Category: Reading Response

I found several things about chapter six interesting, including how design is currently a “cultural backdrop” for our world. A designer chooses subtle decisions that can be seen as insignificant, but then can be amplified when sent out into society. Because of the time gap in-between designing a product, creating the physical version and mass producing, and sending out the product to users, it becomes difficult to map out a cultural shift to a specific design choice. I found the idea of amplification of a design decision interesting, because mass production causes identical objects to be sent out, the designers voice is then “multiplied.” The chapter also touched on invisible manifestation, and how there can be consequences to the things we use even though the changes in our lives are so subtle we don’t notice. (pg. 87)

I also agree that technology can be a positive force of change, but that potential has not been reached fully. The book talks about how even though this is true, it places digitization at the heart of the discussion for the future, instead of how we use that technology to create positive change and interactions. The book says “The digital age cannot be empowering without empowering someone.” The book goes on to give some specifics on this, including how cell phones have not helped us be more empathetic but have caused accidents, the internet hasn’t helped tensions with hate speech and talks of politics and religion, and it has not helped feed the hungry. But to solve these problems we have to understand what we’re trying to do with design and technology and design simply from there.( pg. 92)

The chapter also goes into a bit more detail on the negative impacts of technology in our own lives. I did not realize at first how much I look up things on google. Any question I need answered or word I don’t understand, I google. The book says this increased dependency on technology creates huge possibility, but also can lead to personal intellectual regression. Since most of us don’t even notice how present this is in our lives, as it slowly crept in on us, it affects a large number of people in an immediate fashion. This may be a long term road to disaster of not knowing things on our own when technology fails. (pg. 93)

What information can ethnographic tools give you to improve the interactivity of an online banking website?

The ethnographic tool is used to understand what peoples do and why they do it. It is often used to observe the user with their interaction within their normal environment. The tool can help designers identify problems with the existing designs. If I was to use the ethnographic tool to help me improve the interactivity of an online banking website, the tool would be able to me understand how people work, play and live, and identify why people do things they do with the product, service or system. By using the ethnographic tools, I would be able to know what our users use the online banking website mainly for and what the banking website could do for them to make them interact with the website more.

 

At what point is a design finished? What makes it a success? What is its purpose? (pp. 54-62)

A design can never be finished, one could work on it and think it is finished but it is not considered finished until the user considers it finished. If the user thinks that there is a design problem or cannot navigate or understand the product/concept then the design is not finished. What makes a design successful is if the design can interact with the user and create a dialogue that has can create an emotion with the user. A design’s purpose is to help the user engage in a conversation fluidly.

 

Identify a product family you use regularly (can be anything from technology to consumables except for coffee). How has its branding effected your use, relationship and experience with the product? (pp. 78-84)

A product family that I use regularly is Apple. I use their phone, tablet, laptops, and Macs. When I use my Apple products, I feel safe and secured. I think my products are reliable and they will do what I want it to do and more. Sometimes I even find new things to learn about it. The branding has affected my use by giving me that safety and draws me in to their new products and only stay in their family. I feel like because I used Apple on the daily, I feel as though I could not go to another product family because I feel like I am cheating on the company. When I get a new product from Apple, I always get excited because I know that I would not be disappointed with the product and the products are always so sleek and innovative.

What information can ethnographic tools give you to improve the interactivity of an online banking website? (pp. 48-54)

Ethnographic tools are tools that provide an alternative to traditional quantitative research. Tools such as interviews, observations, and surveys could help improve the interactivity of an online banking website by:

• observe people using the website to see how they react to certain features
• survey users to see if they trust the banking system
• ask if they would refer the system to a friend/family member
• watch users navigate the website to see if it functions the way you intended it to
• conduct a personal satisfaction survey after the first use of the service
• select several random users and interview about their experience using the website

At what point is a design finished? What makes it a success? What is its purpose? (pp. 54-62)

Designers are in the unique position to improve all aspects of human life. When designing a product, it is important to take into the consideration of the user first before the designer puts in theirs. A design is finished once it is functional, easily understood by those who didn’t make it, and it meets consumer needs. After these needs are met, the product is able to be used for human consumption. If the design is successful, it is well reciprocated by users, performs its intended purpose, and meets user needs. The purpose of the design is how designers plan on solving an issue or completing a task in front with their design and how it will impact users in the long run.

