However for swf files might be hard because it will be hard for the learners to constantly go back and forth watching the swf/video to learn the tutorial. In text and screencaps, learners can pause, go back, and even test out the program while reading through the tutorial with no problems. 

Persona: (user that may be interest in the animated graphic tutorial)
Name: Lilly Scott
Age: 16
Hometown: New York City, New York, United States

Lilly is a student that goes a high school. She take computer and art classes at school. She gets along with everyone. People say that she carefree and very artistic. Her dream job is to be a graphic artists someday. She is also good at reading and writing. She lives with her parents and a baby sister. She loves her family a lot that they visit their relatives once a year in other countries. In her spare time, she loves to watch television, listen to music, read, write stories, and making graphics on the computer. She is fascinated with life itself. She loves to explore and travel while getting inspired by the art all over the world. It gives her ideas in making graphics. She sometimes like to draw out designs. She like to spend time with her family and friends during the weekends. Not only she has hobbies at home, she also like doing sports outdoor. She always like to try any sports. She gives a 100% effort for trying.

Samples:

1. Ultimate Tumblr GIF Tutorial
   Great tutorial. this tutorial is based on screencaps and text only, and that's what I wanted to do. I need to break it down into steps. For this sample, this user numbered the steps large font headers. After the header, it is the instructions. Then after the instructions for that step, there is the screencap and more text.
   
2. GIF Tutorial Youtube Video
   This user highlight important parts with red border, which is easier to spot. It also lure the audience's attention to that part. Titled and put header for titles. Bullet pointed for details. Cropped to enlarge areas of the screencaps.
   
3. TracyLeeRose: Tutorial Animated GIF
   This article has introduction, middle, and conclusion about animating gifs and tutorial. It also has a history about animation. I like how this person numbered the parts, bolded text, and used red for warnings. Also, a video tutorial is included.