DTC Student Work Examples
Students in Digital Technology and Culture create pieces in a wide variety of digital formats including (but not limited to): graphic design, web design, information design, video, animation, and games. Many of our classes also work with community clients and partners so students get a chance to practice their skills in a service-oriented environment.
Explore some of the recent exemplary student work below.
Web Design
Whitman County CASA
Created by Sam Akerhielm, Sulaiman Ambusaidi, Amani Brown, Cody Copeland, Jasmin Negrete, and Nicole Schmidt
Course
DTC 478: Usability and Interface Design
Assignment
In this multi-part group project students evaluated an established website for a community-based client and redesigned it to meet the client’s expectations while maximizing the site’s usability and interface design for their client’s user base.
End Result
The students worked largely independently to create the website after their community partner suffered a family emergency at the start of the semester. They researched what CASA is and what they do and created a website that ended up thrilling the client.
(Click the screenshot to view the website.)
TIBR Movement
Created by Rocky Lemley
Course
DTC 499: Independent Study
Assignment
In this individual project students used web site project management, documentation, and project development and communication strategies; advanced web development techniques (scalable vector graphics, SASS, JavaScript and JQuery, and responsive and accessible design); and past DTC readings on inclusivity, diversity, accessibility, internet governance, and global digital literacies to develop complete web sites that connected their priorities and interests to broader communities and could serve as resources and platforms.
End Result
Rocky’s project capably and seamlessly drew together advanced technologies to support his goal of promoting an “Internet Bill of Rights” and promoting that globally-oriented Bill of Rights to tech-related organizations in the Pacific Northwest. He did considerable research on similar initiatives in the past to identify and anchor his own position, identified a need on his part to follow a digital project development and communication process that he could transfer to other contexts after graduation, and identified the particular sorts of technologies that would both be useful for the project and push him to extend his knowledge beyond his current comfort zone. His work integrated themes he researched with development and project management techniques he learned in more production-oriented classes.
Award
Best Interactive Design & Technology work at the 2018 DTC Awards.
Graphic Design and Information Design
“Homes of Hope” Website Deliverables
Created by Kevin Vandermeer, Jonathan Martinez, Tou Moua, Ted Nikolov, Aaron Scofield, and Pedro Trejo
Course
DTC 478: Usability & Interface Design
Assignment
In the final project for DTC 478: Usability & interface Design students are broken into small groups and work with a community partner to test and redesign their website. The final step in this project is to create deliverables – documentation on their process – to their clients.
End Result
The Hopes of Hope website redesign group created beautiful, easy-to-follow documentation for their client. Pictured here is a snippet from one of the pages.
Award
This group won the Information Systems & Structures Award at the 2018 DTC Showcase.
Layers of Digital Inclusion
Created by Aaron Kapral
Course
DTC 206: Digital Inclusion
Assignment
This reflection assignment asked students to bring together the major topics in the course.
Student Statement
“Digital inclusion to me is especially understanding history when creating content. We can look at certain websites and break down who it was made for, what/who was left out, what systems does it fall under, and–in a non-digital space–how it affects the real world. Understanding human relationships–broken down into categories of race, class, gender, sexuality, location, abilities, etc.–and the history behind it truly helps in understanding how we got to where we are.”
Together We Can: An Interactive Drawing and Writing Journal
Co-created by Aache Howard-McDaniel
Course
DTC 499: Independent Study
Project
Aache’ Howard-McDaniel worked along with DTC professor, Anna Plemons, and incarcerated art students at California State Prison-Sacramento to develop a interactive drawing/writing journal for families, children or significant others who are experiencing someone close being incarcerated. The misrepresentation of inmates within prisons help influence Aache’s idea for the book, “Together We Can: An Interactive Drawing and Writing Journal.”
Awards
Aache won the award for Inclusivity & Diversity at the 2018 DTC Showcase for her work on this project.
Video, Animation, and Sound
(Click the photo to listen to the story.)
Barb’s Story
Created by Willow Yaple
Course
DTC 201: Tools and Methods for Digital Technology
Description
This audio story was created in the Spring 2021 version of DTC 201. Student Willow Yaple described how it came together in her write-up: “A week after this assignment was announced, my father told my sister and me our grandmother had passed away. Before, I had no idea what kind of story I wanted to tell until I could only think about her that day. My grandmother’s wake was scheduled before the due date of the project, and while traveling under short notice affected my schedule, I was grateful to have the opportunity to be with my family and reflect at this time. Several days before her wake, I told my father about my project, and together we were able to work on her eulogy to tell her story.”
Pixels
Created by Evie Caldwell
Course
DTC 201: Tools and Methods for Digital Technology
Description
This animation piece was inspired by the 2017-2018 common reading book at WSU, “Ready Player One.” The book is highly nostalgic of 1980s culture. However, Evie Caldwell, wanted to simply comment on the lack of female heroines in video games of that era. This short animation piece was created over the course of a semester using Adobe Photoshop, Illustrator, and After Effects.
Let’s Play – “Slam City Oracles”
Created by Fnu Aboluo
Course
DTC 475: Digital Diversity
Project
In DTC 475 students were assigned to complete a Critical Let’s Play of a particular video game. Let’s Plays are generally discussions of game mechanics, playability, and artistry by a critic that are done as the player works through all or a portion of the game. In this class the students were asked to focus on critical aspects of gender, race, and/or sexuality in the game. Aboluo took a feminist route and analyzed why the characters might want to smash the world as he played the game.
Out
Created by David Czyzewicz, Jeff Braund, Amani Brown, Riley Cagle, Mikah Chan, Kelly-anne Cubley, Marisa Riley, Emma Garcia, Jared Meyer, Kira Norman, Angelica Tibule, Kevin Vandermeer, Sanna Wright, & Josh Yi
Course
DTC 491: Advanced Digital Cinema
Project
All of the students in DTC 491: Advanced Digital Cinema decided to collaborate on one project for the 2018 50 Hour Slam, a timed filmmaking competition out of Spokane where teams have just 50 hours to make a film from start to finish. Their final product was a short called “Out” that explores issues of sexuality and agoraphobia.
Award
This group won the 2018 award for outstanding Digital Cinema, Animation, and Sound piece at the DTC Showcase.
Games
(Click the screenshot to view the game.)
D.L.S.
Created by Evie Caldwell, Aache’ Howard-McDaniel, Laurel Kroschel, and Maren Martin
Course
DTC 475: Digital Diversity
Assignment
For the final assignment in the spring 2018 version of Digital Diversity, students were placed into small groups and asked to create a game that addressed an intersectional issue.
End Result
D.L.S. was praised for its sleek design and the ending that contained an impactful twist.
Invisible Disability
Created by Kristin Bulzomi, Ellie Maurer, Jessica Mannard, and Ryan Regynski
Course
DTC 475: Digital Diversity
Assignment
For the final assignment in the spring 2018 version of Digital Diversity, students were placed into small groups and asked to create a game that addressed an intersectional issue.
End Result
This group designed the game based on the ability-focused “Spoon Theory” from a 2003 short essay by Christine Miserandino. “Spoon Theory” was an attempt by Miserandino to articulate how a person conserves and expends energy throughout the day and how different disabilities impact a person’s “spoons.” “Invisible Disability” was a visualization of how a low-income female college student with a mental disability may have unique challenges based on her intersectional identity.