 

Identify a product family you use regularly (can be anything from technology to consumables except for coffee). How has its branding effected your use, relationship and experience with the product? (pp. 78-84)

Ever since I was in elementary school, I was surrounded by Apple products. I was taught how to type on a Mac Desktop computer and was awarded an iPad in Middle school when our school was chosen to test a system develop online learning. I have never once tested or used an Android product because my heart and my opinion has always been set around Apple products. I find it annoying when people don’t have iPhones so I can’t send them emojis. I hate people who don’t know how to navigate through my computer as well as I can. I think PC’s are chunky and unnecessarily large. But the funniest part is, I don’t know why I feel this way. The Apple brand has played a huge role in developing the kind of technology I use and how efficiently I use it. I know how to use universal programs such as Microsoft Word much easier on Mac computers than I do PCs. I 100% will always be an Apple user until someone proves there is something better out there for me (which is very unlikely).

What information can ethnographic tools give you to improve the interactivity of an online banking website?

Ethnographic tools provide information like the frequency of use, communication, and usability. This can be helpful for a designer of a banking website by giving the designer information about the most used information on a website, such as transaction history, and making it more readily available for the users. Banking websites tend to be confusing, so these tools would help a lot in minimizing the confusion and giving users a good experience on the website.

 

At what point is a design finished? What makes it a success? What is its purpose?

One of the most alarming things I learned freshman year is that a design is never truly done. A design can always be improved upon, there’s no such thing as perfection in the design world. It’s purpose is to be desirable (beautiful, elegant, and appropriate,)  and user centered. A design can be considered successful when it properly serves its purpose and enhances the user experience, meaning it should improve all aspects of human life.

 

Identify a product family you use regularly (can be anything from technology to consumables except for coffee). How has its branding affected your use, relationship and experience with the product?

I really like Canada Dry Ginger Ale. To almost an excessive, obsessive amount because it’s pretty much all I drink. Strangely enough, I initially started drinking it because my mom said ginger ale is good to drink when you’re sick and (although it may have been placebo) I always felt much better after drinking it. Then I just grew to enjoy the taste and I liked it a lot. Once I got big into design I started to pay careful attention to the packaging, which I find the graphics are pretty and very much my style – a lot of greens, bubbles being used for movement, and vines. Their website is nice as well, though I’m not sure how many people think to visit a website for a soft drink, I sure haven’t until now. I occasionally see a commercial and those are usually funny and capture people’s attention. I feel as though their branding is good, although it hasn’t really affected my use or relationship with the product because I’ve been obsessed with it since I was a little kid and will continue to be obsessed regardless of their branding decisions. One thing that is interesting is that my reason for drinking it, being sick, is never mentioned in any of their advertisements. I don’t know if that would help them, but it’s something!

What information can ethnographic tools give you to improve the interactivity of an online banking website? (pp. 48-54)

• Ethnography can teach designers about what users will want and need. Ethnography will help predict how users will interact with a design. Study groups/user testing could show us that a user is concerned with the security of their online banking website/app. They could express that they would be comfortable if it looked a certain way or had extra checkpoints (like security questions or verification of their password).

At what point is a design finished? What makes it a success? What is its purpose? (pp. 54-62)

• A design is finished when the function of the design doesn’t seem like it was designed at all. The way a design functions and the way someone interacts with the design should feel intuitive and instinctual as if it has to be designed that way. The design should serve its purpose completely and leave the user without questions of how to use the technology.
• A design should be balanced between aesthetics and user engagement/useage.
• A design should serve its purpose easily and with little to no question/complication.

