Project 1 :: Schedule

You should be finalizing your wireframes and have your look and feel well developed.
We will be working a lot in class and have a progress crit on Wed the 7th.

Wed 9/30 Work in class, team meetings with me in Univers.
Fri 10/2 Work in class, short reading discussion.
Wed 10/7 Class progress crit on directions. Work in class.

iNotePod

Handydandy sketchbooks for iPod interface designin'!
via Eithun via SwissMiss

Read :: Module & Program

Read Module & Program, pages 131-152 for Friday.

Interface everywhere.

I've been dreaming about real desktop interfaces (cause I'm a geek) since I first worked on a mac. Here's a future-microsoft-minorityreport-apple world scenario that Jamie posted over summer on designalogue.

Project 1 :: Design Round 1

homework for friday sept 25

• alter and update solutions and wireframes based on input from critique. add detail and begin to make connections between tools/modules.
• read and view tufte: "iphone interface design" and blogger Chris Fahey's response (with some excellent commenting as well).
• start pondering branding-related aspects of your project: a site name, tool/function names, basic identity elements such as typefaces, graphic elements, and color choices.

in class friday sept 25
design round 1, show some sweet design!

Project 1 :: Inspiration

Let's crowd source some more links that are Web 2.0 & real world specific, each person owes class one interesting link by next Friday. Post here in comments.

Links from Friday 9.18
Yellow Arrow: http://yellowarrow.net/v3/index.php
Nike+: http://nikerunning.nike.com/nikeos/p/nikeplus/en_US/?rs=1
Sonar iPhone ruler: http://vimeo.com/6068060
Livestrong site: http://www.nike.com/nikeos/p/livestrong/en_US/
Livestrong chalk writer: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5Jb-KT4r6NY&feature=player_embedded
Philips design probes: http://www.design.philips.com/probes/projects/index.page
Philips food probes: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Au2Bueiy6MQ&feature=player_embedded#t=224
Mapping main street: http://www.mappingmainstreet.org/

Project 1 :: First Presentation Expectations

For Wednesday's (9.23) presentation I expect a summarization of everything we've done so far with a plan for the rest of the project. This should include:

• Recap of activity and audience
• A basic outline of your system supported with visuals. If it's clear to us just from your description and visuals how it the system will work in general and how needs, a sense of belonging, a common symbol system and reciprocal influence are being addressed, you've probably got a good thing going. Describe the technologies involved in context in this part. Sketches, photos and storyboards will aid this part of the presentation.
  
• Beginning wireframing with verbal description. I do not expect final, fully detailed wireframes of every piece of your system, just the basics. The hierarchy of needs and solutions should give you a basic outline of how to approach the wireframes. These do not need to be Illustrator files either. Well made, hand drawn, and photographed wireframes would work as well. Give us a feel for the main areas of the online interface and the uses of handheld or other devices that are part of your system.

You have 5-10 minutes for the presentation with 5-10 post pres class critique.

Be concise, be interesting. PRACTICE BEFOREHAND.

This is a great warm-up for the final presentation of the projects in front of an bigger audience. The critiques should be an added brainstorming session for your system, crowd source us to improve your project!

Wireframing Considerations

some things to help keep your head in the right place:

• your solutions should be directly fulfilling believable, real needs that engage and excite the audience (exerting influence, creating emotional connection, etc)
• be sure you are connecting the physical with the virtual, augmenting or extending each
• your sketches should be structurally/task based (click this, upload this), and consisting of a series of screens. only indicate basic page elements that are used to interact and complete a task.
• the visualizations of solutions should tell you where you'll need system "components" and in which media they belong.
• put the needs and solutions in a hierarchical list and translate that to visual hierarchy in your online applications
• the components, and hierarchy will help to drive your wireframing, i.e.: bigger areas = more important elements
• while sitemapping/wireframing, consider the structural makeup of the system. for the online interface consider creating: multiple pages, a single page with interchangeable "modules/content buckets", or a mixture of both (most likely the last).
• for the handheld device, simplicity and linear navigation in the interface is important to keep in mind. (problematic with some of last years work, tiny type, too many choices on a screen, not enough visual cues to help the user)

Wireframes, Only Wireframes

While desk doing desk crits during our last meeting, I was quite disappointed by the lack of large pieces of paper with evidence of your fruitful brainstorming and ideation process. There was much evidence of great ideas during our talks but I still pushed all of you on Wednesday to visualize your ideas physically, together, on paper. While developing your wireframes, that method will also serve you well, starting right out in Illustrator will stifle and slow you down.

