Download the IxD-Rubric
| category | HIGH | STANDARD | LOW | FAIL | ||
| Visual Design | ||||||
| Typography | Type choice and treatment create an overall strong verbal-visual | Typographic choices and size are appropriate without an excessive number of fonts or effects. | Typography is effective, although font choice, size and effects create distractions. | Typographic choices weaken the work in dramatic ways. | ||
| Use of Colour | Colour palette enhances the clarity and meaning of the work. | Colours are used appropriately and do not clash nor clutter the work. | Colours are mostly effective although there may be minor clashing. | Colour choices weaken the work in dramatic ways. | ||
| Grid and Hierarchy | All element and information ordering and placement is precise and clear so that reader can clearly perceive what is relatively important and connected. | Most text and graphics are strategically placed and well ordered. Related elements are close together and it is clear what is connected. | Problems with alignment, proximity and order create clutter and confusion as to what is and isn’t connected or ordered. | Elements are not prioritized, separated or connected in any organized fashion, creating a chaotic look. | ||
| Systems | ||||||
| Information architecture | Respects standard nomenclature for systems but able to create custom vocabularies. Understands data as vectors, matrices, hierarchies and networks; expresses information architecture consistently via diagrams and interface layouts. | Can transform observations into information architectures. Able to develop comprehensive nomenclatures, organize system entities into hierarchies and produce clear and elegant information architecture diagrams. | Can develop system nomenclature but sometimes fails to include all critical elements. Understands system hierarchies, but cannot reliably convert observations to specific and accurate information architecture diagrams. | Cannot reliably identify system’s essential elements. Struggles to explain the relationships between entities and produces disorganized or irrelevant information architecture diagrams. | ||
| Models | Easily converts observations to models to predictions of system dynamics. Thinks in terms of cases involving state, transactions and transformations. Can produce flow diagrams that distinguish between reinforcing and balancing feedback. | Able to explain system behavior in terms of a simple model. Understands concepts of state and transformations. Can produce flow diagrams that include feedback and other relevant detail. | Understands what a system model is, but struggles to develop ones that are simple or useful. Flow diagrams functional but generic. | Does not grasp how to transform system observation into a conceptual model. Flow diagrams lack sense or relevance to the system that they represent. | ||
| Workflows | Designs parsimonious workflows that are elegant in their narrative structure, use of transitions and sensitivity to standards. Understands how to map workflow frames to natural transformations in the system model. | Can design workflows that are consistent with a system model, convey a clear narrative and are broken into frames of reasonable and equal complexity that often follows standards. | Understands the concept of workflows as a sequence of steps but struggles to produce ones with a simple narrative flow that tie well to the system model or follow standards. | Does not understand how to represent a change in system state in terms of a sequence of steps and, as a result, produces workflows that make no sense or are ambiguous with respect to purpose, start and end. | ||
| Story | ||||||
| Story Content | The student is able to craft and represent emotionally charged scenes, compelling characters, rich settings, and well-considered actions and behaviors through well-placed details | The student is capable of representing character, scene, setting, and action, and some situations do not always feel unique nor carry an emotional heft | The student can represent character, scene, setting, and action, but the content throughout feels dry or neutral, and lacking the “feel of real” | The student struggles to represent coherent character, scene, setting, and action, and the content is marred by errors | ||
| Craft of story structure | The student is able to craft stories where the form of the story perfectly matches the content | The student can craft stories where the form is solid, and there are occasional false moments where participant engagement may break | The student crafts stories where the form of the story is clear, but it can feel mechanical and lack creativity | The student’s stories completely lack structure and seem incoherent, confusing the reader/viewer | ||
| Quality of presentation | Student has full command of material, presentation style is transparent and provides extra emotional heft to the presentation content | Student is confident in their knowledge of the material, and may have moments where pacing, tone, medium are not fully utilized | How the student is talking/gesturing distracts from the content they’re trying to convey | The student doesn’t appear to know the material, they are struggling to communicate | ||
| Process | ||||||
| Collaboration | Listens, contributes and leads others, helps resolve issues, proactively makes teams successful | Works well in teams, has no history of conflict, listens to others | Struggles to work with and listen to others, some history of conflict, often goes alone with ideas | Cannot function in teams, effects others around him/her, is not present or when present erodes teamwork | ||
| Data gathering | Can confidently and independently conduct all aspects of design research craft that include: identifying ideal respondents, screening, developing interview guide/materials and conducting interviews | Has basic ability to perform key functions of design research that include: identifying ideal respondents, screening, developing interview guide/materials and conducting interviews | Struggles with a number of research elements, such as screening, interviewing, staying on topic, conducting sessions, observations | Has no solid understanding of how to conduct design research independently and must rely on others for research. | ||
| Insights | Can consistently abstract both strategic and tactical insights that are meaningful and actionable for design. | Can often abstract both strategic and tactical insights that are meaningful and/or actionable for design. | Is inconsistent with abstracting both strategic and tactical insights that are meaningful and/or actionable for design. | Struggles or is unable to abstract strategic or tactical insights that are meaningful and/or actionable for design. | ||
| Solution creation | Consistently understands, interprets and extends a design brief from challenge to final solution | Can often understand and interpret a design brief from challenge to final solution | Can sometimes understand and interpret a design brief from challenge to final solution | Fails to often understand and interpret a design brief from challenge to final solution | ||
| Sketching | Effective use of sketching to convey all primary and secondary elements with originality. | Able to effectively communicate the essential elements of a sketch that stands alone | Sketches are understandable with additional explanation | unable to communicate through hand sketching | ||
| Prototyping | Has mastered multiple materials including sketching and code, with a range of fidelity to answer any intended questions. | Can create low and hi-fidelity prototypes in a variety of materials that answer articulated questions | Can create mock-ups to illustrate concept, but fails to articulate intended questions | Cannot create prototypes at any fidelity to answer a question about a concept | ||
| Core Tools | ||||||
| Creative Suite | Command of advanced operations | Command of standard operations | Able to perform basic operations | Unable to perform basic operations | ||
| Coding (Processing and HTML) | High skill level including advanced operations such as use of encapsulated object-oriented functions and data structures. | Moderate skill level including common operations such as ability to create efficient functions and employ basic algorithms | Basic skill level such as mastery of for loops, conditionals, and function calls | Unable to create workable code that includes for loops, conditionals, variables, etc. |
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