Back from Break. Onward and Upward.

Halfway Through and Moving Forward

Welcome back from Spring Break with another edition of Ted Tuesday. This week featured the words of Rogier van der Heide speaking on the functions and concerns of light in our lives and the importance of the interplay between light and darkness.

The comparison of sunlight to artificial lighting is of particular intrigue as you consider how artificial lighting constrains, forces, and unifies the world we have created for ourselves. There was a time, after all, when people lived and worked by the cycles of the sun – at sunset your work was over for the day. And yet now we take our artificial lighting with us everywhere, extending our days as long as possible into the night until fatigue forces us to sleep (or just to drink more caffeine). In this sense light becomes seen as a source of productive hours rather than health and healing.

James Turrell was brought up in the following discussion as an artist whose work focuses on light as it pierces through darkness.

James Turrell. Roden Crater.

James Turrell. Sky Pesher. Walker Art Museum.

His open spaces bring a sense of peace and meditation when the viewer sits in the dark to experience and focus on the light that extends inward. But it is the duality of existence between light and dark that makes this calm possible – alone darkness can bring tension and anxiety of the unknown, and the over-stimulation of light (especially artificial light) can be harsh and wearying after extended hours.

It reminds me of a coworker who once complained about the fluorescent lights required in her basement level office until she was able to replace them with a softer, more ambient lamp. Her daily headaches have stopped, and her office really is now the nicest in the building.

Onwards Towards New Projects

As always, though, class moves on, and since we wrapped up the team design projects before break, it was time to dig into a new topic. The project this time: design a website. And remember:

The user is your guide.
and
The content is the focus.

Each of us was to choose any topic for a site that we felt well versed in explaining and exploring. What are your hobbies? Your interests? What do you want to spend your time talking about?

After a good deal of frustrating brain wracking, I ended up choosing jewelry design – a site focused on providing information, advice, and interaction to potential jewelry designers looking to begin selling their work out in the world. As a jewelry buyer for a retail store, I’ve seen a lot of amazing work:

laser cut architectural earrings by Molly M. Designs

cranberry bronze cast necklace by Silver Seasons

recycled and interchangeable lockets by Olive Bites Studio

as well as a lot of not so great work and designers with really bad price points, technical skills, and selling abilities. So let’s make a site to give people some of that quick user guide info up front! Or just some inspiration and awareness as to who the competition is out there.

But There’s Always a Twist

In the real world, you don’t usually get to design for yourself. So partner up and trade sites. Each of us is now a client – and my jewelry site is now in Annie’s capable designer hands. I provide her the content and information on the topic, and she makes the whole thing look gorgeous.

So What’s Next?

We whipped up content outlines for our designers in class (hopefully), so each designer needs a working site map ready for Thursday.

And review UX chapter 6 as we’ll be needing user research options too.

This time through, the weekly Thursday quiz will feature the only the Krug book: chapters 10, 11, and 12.

And a very special guest speaker for the night – Nick Zdon – so have your questions ready!

Redesign Team Jacki and Claire: G11 Powershot

Project UX Design Team

The subject: Canon’s G11 Powershot Navigation and Interface Screen

Getting Started

Tackling the digital camera interface redesign was quickly noted to be a massively overwhelming task. We’re all camera users, but who’s to say who’s the ultimate camera expert? The number of menus is ridiculous and the complexity of control levels is huge.

How does one even begin redesigning an interface with so many nuances and details and varying uses for a single product?

Answer: Research, Research, Research

User research began, I think, with the intent of figuring out which features people liked and needed the most so we could focus on parring down, redistributing menus, and adjusting the G11’s target audience to allow for streamlining content. But research is always telling, and much to our dismay, it seemed that many people like having so many features available because everyone wants their features.

Here’s a few of the sites you can check out to see how diverse people’s needs and responses truly are:

Canon’s own user review access.
CNet’s review of the Canon G11.
And don’t forget Amazon’s huge access to user reviews.

Also, here’s an excellent introduction/tutorial on the particulars of the Canon G11. Though it’s interesting to note that even as he promotes and praises the camera, even he’s fumbling with the controls and navigation throughout the demo.

Eventually, we found that our research actually helped refocus our goals into a much less daunting task. After all, we certainly aren’t in the position to dictate people’s feature abilities when we’re certainly not the almighty camera experts. Instead, we redirected ourselves on a new route to celebrate the diversity of camera uses and photographer quirks – customization.

Planning the attack

Turns out, Canon does have a menu customization ability (notice that star tab on the first image?), but no one seems to know it exists or how to use it. Our job was to make it front, center, and the main mode of menu setting selection. But there was more than just making it the first tab in the list. Who wants to waste time manipulating settings on a tiny screen with only a scroll wheel for movement control?

Enter the computer and iPad set up interface for inspiration.

You already connect your camera to the computer – it’s digital after all. Why not use that to automate customization and allow the user to work from the comfort of their monitor and mouse instead of inside the cramped camera?