Check out some good wireframing methods here on this aptly named blog, Wireframes:
http://wireframes.linowski.ca/2009/02/whiteboard-wireframes/

Project 1 :: Class activities

in class wednesday 9.16

• Work day. Desk crits on activity brainstorming. Plot out steps/processes for those activities. Begin visual translations into wireframes.

homework for friday 9.18

• continue developing activities/processes/visual translations
• plot your posters.

in class friday 9.18

• watch Charles Leadbeater: On Innovation
• show+tell: nike, yellow arrow, others
• final plotted poster prints due
• desk crits on wireframing of activities/tools

homework for Wednesday 9.23

• Prepare a presentation of your interaction solutions (5 minute keynote presentation summarizing research, proposing solution, showing wireframes).

Project 1 :: Conceptual Design

conceptual design: moving from research to ideas & solutions
The next few class sessions will focus on translating your knowledge of the audience into online (and offline) activities that will support and enhance their sense of community. It's important to look beyond now-generic web 2.0 functions such as photo-sharing and identify activities that connect people with people and the physical world with the virtual. Consider current AND hypothetical technologies and tools for data collecting, especially as they relate to the real world. Stay focused on activities and develop processes that allow that action to happen. The online tools you design should flow from those activities and processes. Consider ways your system could allow individuals to connect 1-to-1, 1-to-many, many-to-many. Use the skills you've learned in previous classes to map out scenarios of how users will move through your system (sketching, storyboarding, diagraming) and how that system will be arranged and presented (sitemapping/wireframing).

A good way to start could be listing requirements based on need next to possible tasks/scenarios to meet those needs, i.e.:

the swimmer

• need: a new workout to improve butterfly stroke:
  solution: the community uploads categorized workouts, swimmer searches butterfly improvement, downloads chosen workout to (waterproof!) iPhone
• need: check personal stats and improvement
• solution: swim goggle attachment collects speed and positioning data over time, transmitting real-time to site where it's analyzed and presented as diagrammatic data over time, allowing comparison to other members
• need: workout buddy
• solution: swimmer calls up iPhone app, collected user data online is read and compared to swimmer capabilities and other interested users show up on iPhone area map.
• need: competition
• solution: swimmer can join the competition area and sign up for "races". goggle attachment monitors position and stop and start times, allowing swimmers in 2 different places at different times to compete.

homework, due Wednesday 9.16

• Final poster refinements.
• Based on the community reading and your own model, brainstorm/list what online activities might reinforce a sense of membership, allow for the reciprocal exertion of influence, fulfill their stated needs, and create a shared emotional connection. What can users do at your web space? What can users do in the real world that the online community can use to improve services or offer new services?

Project 1 :: Homework for Friday 9/5

in class

• community reading discussion / review community models
• watch an Anthropological Introduction to YouTube!
  
• work time for research & brainstorming
  

homework

• continue individual and community research, bring research to class, begin designing posters (sketches are adequate for friday 9.5, research is more important at this point)
  
• watch Clay Shirkey video

friday 9.5

• class starts at 9:00
• check out some old research posters and diagrammed info
• poster process crit (at your desks)
• work in studio
• lunch lecture w/garrett @ 10:40

homework for wed 9.9

• posters designed, tiled, and up on the wall at the start of class
• Watch another Clay Shirky video!
  

Project 1 :: Research Posters

Design 2 research posters outlining your chosen activity from the individual and community perspectives. Creation of the research posters will fuel ideas for the creation of your "system". Find out all you can about what it takes for an individual, and community, to be involved in your chosen activity. Utilize the principles learned in Information Architecture to organize, display, and connect relevant points. Design as a team so your posters fit together systematically. Don't forget design & hierarchy, these posters should be engaging, beautiful, and informative.


size 2' x 3' (horizontal or vertical pair)

color yes

audience designers, developers, business specialists (imagine presenting this to a hypothetical group that would be funding, programming and advertising this project)

primary considerations

• how can you design this information so it will actually be read and utilized?
• is the content both concise and highly informative/useful?

content requirements

"individual" poster
1. a persona image
2. persona text and/or images describing:

• basic demographic info such as age, education, home, employment, income, etc
• "membership" info (from the reading and/or your own model) such as boundaries, emotional safety, level of belonging and identification, symbols used, etc
• needs for community interaction: what is desired and valued by this person?
• needs for successful activity involvement

"community" poster
visually / textually describe the following:
1. basic description of the community
2. activity information such as physical boundaries/setting, what's/who's involved, equipment, etc
3. shared values of the group
4. how influence works (provide an example)
5. how shared emotional connection happens (provide examples)

Project 1 :: Homework for Wednesday 9/2

in class

• o'reilly reading discussion
• announce teams
• teams get together & discuss activities (present activity ideas to class by 9:40)
• watch an Anthropological Introduction to YouTube!
  

homework

• community reading: psychological sense of community
• individually AS A TEAM propose your own community model (in writing) based on the reading, change it or expand it to incorporate restrictions or enhancements that the online space will bring, add it to this post's comments sections (as a team)
  
• diagram your model for next class (post to your blogs)
• start research & brainstorming, activity parameters such as:

1. physical boundaries
2. what's/who's involved
3. equipment needs
   
4. demographics
5. individual and community wants and needs
6. symbols (uniforms, tools, markers of the activity's community)
7. motivations, etc.

