Portfolio day

Wish I would have been able to see all the exhibits, one hour was not enough.
Here are some samples:

Unit 9 Reading Response

iPhone and iPad retina screens display at two times the resolution of non-retina screens. A single pixel in a non-retina device, is taken up by four in a retina version. This allows for a more detailed and crisper image to view on the device. Flowcharting is an important place to begin to direct the path of the applications usability before designing.  Storyboarding is an efficient way to streamline an application, through visual analysis before committing the time to create it digitally. Beginning with a lo-fi mock up, the application can be further visualized to prune and polish the usability. It is important to keep in mind a universal design and consider the various orientation and screens sizes it will be displayed on. Icon design is important because it is the first thing a user will see and interact with in the application and it is typically visible on screen constantly. Testing is smart. Gather and distribute resources. Documentation on use, styles, and layout is vital to relay the applications standard look and feel.

msdn.microsoft.com/en-us/library/windows/desktop/ff728828(v=vs.85).aspx

bergie.iki.fi/blog/inspiration-for-fbp-ui/

www.rff.com/flowchart_shapes.htm

Unit 6 Reading Response

Skeuomorphic design and flat design each have a place. When combined together they can create a softer look. Users are typically quick to learn how things work through visual queues created by the designer through uniformity, color, size, and shape of elements. Flat design tends to look cleaner and simpler to navigate. The use of white space or open space in design can offer a more relaxed experience. This technique is particularly useful in which large amounts of information is being relayed. It helps the users ability to digest the information in a more comfortable, non-overwhelming way. In cases where a design is tackling a more creative approach, skewmorphic design can be very helpful in immersing the user in an experience more closely related to the overall message. 

Unit 8 Reading Response

Creating and identifying personas of users is vital when coming up with a users experience within an application or website. It allows for clear goals to be set and sketching to be done. The step of sketching out ideas and making wordlists helps define the feel of and use of an application or site. Next comes wire framing, which confine the layout for a lo-fi example, which lays out the experience and usability of an app or site. A closer look comes when creating a hi-fi mock up, this will project the experience in a manner as close to a live experience as possible, in a quicker than coding and publishing way. Making auto fill search elements is highly recommended on a page, to allow faster access to resources within. Testing will help work out any bugs, design and coding flaws, and offer a more precise user experience when done. Making a recognizable symbol for your application that is unique will help in faster identification. The next stage is marketing. This can be done through social media, blogs, ads, and professional publishing sites. Thorough analysis and constant contact is helpful in making sure the product is gaining as much publicity as possible.  

tumblr.com

Facebook.com

twitter.com

linkedin.com

blogger.com

wordpress.com

youtube.com

Application Design Statement

This application is for the DIY minded person. In a single location, it offers the most efficient, robust stream of information related to life hacking currently available. Search, upload instructions, photos, and videos, browse trending hacks, and save favorites. This app will save precious time, and direct information in a concise, shared manner, which is is the basis for life hacking. Users can choose from 6 categories: Home, Food, Car, Wardrobe, Cleaning, and Office. Finally, a way to save space on your hard drive by being able to delete screen grabs and copied pdf’s of hack’s you love!

marvl.in/2fi6id

Unit 7 Reading Response

Designing for mobile devices is similar in may way to desktop design, however it holds new challenges to overcome. The constraints of mobile design are mainly size and the differences in state changes anticipated and caused by the user input. The load time also poses issues. While a wireless internet connection is very fast, mobile data streams are much slower and the need to display vital information quickly and first can hinder some of the design elements that make a webpage styling more interesting. Creating scalable pages is desirable because it allows for the designer to offer a more uniform experience across devices. Making elements stand out through the use of shadow and depth help the mobile user to discern click from scroll. If designing in a flat manner, making a well defined border around the buttons can also be helpful. Imbedding feeds from other sites within your site is desirable and can eliminate users from abandoning your site. Allowing for zoom helps the viewer have a closer look at information and is highly recommended.

cordova.apache.org
studiopress.com/responsive
getbootstrap.com

Smartphone project brainstorm

Ideas

1. A smartphone app to track and catalog process in a logical manner. My line of thinking was events, auction, wedding, performance production, etc. It would start with a list the user creates of each task at each venue or location. This is something that is always done, and there are deadlines involved with every state, timer alerts could remind people of tasks. It would be cool if it could auto populate ical. The look would be an accordion, when you click the box indicating a job is complete, the main tab of the accordion changes color, it moves from red (not done), to orange(working on it), to blue (done with all tasks within group.

2. A smartphone app with searchable instruction manuals for all major appliances.

3. A smartphone app with searchable do it yourself instructions for handy, homemaker tasks, crafts, or home remedies.

Unit 6 Classchum Feedback

A suggestion to make the information on the quick view page was made to edit the existing side scrolling page view widget and make a static text page that scrolls instead.

A suggestion to align to a grid system was made to ensure balance.

 A reccomendation to instead of having video on every page, make a play button for the video/audio on the quick view page under the text.

Unit 5 Reading Response

Chapter 8 describes the tension that can occur between workers due to personal preference in usability and the perceived notion of a formula that will work in all situations. This is not a comfortable topic for most due to the deeply tied emotional responses triggered by a person’s passion for their career. The best approach is to look at design and functionality in an objective, case by case basis. Understanding that different approaches to solutions are necessary in a team environment.

Chapter 9 speaks about the differences between usability testing and focus groups. Focus groups can help direct the intent of the overall job through talks about the needs and desires of the use. Usability testing is much different and encompasses the entire scope of how thing work and users reactions to the elements they encounter. There are multiple tests that have the ability to save the company money in the long run. Weeding out unnecessary, complicating elements to improve the experience, deciding the most efficient way to tackle resolutions, and clarification of all necessary data are some of the ways usability testing can prove useful. Test, test, and retest.

someslightlyirregular.com/2011/08/you-say-potato/
extra normal

nngroup.com/articles/ten-usability-heuristics/

usability.gov/how-to-and-tools/methods/heuristic-evaluation.html