Identify a product family you use regularly (can be anything from technology to consumables except for coffee). How has its branding affected your use, relationship and experience with the product? (pp. 78-84)

• Apple: I have an iPhone, which I stay up to date on all of the new gadgets and updates. I have a Macbook Pro that I use everyday and connect it to my iPhone. I have an iPad to stay connected in more portable situations, but when I don’t need my phone or my laptop. Everything that I purchase, as far as technology goes, is Apple friendly. I will not buy a product that is not compatible with all of my devices or if the product will harm any of my devices (like some charging cables from outside sources).
• Apple’s brand is all about being innovative, but completely intuitive and user friendly. Apple’s tagline is “Think Different”, which speaks a lot about the brand and how they want to be viewed.
• Apple is not just a product, it’s a lifestyle. Everything that I do revolved around how I use one of my Apple products. All of my assignments are done on a Mac. All of my communication-other than in person- is done on an iPhone or Mac. Everything is connected to each other in iCloud. Everything I do (sadly, probably) revolves around Apple technology.

What information can ethnographic tools give you to improve the interactivity of an online banking website?

Ethnographic tools are used to construct visualizations between individual components to help understand relationships. These tools, such as reading ecosystem diagrams, journey maps, and concept maps. These tools can help map out exactly how a user will interact with the product. In online banking, using these diagrams can create an overall better understanding of the system in place. If you have multiple ways to reach something, how are those connected? Is that relationship immediately apparent? These tools help the designers focus on what works, what doesn’t, and can identify problems that were not apparent.

At what point is a design finished? What makes it a success? What is its purpose?

A design is finished when the user has had all of their needs met from the design, or when the designer decides the work is done. This is definitely subjective though, so it’s up to who is making and using the design.

Some people may believe the amount of money they make is what allows them to call it successful, while someone effectively making a solution to a problem could be a successful design to someone else.

The purpose of the design depends on the designer/user and how they individually create and use the product. If a designer creates something for a specific purpose, the user has the freedom to use the product for another purpose, even though that is not what it was intended for.

Identify a product family you use regularly (can be anything from technology to consumables except for coffee). How has its branding effected your use, relationship and experience with the product?

I used to be a Nikon lover and after several camera fails, I decided to switch to Canon. When I first came here I was disappointed that it was a Canon school, but after talking to many of my peers my preference changed. I see the brand as being “better than Nikon,” even though I have nothing except my personal preference to back up that statement. From my failures with the quality and lifetime of Nikon’s products, Canon just seemed the better and more reliable company. I see them as more high-end in branding now because of my experiences.

What makes up interaction design and what are some of the industry’s challenges?

Interaction design, as defined by the textbook, is “ a creative process focused on people.” What this means is it’s a dialogue between the product and the user. Interaction design focuses on satisfying as many users as the design/product/service can. Interaction designers focus on usability and instead of just analyzing the details of what they are designing for, they instead imagine how they could be and what they could evolve to. While usability is a big part, it is just a portion of the large set of characteristics that become important during the dialogue that is interaction design.

Industry challenges could be, as mentioned in the book, how hard the designers job is compared to the artist. While the artist creates mostly for a reaction, a designer (and specifically an interaction designer) has to work for a function and understand all aspects of the product and how they affect the users. This requires more time and a specific way of thinking that requires deeper thought into the problems and benefits of the product they are creating.

What is interaction design, how its evolving. What fields does it draw knowledge from?

Interaction design is about the user, and focused on their needs. This means there has to be communication between the designer and user so the needs and wants of the user are implemented into the final product. This means that a strong purpose is needed for the designs to succeed, as there has to be a benefit to the user. Interaction designers are continuing to try to understand and alter what people do, how they feel, and what they think. The book states that because of this manipulation, the behavior is tightly related to power, politics, and control.

This means it draws knowledge from psychology and sociology, especially because it is so focused on how people act and why they act the way that they do. It is also important that designers know how to create the designs they are making so knowledge is also drawn from developers, engineers, and similar fields that create physical products that interaction designers are trying to create.

