Unit 8 Reading

App development starts with an idea. The idea is derived from a problem, and the app is the solution. This application has a specific audience and should attend  to their needs. People get engaged in apps that are funny and get a heightened experience. Looking, though existing apps you can get an idea of what works well and what doesn't. A helpful tip is to look at the best applications from each category and get an idea of the conventions that are currently working. To develop a iphone app, the device needs to be understood and the apps need to be designer around device specifications. Your entire idea need to be sketched out, when you get all of your ideas out on paper its easier to see the project through. 

App icons have to be unique inorder to stand out in the crowd of many app icons. The concept of the icon should be expressed through the design, this can be done without any words. The title of the app is posted along the side so it makes the name of it on the icon unnecessary. When you open up your app to the app store, avoid using the standard gloss. Many of the apps have this but you want to differentiate your app from the rest. If this gleam is desired you can create your own and still have a clean image. The app should be simple and have little nose. The intest of the design should be added in to the detail of the icon rather then adding stuff that brings nothing to the table. Your icon and the overall theme of your app should mimic each other and stay in the same design. 

Helpful links:

More in depth tips

How creating an app works

Designing an Iphone interface

Mistakes to avoid

Entartainment Social App (Design Stratagy)

This entertainment and event app updates you on local happenings. From five categories sports, art, music, food, and social the goal is to bring together a community and get involved in current events taking place at local venues.

List of Features; 

• Survey
• Searched locally (auto)  
• List of events tracked by survey 
• Link to purchase tickets online
• Social network connecting to FB 
• Attend/ not interested/ not now (filters)
• Number of new events (daily, weekly, monthly) 
• By category 
• Reminders
• Search options

Defined Users;

• Have a busy work scheduled( Full-time employed) 
• Who go out regularly (2-4 per week)
• Looking for a new experience 
• Interested in specific events
• Want to get involved in the community 
• Don't want to miss out
• Tired of looking through events they don't care about

Unit 6 Reading

Making Content Easy to Find
Designing with accessibility
Making it Easier on People with Disabilities
Designing Accessible Websites

Chapters 10 & 11

                Your website should be clear, and your audience members should be able to access all information instinctively and understand it. Everyone has their limits when looking though a website. Limits might even topple if they are unsatisfied and leave the page to never return. Patience form person to person varies. From that patience can even come and go based on their current situation. If they are in a hurry they might be less patience then when they are browsing. A persons faith in the website can be enhanced or decreased; if they are reaching only content that is irrelevant to them their patience may shorten or if they are charmed by the websites their patience will increase. Some revoking layout or understanding could lead their patience to zero and they may leave because they are already unsatisfied. I know when I was looking for a gym membership and the monthly cost was hidden until you already started a buying process, this is how they try to get you invested in with your time, but I could tell what they were trying to do and left the sites unsatisfied.

                The over use of unimportant info may overwhelm a user and cause them to get bored and quite before they waste any more of their time. The information that is important shouldn't be hidden like price, rates, and numbers, all information should be up front. Know what your users want to know and update frequently. For an easier read, make articles or huge pages of text printable. Users will take advantage of this feature, for it is easier to read off screen. There are many different types of users, and there can be a group of your users who rely on certain usability features in order to even use your website. Not every audience member is like you some may need screen readers if they have trouble seeing. These kind of situations should be planned when designing. You shouldn't make assumptions that every user is able bodied, and making your site more accessible doesn't only help  users with disabilities, it helps all of your users get the same kind of clarity. 

Website Proposal

Open publication - Free publishing - More me

Sketches and Wire frames

Sketches

Wire Frames

VIntage Martini screen grabs

Unit 5 Reading

Helpful links for you! 

10 Usability Tips for Web Designers
The Benefits of Collaborative Web Design
Let Usability Testing Guide Your Strategy

Now On to the Reading . . .

Arguments can get in the way of designing websites, since the designers are web users also it’s easy to have biases and preferences. Don’t let this get in the way of your design process, design for the audience in mind. There is no average user, some may like Flash and others may not like it. However, feelings can change, people often times just don’t like Flash done badly. To avoid Tom and Jerry like struggles in your team, and ask productive questions. Ask if the topic in this wording, in this context, on this page is going to work for your audience in mind, and create a great experience for them.  

Always get a usability test; it’s never too early to begin one. Focus groups are different then usability testing. Focus groups are a group of people (5-8) coming together and discussing their wants, feelings, and needs. A usability test deals with only one user at a time, and is usually done on camera for looking over the test afterwards. Unfortunately, focus groups can’t tell you if a site works or how to fix a problem. It’s always a good idea to test. One is a lot better than none. Choose people who are your audience to take a usability test on. Testing can lead to a deeper insight in to how a user may attempt at using the site. Usability testing can be a simple process but can be more informative when a person is hired to track this information for you and give you a debriefing. Often times using a small group of people and testing them a second time will allow them to find deeper hidden problems.    

Unit 4 Reading 08/04

Ch7

The first step in recovery is admitting that the home page is out of your control

The home page is the framework for the rest of the site. The home page has to show the big picture, and this includes what the site is about and how the user goes about using it. The home page should have an indication of what the site is about. A tag line can be used as a brief statement of what the site is for. The tag line should be about six to eight words and be a complete thought. The tagline isn’t a motto; a motto can only be understood once the user gets the tagline. The site should have a visual hierarchy, but only show case four features the site has. Like in the previous chapter a search box has to be evident in order for the user to know where they want to go. To grasp this concept the user already has to know what the site is about so that they know what they are searching for and how the site can help them. The site should have some hints or teasers showing partial evidence of the “good stuff” inside of the website. The home page should be appealing for all users who visit the site, to welcome a diverse quantity of people.

 The navigation can vary a little but should carry the same characteristics throughout the website. The names of the buttons have to remain consistent and in the same order. Even if the point of the site is obvious when creating the users may not get it right away. Users generally look for the tag line near the ID or the top of the page. The only reason an idea would be irrelevant is if the site is a well known site or the site is well known of the internet. But either way a tagline could still be helpful. A brief welcome blurb can help users to understand clearer what the website is about but may not bother to read it if it has a longer explanation then necessary.   

Tips on Creating a Dapper Website Tagline

What to put on the Website vs. What is Rubbish!

Making sure your Users' Experience goes Swimmingly

Nifty Tips on Creating a Home Page

Project two

Vintage Martini
Moodboard