A comparison of the current and proposed task flow charts shows a bit of extra time with the initial set up and customization, but its still a pretty streamline process. And ultimately, we’re trying to eliminate that circular, repetitive motion of even trying to find a particular setting, as well as the frustration of options you have no clue what to do with.

Plus, by dropping the “quick access” buttons inside the custom menus, there’s less physical camera bulk and space to enlarge the LED screen size – both of which were explicit complaints about this model.

And once you’ve gone through that first time set up, your menus are all there any time you shoot. You’d only ever revisit those steps if you chose to, so really, there are less steps in the long run.

Design Layout

The final designs ended up being strikingly simple in comparison to what originally appeared to be a daunting task.

The computer interface is a single pop-up screen that initiates when the camera is plugged in. Setting choices are organized on the right in a folder-like set up that can expand or contract as desired, and the user simply drags the desired settings to the camera screen at left. Folders can be added or deleted for organizational needs and settings can be removed from the custom screen simply by clicking the red X button. Sync the screen to your camera, and you’re done.

The camera itself got a major button reduction, a larger touch screen interface for increased visibility and mobility, and your custom setting menus are the first tab in the list. Oh, all the original screens are still there, in the receded tabs just in case you find out on the go that you forgot something. It’s more like a shortcut menu – for the shortcuts you want – rather than a specialized function camera.

Still, the design is simple, with only a few basic parts, that maintains the look and current appeal of the Canon brand design. We’re not trying to scare anyone here – just smooth out the process. It’s just that now your camera can be set up the way you want it set up – not the way some overseeing digital camera god-figure wants it set up.

Team Awesome; Kyle, Christina and Claudia Group Design Interface

For the second project we were given two weeks to come up with an interface problem, identify it, think of a solution, and design a new interface.

Our group decided on the MetroTransit’s schedule at bus stops.

The first step was to do research on our topic. We all took the weekend to go out and gather information about bus riding, how bus stops showed bus times and what buses came by, and also to get photographic evidence. We came together that following Tuesday and shared our information and started right away into our task flows and wire frames. We presented what we had to the class, got critiqued, and got back together to make better wire frames and task flows.

 

Coming up with a task flow was the most challenging part of this project. I (Claudia) being the experienced bus rider could think of how it was to ride a bus and how one goes about figuring out bus schedules.

Current Task Flow

Changes to Task Flow

The idea we came up for an interface besides a piece of paper to see bus schedule was something that resembles a Mac product. Very clean, very designery, very simple and easy to use. Our wireframes were for something that was a touch screen and would be a stand. After meeting up over the weekend and working together for the essiential design we had another presentation just to show our progress thus far.

After presenting what we had we went more seriously into the design and finalized everything. Our final product turned out looking very sleek, very simple, and user friendly.

3/8/2011- Halfway There (almost)

Another TED Tuesday

Dan Phillips creates houses out of almost anything he can find.

These houses are created out of found objects and recycled materials.  Dan uses everything from hen’s eggs to Budweiser beer cans, to hand made two person tubs (good for recreation as well as washing).  It was refreshing to watch a TED video in which the speaker came off as little more than a good-old boy done good.  The TEDs are always informative, and sometimes funny, but usually they seem to take themselves all little too seriously.  In my opinion, a little well-done humor can make your point much better than facts and testimonials about how great the work your doing is.  All the TED videos have been good, but this went beyond to someplace that was easy to connect to, and to realize that if that can do it- we all should be able to.  His personality made me want to ENJOY  doing it as well, which is important.

Work, Work, Work

We had some time in class to work on our current project.  I think it was the first time that I had ever seen an entire class there five minutes after the time class was supposed to end- it kind freaked me out a little bit.  Are we all that dedicated, or simply that worried about getting it done on time?

Working on a collaborative project has many upsides, and some challenges as well.  I’m used to working alone and being in charge of every detail of the concepting and creation.  It’s nice to have other people to put in ideas, add their own creative spin, and to share the work load.  The downside is that even with a group as amazing as ours it’s tough to depend on someone else, because you’re never quite sure if some freak bolt of accidental lightening is going strike down with the Wrath of God on one of your members right before the project is due.  Overall though, the necessary experience of collaboration is one that we need to get used to (should we ever want to become employed), and in my case a great one that will end up with a much better project than I could have done on my own.

Our team’s KFC touch screen drive-thru is coming along quite nicely.

We started out with some pretty string research including interviews with a manager at the local DQ.

DQ Manager Stephanie

She informed us that their accounts for 85% of their business, and that the worst problem that they have is their speaker.  Sometimes they get complaints that you can’t understand it.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

We also interviewed a loyal drive-thru customer.

Drive-thru customer Chris (McLovin) Tripp

Chris uses the drive-thru at least once a day because he is salesman who does in-house appointments, so he travels a lot.  Plus he is lazy and wouldn’t cook anyway.  His major problem with the drive-thru is not being able to understand foreign accents through the speaker.  He also does not like to wait in line.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

We found some other drive through problems as well.

