Thursday, June 9, 2011
Thursday, June 2, 2011
Application Statement
iPad Application
Application Name: True Type
Application Statement:
List of Features Users Might Like:
Type
1. Creating typefaces
2. Type research
- Seeing typefaces/fonts and wanting to know the specifics
- Type vocabulary (serif/san serif, etc)
3. Manipulating Type
4. Comparing Typefaces
5. Font Management
Color
1. Applying color to thumbnail sketches
2. Digitizing drawn thumbnails
3. Pantone Matching System library access
4. Creating Color Themes
5. Unifying color systems (CMYK, RGB, PMS)
6. Color Research
- Taking a picture of a color and best color match
- Creating Color Comparisons
- Application of Color and Color Affects
Design Basics
1. Digitizing drawn thumbnails
2. Design Research
3. Linking Design to Computer Software
Our Users…
… are graphic designers or have interest in design
… are interior designers
… like to draw
… meet with clients out of their office
… find inspiration from everyday life
… can never remember an idea or design without keeping notes
… appreciate others design
… know the difference between pantone, CMYK and RGB colors
… know the difference between a font and a type family
… constantly designing in their heads
… need convenient, specific, and reliable answers to simple tasks that can be time wasting
For designers who are constantly being inspired by the world around them and wanting to grasp those inspirations and produce them in a productive and convenient fashion. Designers ready to design at a moments notice.
Thursday, May 26, 2011
Week 8 Reading
Chapter 12: “Help! My Boss Wants me to ____________. When Bad Design Decisions Happen to Good People”
Krug first goes into why it is a bad idea to ask for more personal information than what is needed when subscribing to an online newspaper. A full address, birthday, occupation, etc. are not required and are considered offensive to the user. It also brings up some problems like users being skeptical of your product and won’t provide real information, or they just won’t bother to fill it out at all. Krug suggests requiring the user to fill out the bare minimum of the necessities you need to know, don’t even bother with optional fields that make you look like you’re asking for more information that you need. Also, being very clear to what the user receives in exchange for their information.
When a CEO is asking for more “pizazz” or “sizzle” to the site, Krug validates the importance of a presentable, professional, and attractive site (and being able to do that without it being too flashy). Stated: “Most of the time on the Web, people don’t want to be engaged; they just want to get something done…” Not only do flashy splash pages and big pictures slow down a site, but they are an outdated tool.
Krug’s final note reminds us that all the things he has told us in his book and bad practices of web design and how to prevent them. The only reason we should be breaking these rules is a) you really know what you’re doing, b) you have a darned good reason, and c) you actually are going to test it when you’re done to make sure you’ve managed to make it work; you’re not just going to intend to test it.
Overall, I really enjoyed reading this book and it made me understand web design a lot more. Initially I was the designer that could complain about a website and suggest on how to change it, but I couldn’t start from scratch and build a website out of pure nothingness and making it user friendly. This book changed that.
Thursday, May 19, 2011
iPhone App Ideas
Kayla and I have come up with the following ideas for our smartphone app:
1. A Parking Assistant App - would indicate parking in the city you are driving in that is close to you or will be close to your destination. Would show nearby lots/garages as well as free street parking zones, areas that are not open for parking during certain hours, etc.
2. Event Seating App - Would show you where your seat would be at a concert, play or special event. You would be able to see a map of the venue and see the view that you would have from your seat.
3. Design App - Would aid designers in determining typefaces seen out in public. You could take a picture of the typeface and the app would tell you what type of font it is, if there are special adjustments such as kerning, leading, etc. as well as what colors are being used.
Week 7 Reading Response
Chapter 10: "Usability as a Common Courtesy".
Krug describes in his first few paragraphs a frustrating scenario every web surfer knows and has experienced -- looking for information that is clearly 1. not there 2. not acknowledged and 3. ignored. And this is a problem that we as designers need to realize before the surfers realize it. We must fix the problem before there is a problem; we must anticipate what the user wants and give it to them before they ask. And we must have the courtesy to make it visible and easily accessible- because it’s what the user wants. It comes down the one rule: “the user is always right”. And this includes more that just information that is given to the user, it’s also information that is asked of the user. For example, contact information and personal data should not have to be configured by the user. The user wants a thoughtless process; therefore, we must give them the easiest configuration possible. In short, the designer must be one step ahead- at all times. Designers increase the “goodwill” to the user when the things they want are obvious and in the shortest route possible. And users notice the effort put into making them happy.
Chapter 11: Accessibility, Cascading Style Sheets and You: Just when you think you're done a cat floats by with buttered toast strapped to its back.
This chapter brings in the designer and the usability expert- and the challenge of merging both visions. While the designer seems to have the world at their feet to design this website, there is a box that limits the design capabilities the developer programs: it must be user friendly to all who use it, including the people with special needs. Essentially, the developer is the bones of the website- all of the intricacies and the way it breathes is the concern of the developer. The designer then puts a flare of creativity and overall aesthetics to the piece and enhances the skeleton the developer produces. It is difficult however to be creative while playing to a strict rule-book. And this is what Krug states as the “usability problems”.
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