# C4-1 Checkpoint — Your Design Pack The Hamilton and Alexandra College · Year 12 · 2026 The **C4-1 checkpoint** is the *design pack* you build before the Alternative Design validation. It's worth **60% of C4** and is due **T2W7**. This page tells you exactly what to produce and what separates a pass from a top band. > [!IMPORTANT] > Build this pack **yourself**. The validation (Alternative Design, 30 min, 🔒 no internet, no AI, no notes — not even your pack) asks you to apply the same four ideation tools *on the spot* and critique your own choices. You can only do that if the ideation here was genuinely yours. --- ## What you submit Generate design ideas using **at least three** ideation tools — aim for all four — plus the starting list. Commit each artefact to **GitHub** as you go, and **print the complete pack** for your portfolio. | # | Artefact | What it is | Where | |---|---|---|---| | 1 | **Design-ideas list** | A rough list: what features it could have, what it could look like, how users might interact, what existing apps inspire you | ☁️ GitHub | | 2 | **Mood board** ([how-to](/sd/C04/Mood%20Boards)) | Visual look-and-feel — colours, typography, UI patterns, screenshots of apps that inspire you | ☁️ GitHub | | 3 | **Brainstorm** ([how-to](/sd/C04/Brainstorming)) | A timed (10–15 min) burst — quantity over quality, no filtering — then group the ideas into themes | ☁️ GitHub | | 4 | **Mind map** ([how-to](/sd/C04/Mind%20Mapping)) | Your solution at the centre; branch out to feature areas → specific functions → design choices | ☁️ GitHub | | 5 | **Design sketches** ([how-to](/sd/C04/Design%20Sketches)) | 2–3+ annotated screen layouts — focus on layout, navigation flow, key interactions | ☁️ GitHub | | — | **Complete design pack** | Steps 1–5 compiled and annotated | 🖨️ Portfolio | Each ideation tool is a **different lens on the same design problem** — not five copies of the same idea. Quick and clear beats polished: *ideas, not art.* --- ## Annotations are what move you up the bands The ideation tools get you onto the ladder; the **depth of your annotations** decides how high you climb. Annotate across *all* your design work at three depths: | Depth | What it does | Example | |---|---|---| | **Identify** (L5) | Name what each element *is* | "This is the search bar." | | **Explain** (L7) | Describe its appearance *and* function | "The search bar sits top-right so phone users reach it with their thumb; it filters results as you type." | | **Justify** (L9) | Say *why* this choice — name the alternative you rejected | "I considered a bottom tab bar, but the dashboard needed vertical space, so I chose side navigation." | The Level 9 move is the **"I considered X, I chose Y, because Z"** sentence shape. Tie every justification back to a specific **SRS requirement** or **user need**. --- ## What 100% looks like Each level builds on the one below — you score at the highest level where every step beneath it is clearly met: ```mermaid flowchart BT L1["Level 1<br/>lists design ideas"] --> L3["Level 3<br/>illustrates ideas with ONE tool"] L3 --> L5["Level 5<br/>TWO tools · annotations identify appearance"] L5 --> L7["Level 7<br/>THREE+ tools · annotations explain appearance & functionality"] L7 --> L9["Level 9<br/>feasible, original & distinctive ideas · annotations describe AND justify"] ``` --- ## Am I ready? — checkpoint self-check - ☐ Design-ideas list committed - ☐ Mood board committed - ☐ Brainstorm (raw ideas **and** themes) committed - ☐ Mind map committed - ☐ 2–3+ design sketches committed - ☐ Every artefact **annotated** — and at least some annotations *justify* (name a rejected alternative) - ☐ Annotations connect choices to my **SRS requirements** / user needs - ☐ Complete pack **printed** for the portfolio - ☐ AI use logged in my **AI disclosure log** --- ## See also - [C4-2 Checkpoint — Your Evaluation Matrix](/sd/C04/C4-2%20Checkpoint%20-%20Evaluation%20Matrix) — the other half of C4 - [C4 Design Ideas and Evaluation Explained](/sd/C4%20Design%20Ideas%20and%20Evaluation%20Explained) — the walkthrough videos for C4-1 and C4-2 - [C04 → C05 — Choose, then Detail](/sd/C05/C04%20to%20C05%20-%20Choose%20then%20Detail) — where your chosen design goes next - [Efficiency vs Effectiveness](/sd/C04/Efficiency%20vs%20Effectiveness) — you'll need this for the C4-2 evaluation criteria --- ← Back to [C04 Home](/sd/C04/C04-home) · [VCE Software Development Hub](/sd/VCE%20Software%20Development%20Hub)