Crowded Drive-Thrus

Unusually Slow Vehicles

 

So we came up with some ways to deal with the problems.

KFC Touch Screen

KFC Frame Board1

KFC Frame Board2

Main Menu Screen

Chicken Style Choices

Pieces n' Sides

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Still Working Stuff Out

Pretty much every group still had some issues to iron out in their projects.  The thing that amazed my was how far everyone had come in just a week!  Not only did every group have good work to show, but the creative ideas and concepts for solving the widely differentiated problems were truly inspirational.

With only a few hours left til the final project is due, everyone hang in there, don’t sweat the small stuff just yet, and remember break is only 8 hours and 42 minutes away!!

Also remember that while I do my own share of the last minute work- I’ve had “The Final Countdown” running through my head for about 2 days.

Thursday March 3rd 2011 (Making Bacon)

Hey everyone,another blog post is here for you to read and enjoy my thoughtful words and well in case you missed class i guess?

For Starters.

We had out usual Thursday quiz on our readings. That went well everyone scored about average considering some people didn’t read the readings. (me) These are the books we’re reading. If you need to get a hold of them they can be found in the CVA library.

Second.

We talked about the expectations for the current assignment and reviewed the previous assignment. We talked about the things that were successful in the previous assignment that we should continue to do or even expand on. Some of those points were to have all the boards unified and have a standardized layout with titles on each board, hand in the assignments in 17″ x 22″ envelopes with out names on them, make sure craftsmanship is pristine, use backing boards (Bristol) when mounting, have a complete documentation of research and inspiration, and also show some exploration into different approaches or ideas you had. Here are some great examples from the class.

Annie's Groups Tskflow

Christina's Homepage

Adam's Groups Wire frame

Christina's Recipe Page

Lastly.

Continue to work on the current assignment and have more layouts, wire-frames, and designs to show for class. Document all research and exploration and try to make something that will wow everyone. The final mounted boards are due on Thursday this week (03.10.11). After that we’re free to enjoy a well needed spring break and relax for a week before we come back and finish up the semester.

Here is a very well illustrated and thoughtful video on what motivates us. I thought it might tie in nicely because its talks about how what motivates creative ideas, and since we’re all creative people here I thought you all might enjoy it.

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Another tuesday comes and goes…

TED TALKS TUESDAYS!

Tuesday’s always bring a fresh TED talk featuring interesting “ideas worth spreading”. This week’s TED talk, featuring Seth Godin, was especially applicable. Godin spent a large majority of his “talk” being our tour guide to “broken things” and making them unbroken. He pointed out humorous and often poorly designed public service announcements and warning signs. He also points out seven reasons that he believes the designs don’t work. I liked his third point which was that the design could be broken because things changed in between the time it was designed and the time the design got used. Our world (particularly where technology is concerned!) is fast paced and it can be a struggle to keep up. Designs should be made to last. Godin’s energy and enthusiasm was refreshing and I found myself wishing his talk was a bit longer – which would have also given him time to explain more fixes for broken things. In my google searching, I found that on Seth’s Blog he wrote,

“I did this talk about three years ago. I have to admit that very little in the way of progress has occurred.”

Well, I suppose it might finally be time to change this.

This TED talk was worth the second viewing and I would highly suggest that if you liked it the first time, you give it a second go. His list of seven reasons why the designs don’t work are good to remember.

Additionally, the website that Seth Godin mentions gives even more examples of poor design. Ironically, the design of the website isn’t totally appealing and comes off a bit boring.

 

However, I do recommend the content for its entertainment value as well as more of Godin’s unique talking/writing style. In viewing this website, I also realized that it functions much like the journaling work we’ve been doing with designs that are working and not working. For example, one person wrote in to criticize the design of the Chevy Impala’s AC design.

“At night, this is very readable and easy to see.  However, during the day, the blue LED is very hard to find in all the chrome reflections – it takes a concentrated effort to tell where the dial is pointed.” – Doug Shaefer

ARE YOU INDISPENSIBLE?

I also looked a bit further into Seth Godin’s work and found that he wrote a book called “Linchpin: Are you Indispensable?”

The description of the book says that it is more than a how-to, but rather that it pushes you to see things differently and make changes. Godin said about this book:

“a linchpin is the essential element, the person who holds part of the operation together. Without the linchpin, the thing falls apart.”

Not so surprisingly, this got me thinking about the UX Design Team Projects that we are currently working on. I don’t mean to get sappy or sentimental, but I think it is important to remind ourselves that we are each a linchpin in this project. Each one of us has a distinct role in the assignment and we are not as interchangeable as we may seem. Group projects can often be stressful and cause us to crave a temporary coma allowing us a grace period in which we don’t have to complete the assignment and can leave our group members to do it. That being said, the group presentations this week of the work done so far showed some excellent ideas and a really interesting dynamic in each group that I’m excited to keep up with.

 

IN CLOSING

Phase two of our UX Design Team project is upon us which means task flows, wireframes, and design brainstorming are all due. Thank goodness we already know how to do these things. Good luck to everyone !