What makes up interaction design and what are some of the industry’s challenges?

Interaction Designers are doing more than using technology to solve a problem. They are an expect on how human beings relate to each other, to the world, and to the changing nature of technology and business. Their creations should become vehicles to provide a dialogue between the designer and the viewer. This design is a dialogue. And getting to the point where a designer can honestly form a dialogue with a user is hard. There are six steps: Define, discover, synthesize, construct, refine, and reflect. These steps allow the designers to properly hypothesize scenarios and interactions that will exist with their product as well as evaluate what aspects of the design either need to be implemented or removed. This is important as hypothesizing scenarios allows the designers to contemplate their users. Empathizing with their users is important as interaction design is about humanity. The products should be focused on the human users, not the technology used to create the product.

Some unique challenges arise due to the human focus of the field. The industry is currently focused on technology, as it’s rapidly growing and there’s so much to know and do in order to become successful. So when hiring designers, they make job postings about HTML, Java, the Adobe Suite, and so on instead of what really matters: the ability to empathize with the user. And empathizing with a user isn’t as easy at it sounds either, it’s truly a tough task. A designer can only go so far before they need to do testing with their prototypes with real users. Designers will always believe that their designs are good because they know everything about them and have spend hours navigating the ins and outs of their work. Real users are never that involved in a product. The product should be able to effectively communicate with the user without distracting or humiliating them. A good design does not make a user feel stupid. A good design should be a perfect interaction between user and product, like an old, married couple that don’t even need to speak to understand each other. And the industry just doesn’t understand that. They hear interaction design and assume they have a computer scientist and graphic designer all in one, which leads them to focus on the technology and less about the people.

What is interaction design, how its evolving. What fields does it draw knowledge from?

“Interaction design is a creative process focused on people” (page 20.) It is the creation of a dialogue between a person and a product. The dialogue doesn’t need to be lengthy and involved, as we interact with a number of things naturally without even realizing it. The way we sit in chairs, how we hold our silverware, if we use just one strap or both when we sling our backpacks on our backs… these are all interactions. We may not do what was intended by the designers, which is why design is seen in the fourth dimension, which includes time. Over time we will act differently with our products or we may not even interact with them at all. Landfills are just filling up with iPhones and dead technology because there’s nothing about it to keep it around. It’s not intended to last. And this is why interaction designers are working on better ways to communicate with their audience to create products that will meet user needs and become devices that no longer trouble or inhibit the user from completing their tasks.

Interaction design draws knowledge from several fields. Computer Science, Psychology, Engineering, and Graphic Design are the main fields. Designers must be able to interact with the user on any platform, with a physical product or through the use of technology. They need to be able to understand and empathize with the behavior of their users, to the point where they understand their users better than they understand themselves. And finally, they need to be able to engineer and construct products that match the vision they have created and ensure that the product properly converses with the user in an effective and clear manner.

What makes up interaction design and what are some of the industry’s challenges?

An interaction design must include a goal-drive design which focuses on personas, user scenarios and experience maps. Usability is also important; the product must be intuitive and reliable before it can be used by users. Learnability, so that the interfaces would feel more natural and more usable with less distractions. The interface should also be quick at responding so that it would feel like a real conversation for the user. Some of the industry’s challenges would be trying to create convergent products that are easy to use and pleasant to encounter; however, as the physical and digital product development evolves, the only differentiator in service would be the cost. Not only should the design be easy to use, the design should also have a strong emotive aspect to engage the user.

What is interaction design, how its evolving. What fields does it draw knowledge from?

Interaction Design is the dialogue between person and product, system, or service. The dialogue is both physical and emotional in nature. The dialogue is manifested in form, function and technology. Interaction is evolving because interaction used to be intangible. Interaction design impressed users with simple interactions with unexpected to animation, but now it became a required feature with the interface. New interaction designs continue to arise as new technologies are developed. Interaction design draws its knowledge from the field of psychology because interaction design uses the cognitive, memory, and perception from it to create designs for the user.