URLs & Hosting

In the interests of getting the most of your multimedia experience, your future as designers, and being prepared for looming job searches, I am requiring that you purchase your very own URL and get hosting for it.

As discussed in class, get domain names and hosting from different vendors to give yourself the most flexibility in the future.

here's some links for your domain name search:
Godaddy
Network Solutions
Yahoo
Dreamhost


here's some links for your hosting search:
LunarPages
SurpassHosting
HostMonster
DreamHost
MidPhase
HostGator

Use Google or check some of these comparison sites:
http://www.hosting-review.com/
http://www.upperhost.com/

Don't purchase hosting yet, just research and pick a couple possible hosts. Also, search for hte best deal on domain names. Please post the host and domain name holder you'd like to use.

Bring possible URL names on Friday: should it be your name, something clever and design related, or something you could build a business venture on. If you have an awesome name that's available, reserve it and keep it to yourself, or a sneaky classmate might steal it.

Web 2.0 Example 1

This image is not on my personal hosting server or uploaded to this blog, I am pulling the content from flickr, the image is really here: (http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3468/3843669085_4c529f9683.jpg). If I delete it on flickr it will no longer be on this blog. Though it will stay on your browser (stored in a temporary cache) until you reload the page.

Project 1 Teams

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Alicia
Meredith
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Corie
Jessica
Cassie
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Logan
Michael
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Ian
Ramzy
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Morgan
Josh
----------------
Blake
Ryan
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Ideal team member?

Who do you really want to work with for half a semester on our first project? Consider carefully and send me an email with 3 names in order of preference before Thursday. I will then consider carefully and post the teams before class on Friday. All requests will be confidential.

considerations to carefully consider
do you each bring a special set of skills to the team?
do you get along and will you get along working together for half a semester?
do you trust each other?
do you respect your team member enough to be responsible for your share of the deliverables?

What Is Web 2.0?

Please read the incredibly boring but explanatory What is Web 2.0. This is not about social implications and user perspective, but about the technologies around the changes in the internets that made Web 2.0 feasible. Why do I want you to read this? Why should a designer be aware of these things? We talk Friday.

About the MX Blog

This blog will contain all materials relating to class, syllabus, project descriptions, deliverables, deadlines, discussions and more. You are expected to check it regularly and comment where required.

A designer must understand the landscape he works in and should regularly insert visual research into his routine. To this end and for the enrichment of all, I expect you to contribute to the FIND + SHARE post of this blog.

As part of your process and participation grades, your activities on your own blog and this blog will be monitored, so stay active! I expect significant process steps to be posted to your blogs and of course commented on.

Project 1 :: Community Building System

Design a multimedia system for a community of individuals involved in a common activity. This system should move content fluidly across platforms/mediums to display, map and share information. Define ways to facilitate interaction and sharing, finding ways to collect information from the real world to send, analyze, and visualize in the electronic world. An online area will respond to the needs of the whole community, while an iPhone application will be designed with the individual user in mind.

project objectives

• understand what Web 2.0 means
• understand the differences between, and design appropriately for, both static and dynamic content
• design for a specific user group considering ethnography, age, location, etc.
• apply user research to inform both your concept and design
• apply (and expand) your technical and design knowledge from Information Architecture to complex situations
• design at both the component and system level for screen-based communications
• further develop your presentation and critique skills
• integrate linear and non-linear elements into a seamless user experience.
• understand the multiple tools & multiple technologies makeup of interactive design and explore their combination of these technologies
• design screen-based systems that rely on and respond to user input
• understand the separation of design and content that is integral to current multi-authored web content
• demonstrate understanding of user-centered, contextually appropriate navigation structures

project considerations

• consider both available and hypothetical technologies when concepting, be creative!
• almost ANY individual activity can be the basis for a community, think about it!
• your ideas and the design of your interfaces are the most important aspects of this project
• you will not be expected to program functioning prototypes of this project, static click through demos and timeline-based Flash are fully acceptable
• those inclined and interested in deeper technologies like Actionscripting and Javascript are encouraged to develop those skills and use them for the prototyping of this project