Author: Abbey Zorich

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Chapters 3,4,& 5 Response

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

Ethnographic tools can increase the overall experience of online banking. For instance, if you view the journey maps, then you can determine which pages are most frequently visited and create quick links, or even what information customers most frequently need help with and can introduce more interactive aspects to create an ease of usability. By introducing more online interactive services, you will be able to provide a richer banking experience to your customers.

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

While a designer is never fully done or finished with a project, there is a point where it is ready to be released to the public and the market. There are almost always aspects of a design that can be improved upon, however, the purpose of design is to create a usable and enjoyable experience for the user. Once a product reaches a point of usability and enjoyable performance, it is finished.

•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?

A product family that I use on a daily basis is art supplies. Being a graphic designer and enjoying fine arts, I tend to naturally love sketching out everything I possibly can on the daily. I lean towards Prismacolor products and its branding has definitely affected that decision. Growing up I would use whatever I could get my hands on for my projects. However, Prismacolor has a very artistic and some could even say controlled chaos look about it. I love that because I am a mess when I am creating things and I can relate to their branding. Also, their products create a great experience, I have never had anything to complain about.

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Objectified Response

Objectified, to give expression to (as an abstract notion, feeling, or ideal) in a form that can be experienced by others.  Giving expression to a form or product is exactly what interaction designers do, so it really intrigued me that this was the title of the film. As a designer, I was guilty of viewing design as “making things pretty.” But after watching this film, I realized that design is in every aspect of a persons’ life and daily interactions. For instance, I am typing on my computer right now, someone designed this computer and every aspect of this computer to make my experience enjoyable from touch to visuals to usability. I, also, did not realize how quickly I judge something, whether it be a product or someone’s clothing choices that day, I judge it immediately on if it looks simple to use or if I would purchase it. During the movie, they said that sometimes the more simple designs are better because they promote easy usability. I completely agree with that, but I also believe that the simpler designs in this culture promote a sleeker image and often times make people look like they are higher end, which is something people strive for today. For example, Jane Harrington, who’s a color styling manager in PPG Industries’ auto-paint unit, stated that the most popular car color for the last five years has been the color white. Why? Because it is simple, understated, and looks more expensive than other colors; a look that most people strive for in today’s society. Which brings us to a point in the movie where there was a statement about creating an environment that will make people FEEL good about themselves and their life. Here’s where it gets tricky, the film emphasizes “wearing in not wearing out,” which means you want people to feel good for just a short time while using your product, but you want them to feel better and better overtime while using your product. You want them to have emotional experiences, which relates to the psychological aspect of design. In essence, you do not even want your customers or users to think about the design at all. As Objectified put it, “design dissolving in behavior.” If users are truly enjoying their experiences, they will not be focusing on the design or what is wrong because they will be so focused on the task that they are completing with your design.  You need to create something that is easy to use and timeless so that your product doesn’t end up in a landfill, and if you know that it is just a temporary product you really have to think about what will happen when its time is done. I never really thought about the after, and this movie really made me think about the after. You can not just keep making and making and making with out thinking about the lasting effects of your product. The “what’s going to happen not the what’s happening.” So, as a whole, I learned a lot about the numerous aspects of design, the emphasis on experiences and sustainability, and the after effects of your product.

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Thoughts On Interaction Design Chapters 1 & 2

Interaction design is composed of the communication and dialogue conducted between a person and a product, service, or system. Basically, any exchange that conducts a physical and emotional experience through a person’s senses, BOOM! You’ve got yourself an interaction. The main concept of interaction design creates a lot of challenges. Making something look pleasing to the eye is the very last thing to happen, which is often misconstrued as the only thing that designers do.  The struggle and challenges happen when trying to create a smooth and enjoyable experience from interacting with a product. You don’t want to create something that will be enjoyable for a short time, but something that will become better with time, something timeless. That in itself is a goal that will last a lifetime. Discovering what people find enjoyable and a necessity is also a challenge because many companies do not have the budget or funds for research, so the step is often glazed over.

Interaction design is constantly growing and moving forward, with new concepts and ideas growing off of older inventions. At this time today, things have been moving more quickly due to the major companies competitions amongst one another. Inventions nowadays are growing in more ways than just one. Yes, they are gaining newer technologies and aspects of use, but they are also growing in ways of design. For instance, there are watches that display your phone for easy use, and there are phones being created to project onto your arm and that are water-proof. There are self-driving cars and Ubers. To create these products that people want and need, interaction designers need to pull a lot of their information from psychology and engineering. They need to have a strong understanding of people.

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Week One Questions

1.) The main purpose of Apple’s website is to promote, advertise, and sell their products. Not only that but they want to sell the ecosystem that comes with their products. If you get the new iPhone, then you need to get the wireless headphones to go with it, and maybe a MacBook to sync all of your information with. The website remains simplistic and informative with large pictures and as little wording as possible (Unless of course, you enter the ‘help’ or ‘learn more’ sections). This clear and concise look promotes ease of use and great user experience.

2.) Facebook’s wall is fairly simple to navigate with the main focus on what the user wants to see. Facebooks ads are all based on what you are liking within the domain. Not only is the first option on the feed to post about one’s personal opinions at the time, but there are quick links to your favorite pages displayed on the left side. In addition, the feed only shows posts from your friends. Facebook is a more personalized experience. If you have yet to join facebook, when you reach the homepage, there is a green button, which is standing out against the typical blue color scheme, to create an account. The set-up structure is very simple, sequential, and direct.

3.) Sequential: such as an online test or a book, Hierarchal: Corporate images like Apple, Organic: Wikipedia or educational sites, Matrix: Amazon, News

4.) Huffington: Navigation=30 Content= 70, Google: Navigation=10 Content=90, Wikipedia: Navigation=15 Content=85, Etsy: Navigation=30 Content=70

5.) They use emphasis of color and cleanliness of design to focus largely on their designs and works as a whole.