The student felt they improved in several key areas from their preliminary task to the final product. They learned to use a better camera, research their target audience more thoroughly, and apply techniques like lighting, editing, layout, and font choices more appropriately. Researching codes and conventions of similar magazines also helped them create a more polished final product that better addressed their target audience's wants and needs. Overall, greater attention to details, research, and applying learned skills resulted in much higher production values for the final product compared to the preliminary task.