 

 

1. What makes up interaction design and what are some of the industry challenges?

Interaction Design is the creation of a dialogue between a person and product, service, or system. It is complied with many different aspects; some of which include media accessibility and usability, user understanding and learning ability, and physical and emotional dialogue between user and design. Although the concept is growing, there have been some challenges within the industry as a whole. The novel expressed the theory of “The User Is Not Like Me.” Sometimes, it is hard for designers to take into consideration the wants of a user since they are the ones designing the product. It is important to remember who you’re designing for and what they may want from you. Just because a design works for its creator does not mean it may work for everyone else. In return, it may become challenging for designers to be new and innovative with ideas and concepts. With demand for new media and technology growing at an alarming rate, it tends to be difficult to be new and creative; one of the biggest challenges of the industry is the industry itself.

2.  What is interaction design, how its evolving. What fields does it draw knowledge from?

As stated previously, interaction design is the creation of a dialogue between a person and product, service, or system. As demand for media evolves, so does the media itself. People are beginning to experiment with new ideas and concepts and incorporate more cultural and personal aspects into their designs. It draws knowledges from fields like computer software development, behavioral studies, data analytics, and construction (but on a different, non-building sky scrapers kind of way). It utilizes parts of each of these fields to effectively create new ideas and concepts.

 

What makes up interaction design and what are some of the industry’s challenges?

• There are Six Core Components in the process of design that Kolko defines (Page 22) as follows:
  • Define- team building; technical assessment; hypothesizing
  • Discover- contexts; benchmarking; user needs
  • Synthesize- process maps; opportunity map; frameworks; personas; scenarios
  • Construct- features and functions; behavior; design language; interactions and flow models; collaborative design
  • Refine- evaluation; scoping; interaction; specification
  • Reflect – post mortem; opportunity map; benchmarking; market acceptance
• Some Challenges in the Industry:
  • Discovering the needs and wants of potential users. Needs and wants of users is not always made completely obvious. These “hidden wants, needs, and desires” are things that designers need to dig for and design for in advance. The potential user is not always like the designer, therefore, the designer needs to design for the audience and not themselves. Designers cannot be selfish. Going to the Users is often the best way to figure out how they will move within an app/design.
  • Staying focused within the context of the project sometimes proves to be a challenge. Designers want to be able to have everything, but the book makes it a point to stay focused to find more detailed information.
  • I don’t know if this is a challenge, but the book mentions divergent thinking. Kolko says that is can sometimes be tricky because it can get very complicated very fast, but it can often lead to extremely innovative ideas.
  • Benchmarks for success for prototypes and user testing is muddy. There is always a lot of self-criticizing and this makes it harder for designs/projects to get off of the ground and into further production.

 

What is interaction design, how it’s evolving. What fields does it draw knowledge from?

• Interaction Design:
  • Design that is honed in on the way something or someone (the user) will interact with the technology and functions of the technology. The function is paid attention to just as much as the physical appearance of the system. Interaction design uses function and design elements to make a system work efficiently and effectively for the desired user.
• How Interaction Design is Evolving:
  • Other fields have to be involved. Outside sources need to be considered and consulted. As answered in the next question, interaction designers draw knowledge from other fields to help improve the function and reception of their work. By outside sources, I mean other companies. With the app that we have been working on in class, like many other apps that already exist, we would need to consult with gas companies and convenient stores to come up with a points system that they would all agree upon. Then we would have to get them all using the same type of technology to make out app function at its full capacity and properly. There is more than just the design that goes into the success of an interaction designer’s project.
• Fields that Interaction Design Draws Knowledge from:
  • There is a lot of mention in the book about pulling information and knowledge from graphic designers, industrial designers, and user interface developers. These fields all bring forth knowledge about design, technology, and user experience to help strengthen interaction designers’ work.

 

Source: Kolko, J. (2011). Thoughts on interaction design: A collection of reflections. Amsterdam: Elsevier/Morgan Kaufmann.

