Week One Lecture

Introduction to Interactive Design

Summary

This lecture pod provided the fundamental base in the process of understanding the concept of interaction design. It has touched on topics starting from various definitions and from a range of sources. These definitions allowed the freedom of interpretation as the full depth of interactive design cannot be described in just one way.

Verplank addressed three questions: do, feel and know. This is his interpretation of how designers search what users need, and how they respond to certain things. This way, the designer is able to provide them with choices/outcomes that is within their control and it should be executed in a way that allows users to interact comfortably and easily.

Interactivity is a broad term that has many interpretations. As a whole, it usually involves engagement and reaction from various parties. Interaction design must cater to the different cognitive ways of thinking as each user perceives the world and processes information differently.

Reflection

This was an interesting and engaging first overview on interactive design. It has introduced new perspectives that I would not have considered before watching the pod. It has enhanced my understanding of interactive design which then prepare me for further reading and allocated tasks.

A quote that I found eye-opening was “Interactive media is not about information, its about experience” and how it is creating experiences for ourselves and others. This allowed me to view interactive media in a more meaningful light.

Toast Site Wireframes

This slideshow requires JavaScript.

Redesigned Logo

Before

After

Logo Feedback

First Logo

Feedback

Positives:

• Suitable choice of font
• Nice incorporation of nail in logo
• Communicates femininity
• Reflects project

Improvements:

• Clearer colours
• Second word needs more legibility – different font
• Less recognisable when displayed at small size

 

Interactive Site – User Scenario

1. Main Users

Lily May and Santana Rivera

Lily – A fashionable individual who is currently completing tertiary studies at university and needs to juggle the workload alongside a part-time job.
Santana – A proud single mother of two that spend far too much time caring for her kids she often forgets to treat herself as well.

2. Tasks the user might perform

• Read description and steps of marble nail art
• Follow along step-by-step tutorial to attempt to learn and improve their skills
• Apply their own nail polish at home

3. User Scenario

Lily usually has morning classes and following this, has work shifts at her local Lovisa jewellery store. The store requires dressing-up and make up and the time she has between class and work is taken up by travelling. She seeks another alternative to appear well-groomed and finds the concept of nail art as a go to as it is semi-permanent as it may last a few weeks. Following the app she is able to practice a few times before trusting it to last and she would have one less thing to worry about. 

 

Interactive Site – Personas

Persona One

Persona Two

 

Interactive Site – Group Feedback

What is your project?
An app where it teaches women how to do their own marble nail polish in the comfort of their own home. 

Name of app:
Marble Manicure

Who will be using it:
Women

Where will they be using it:
At home mostly

Why will they use it:
For their own self-expression, confidence or appearance

Criticism/Suggestions

Things to consider:
Nail Art
Why do nail art?

Different design
Different methods
Difficulties

What you will need
Animal Testing??
Material Costs
Safety
Tools

Target audience

Interactive Site – Wireframes

This project delves into the process of creating and applying art onto nails with the use of nail polish and common household tools. This process varies from traditional nail art where only a brush is used, but instead focuses on the use of water with nail polish for application.

The product is drawn heavily from a feminine perspective and they would be happy to place adequate amounts of time into self-presentation and self-improvement. Thus the product must communicate a sense of elegance, and tidiness and be welcoming to any users. The interface must hold a sense of credibility and be deemed trustworthy through the use of appropriate colours, type and word choice.

 

Week Seven Lecture

User Interface Visual Design Patterns

Summary

The interface design can be described as presenting users with the right tools to make sure the users achieve their goals when visiting the site. The key to a good user interface is the connection between the user and the experience. A good UI should strive for aesthetics and effortless interactivity.

User Experience

• Look
  • Credibility
  • Trust
  • Harmony
  • Spirit
• Feel
  • Joy of use
  • Interactions
  • Reaction
• Usability
  • Functionality
  • Individuality
  • Predictability

The user interface patterns are common solutions to solve problems. These are navigation types commonly used on websites to assist a user in navigating through content with ease.
Nav Types:

• Tabs – navigation, module
  • Skeuomorphism – the design concept of making items represented resemble their real world counterpart
  • Used when content needs to be separated for a purpose and when there is a flat navigation needed

• Menus – horizontal dropdown, vertical dropdown, accordion
  • Used when user needs to navigate to sections of a website but space is limited
  • Ideal when there are 2-9 sections that need to be placed in hierarchical structure
  • Search bars with dropdown suggestions are also included

• Jumping in hierarchy – shortcut dropdown, fat footer, home link, breadcrumbs
• Content – carousel, event calendar, article list
  • Used when needing to browse through a set of items and possibly select one
  • Not ideal if items are non-visual such as text links and titles

Others Include

• Big footer
  • Used to quickly access specific parts that need to be found right away rather than navigating through search bar
• Home Button
  • Used to provide a constant link to the starting page ‘home’ page
  • Usually link is placed on the website’s logo on every single page
• Breadcrumbs
  • Used to notify the user of their location in a hierarchical structure
  • Generally used when the user has been linked in from an external-site and is deep into the linked site
• Tags and thumbnails
  • To organise content visually

Reflection

This lecture pod provided useful information and things to consider when creating a successful interactive for users. The detailed explanations of common navigation menus really helped in pointing out when or when not to use certain features; it provided a clearer understanding on elements I have usually overlooked.

Week Six Lecture

User Scenarios

Summary

This lecture pod discusses how user scenarios may be effectively moderated in order to aid in designing a successful user interface by using a the story of a user and how they may interact or act. By considering the way certain types of users interact with a website, it will clarify what users are looking for when they visit the site. This is the testing process of a good design and it outlines who, how, when, why, where and when interactions on the site are used.

The proposed scenario indicates the users’ motivations and thought processes. A scenario as outline in the image refers to a narrative describing foreseeable interactions of users.

However, the scenario is not a reliable prediction but it helps to highlight all possibilities that may occur when a user interacts with the site. Once there is an understanding of the person, the problem and the context in which the persona would use the product can be used to develop specifics of the design.

This simple design was made with only 2 screens as it considered the amount of time a user may have to interact with this design. Thus, it was designed to be a quick interaction and provide the user with what they are searching for.

Reflection

This lecture pod greatly assisted in the completion of assessment 2 when conducting the persona research and placing ourselves into the shoes of the supposed user.

Dave Smith Moodboard