Development

Through ideation, I simplified the purpose of the astrolabe, by deconstructing the instrument and conducting a thorough analysis of its individual components and systems to determine their function. To assist in concept development, I developed a user persona to determine what was essential for the user of my design—learning that clear, concise language, and visuals would be necessary to simplify the content for beginners. 

While conducting design research, I identified the design elements of existing technical descriptions that could assist in simplifying the astrolabe for beginners, through a sample analysis of these documents.

Final Concept

I designed and developed a technical description of an astrolabe that enables astronomy beginners to easily identify and learn about the instrument’s components and their purpose. The design process revealed several visual and content form innovations including, motion arrows, an additional object facts box, which I incorporated into my final design. The use of motion arrows to indicate direction of movement for movable components, the presentation of additional facts specifying the astrolabes scale, and the use of concise language and clear visuals resulted in the simplification of the astrolabe for astronomy beginners following the DIY Astronomy Crafts Instagram page.