What are the goals of Apple’s website? How does Apple’s website address the needs of a user who has just purchased their first MacBook? (Chapter 3)

• Apple’s goal is previewing all the latest gadgets trying to grab the user’s attention. While doing so the user’s become an existing user and they could also navigate to their designated tab such as Macbooks or IPhones, they want both new users and existing users to find use for the website. Another feature they allow new or existing users to do is navigating to the support tab in case they have questions on the product or assistance with a malfunction.

What are the functional specifications of Facebook’s wall? If you are not on Facebook what are the specs for the signup page? (Chapter 4: Functional Specifications, Content Requirements an Prioritizing Requirements)

• Facebook is meant to be a site for people to connect with friends and families. The website allows one to share posts, images, or memories with one another. On the Facebook wall, users are presented with recent shared images, posts, and ads from different sites.
• When signing up on Facebook, you are asked to insert your first and last name, email, birthday, and gender.

What are four architectural approaches to information structure? Find one example of each. (Chapter 5: Information Architecture)

• Hierarchial – family tree
• Matrix – clothing websites
• Organic – wikipedia
• Sequential – a textbook

What percentage of The Huffington Post index page is navigation, and what percentage is content? What about Google, Wikipedia, and Etsy? (Chapter 6)

• On the Huffington Post index page, the entire page is navigation while there are a few links to content.
• On the Google index page, majority of the page is content and no navigation.
• On the Wikipedia index page, there is no navigation just content.
• On the Etsy index page, there is a little bit more navigation than content.

How does http://landor.com guide the readers’ eyes and focus their attention on what is important? (Chapter 7: Follow the eye)

• Landor guides the reader’s eye by giving the user a guided tour, there are very few options its just a straight scroll up and down. The website is trying to use as little distractions as possible so that the user has an easier time navigating through the website. They also use very bright colors like yellow, to really grab the user’s attention on what is important. The most important or most recent post is of course the first image you see on the page.

• Apple’s website serves as both an informational outlet for potential customers to do more research on Apple’s products and software as well as a way for current Apple product users to troubleshoot any problems they may be having with their devices. According to “Elements of the User Experience” by Jesse James Garrett, user needs are important. If a new Mac owner needs help setting up their device or needs assistance on how certain features work, Apple’s website breaks down step by step how to fix the problem. Each device Apple offers has it’s own tab on the homepage which allows users to easily navigate the page to find what information they need. Apple also lets their customers have the option of getting help from an Apple professional straight from their website.
• Facebook’s wall showcase a particular user’s profile picture and general information (education, relationship status, birthday, number of friends, etc.). It also shows what and when the user posts statuses or pictures, shares an article, video, or picture with their friends. The wall is also a platform for other users to post on to send that particular person a public message. The wall is in sequential order and has a scrolling function that allows users to scroll through a person’s activity throughout the week, month, and even year.
• Four types of Architectural Approaches:
  • Hierarchy – tgifridays.com (The homepage has options to take you to several different options such as lunch, dinner, and catering. Each of those links then has their own page which take you into the more specific features of that particular section of the website.)
  • Matrix – target.com (When searching for products, the user is able to specify exactly what they are looking for by color, size, quantity, etc., and the website narrows the search for you to make it easier to find the products you want.)
  • Organic – perezhilton.com (A famous blogger, Perez Hilton formats his webpage so his users can scroll down the page and read article after article, but users have to click all over the place if they are searching for a very specific topic. This, in return, may make it hard to find the same article more than once.) 
  • Sequential – pinterest.com (Pinterest allows its users to simply scroll freely down the webpage to look at and pin anything they want to their board. It’s very easy to go back and forth between pages if need be but it doesn’t take you all over the place.) 
• Huffington Post’s index page is about 10 percent content and 90 percent navigation. The homepage has a navigation bar that will take you basically anywhere on the website as well as tabs that take you to all of their social media pages. It also is filled with pictures and link that take you to all of the articles on the website. This part of the index is also part of the content of the website. Since there are so many articles listed on the homepage, it covers a lot of the recent content on their site. Google on the other hand, is 100 percent navigation. There is no set place that the website will take you; it all depends on what the user wants to search for and what he/she needs. Wikipedia is probably close to 99 percent navigation besides the small amount of text that states who Wikipedia is sponsored by and so forth. Etsy is definitely a content heavy website: 70 percent content and 30 percent navigation. Since most of the content is visible once the user does one singular search, the navigation doesn’t take up most of the surface. These numbers, though, could be interchangeable because the navigation could be related to the content.
• Landor.com has a scrolling feature that focuses on specific aspect at a time. Once the user has read one section of the website and scrolls down, the section previous begins disappear slowly and the new one slowly begins to appear where the old one once was. Once the scroll is complete, the portion of the website that wishes to be active becomes perfectly clear. This makes the website easy to navigate through without having to click all over the place to find things.

