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.
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) | Visual look-and-feel — colours, typography, UI patterns, screenshots of apps that inspire you | ☁️ GitHub |
| 3 | Brainstorm (how-to) | A timed (10–15 min) burst — quantity over quality, no filtering — then group the ideas into themes | ☁️ GitHub |
| 4 | Mind map (how-to) | Your solution at the centre; branch out to feature areas → specific functions → design choices | ☁️ GitHub |
| 5 | Design sketches (how-to) | 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:
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 Design Ideas and Evaluation Explained — the walkthrough videos for C4-1 and C4-2
- C04 → C05 — Choose, then Detail — where your chosen design goes next
- Efficiency vs Effectiveness — you'll need this for the C4-2 evaluation criteria
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