What are the goals of Apple’s website? How does Apple’s website address the needs of a user who has just purchased their first MacBook? (Chapter 3)

• The goals of Apple’s website is to showcase their products and explain to users everything that an Apple product can help them do. Apple likes to show their consumers that it isn’t that hard and they are user friendly, especially if they want to create/interact with content.
• Once the user clicks on the Macbook that they have purchased, they have access to every detail they could need or want to know about their new device. Apple provides written and visual information about the technology itself as well as the interactability of the device. If the user has any questions, there is also a section of the website where they can find answers or contact Apple Support.

What are the functional specifications of Facebook’s wall? If you are not on Facebook what are the specs for the signup page? (Chapter 4: Functional Specifications, Content Requirements and Prioritizing Requirements)

• I have a Facebook account but I never use it. From the interactions I have had with the website and app I feel that Facebook has a major drive for user generated content. By this, I mean that Facebook’s main function is to give every user the same tools to create, share, and show interest in different organizations or subjects. Facebook provides users with a “status” and a “wall” to provide information to their “friends” and interact with each other. Facebook even further developed their “Like” button to a “reaction” button so that they could show more emotion and exactly what they were feeling regarding a post. From my experience (or lack there of), Facebook is more of a platform with everything set up to be used. It also has ads which are meant to engage users and potentially interact with them. The ads are also geared towards each individual user’s account based on their likes and interests and searches. This function makes it possible for Facebook to learn about each user. All of these details are functional specifications that the makers of Facebook knew were critical to the success of their website/app.

 

What are four architectural approaches to information structure? Find one example of each. (Chapter 5: Information Architecture)

• Hierarchal
  • www.bjsrestaurants.com, or other restaurant pages alike, have a navigation bar with links that drop down from the menu to offer more options and paths. The links in the drop downs are related to the parent link but offer more information.
• Matrix
  • When shopping online, I may narrow my search for dresses by color, size, cut, brand, and fabric. This allows me to search for several different things at once to help narrow my search because I have more that one need asking to be met all at once.
• Organic
  • This one is confusing me a little bit because I am having a hard time finding examples. I think that a good example of an organic structure would be buzzfeed.com. Any link you click on leads to a completely new page with information only related to the link you just clicked but nothing relating to your previous searches/clicks. Everything seems a bit random and without much structure, but I think some more examples would be a big help in clearing this up for me.
• Sequential
  • Book or article–meant to be read in a specific order so it is given in a specific order. I’m not completely positive about this example, but something like an online test could qualify as sequential. There is a specific order that the user is directed to take and you cannot move on until you have completely the first section provided.

 

What percentage of The Huffington Post index page is navigation, and what percentage is content? What about Google, Wikipedia, and Etsy? (Chapter 6)

• The Huffington Post
  • Going off of the index page, about 98% of the page is navigation. The only content that I see is from the headlines within the links.
• Google
  • For this index page- which I’m assuming is just the search bar and logo along with the links to gmail accounts/spin offs- it is all navigation. The only thing that I can think of that would be considered content is the Google symbol itself. This is because they sometimes have art featured or special links within the logo that would be considered content more than navigation (or maybe an alternate/creative way of navigating).
• Wikipedia
  • This index page is probably 99% navigation besides the small blurb that says who Wikipedia is hosted by towards the bottom of the page.
• Etsy
  • Etsy seems to have a lot more content because the links are all within their ads/stock photos. This is tricky though, for me at least, because I’m not sure of it should be considered content or navigation since the goal of the content is to be clicked to navigate to something else. Since there is more content visible on this page, I want to say it’s close to 60% content, 40% navigation (even though I feel like those numbers could flip flop).

 

How does http://landor.com guide the reader’s’ eyes and focus their attention on what is important? (Chapter 7: Follow the eye )

• This website makes it so that the user can only see one visual and relating text at once. This makes it easy for the user to stay focused on what Landor wants them to be focused on. Everyone reads from left to right, so when the text is on the left, it allows the reader to receive an explanation first and then move on to the visual. Sometimes there is only text or only a visual, which only intensifies the users focus on that one piece of information.

What are the goals of Apple’s website? How does Apple’s website address the needs of a user who has just purchased their first MacBook?

To me, it seems that apples website tries to get new products on the website first, while making other products accessible with a lot of information to view.

For example, when you first get to their web page, the first thing you see is a minimalistic ad for their iPhone 7, that just says “iPhone, This is 7.” with a black and gray iPhone and a gold and rose gold colored ones peaking out of the corners. This information is the first thing you see, and it lets you know they have a new product right away.

If a user has just purchased a macbook, they can easily find the MacBook page, and it shows a tab where you can view mac specs and “find the best Mac for you.” A student buying their first MacBook can find necessary information and easily compare models to find a computer to best serve their needs.

What are the functional specifications of Facebook’s wall? If you are not on Facebook what are the specs for the signup page? 

The functional specifications of Facebook’s wall, to me, is to be a home base for the website, with scrolling available to look through new posts by the user’s friends on the site. This helps to let the user connect with other users through shared content. Also, available are links to messages, pages, groups, games, and other links to explore different areas of the website.

What are four architectural approaches to information structure? Find one example of each. 

The four architectural approaches are hierarchical, matrix, organic, and sequential structures.

Hierarchical structure is made up of nodes that have a “parent/child” relationship with other nodes. The child nodes represent narrower concepts within the broader category that is the parent node. And example of a hierarchical structure is family trees, classification trees (like the classification of living things), and other ways to sort needs.

A matrix structure is a structure that allows the user to move between the different nodes along two or more dimensions. According to the book, matrix structures can accommodate different needs of users, for example, browsing products by different categories. An example of matrix structures would be where structure in a company have dual reporting relationships, like between manager and product manager.

An organic structure is one that doesn’t attempt to follow any consistent pattern. The nodes are connected through a case by case basis and are useful for exploring a set of topics whose relationship is unclear or evolving. An example of an organic structure would be mind mapping as a use of brainstorming.

A sequential structure is one that is a flow of language that follows an order. the book calls this structure the most familiar one to most of us and the use of this structure is better for smaller scale structures like, for example, articles and instructional material.

What percentage of The Huffington Post index page is navigation, and what percentage is content? What about Google, Wikipedia, and Etsy?

It seemed to me the almost 100% of the Huffington Post home pages navigation. While there are titles with blips about the articles, the majority of those are links to content.

Google is the same way, as it is used as a tool to search for content.

Wikipedia is less so a navigational tool, as it’s index page has full content on it. The home page has a featured article that you can read on the same page without the need to redirect you.

Etsy is more of a shopping site, showing you clothing and other content for sale. The information is there right away but for more you are redirected to the products information page, where you can read reviews, comment, or buy the product.

How does http://landor.com guide the readers’ eyes and focus their attention on what is important? 

This website guides the eye downward and through the content, with a few stops along the way to redirect you to content and information about the company.  By leading the eye downwards in a sequential order through examples of their work and articles, they help control where the user is looking and what they have to look at.