Author: cjdst273

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Terms and Conditions May Apply (Bonus)

Everyone who has been on the internet has most likely agreed to a site’s terms and conditions. I think it’s safe to say that most, if not, all of those people didn’t read a single word of those terms and conditions. The same goes with any privacy policy. Terms and Conditions May Apply shares some scary facts about this phenomenon that could open some eyes. One being the fact that most websites, mainly social media, that you sign up for own anything you upload. This can be given to the government if requested. Sites like Facebook, Instagram, and LinkedIn can and will use this policy. The film points out that this all started in 2001 with the Patriot Act. Before 9/11, the government was ready to pass privacy laws that would prevent citizens from having their personal information searched by authorities without their permission, but once the world trade center went down, these laws were given up on and the Patriot Act was signed. This act lay the groundwork for our internet privacy to become nonexistent. Google’s privacy policy was given as an example. In 2000, Google’s privacy policy said users were given anonymity, but in 2001, it was changed to their users’ information being “anonymous except when legally obligated.” This means that if the government asks for personal information about a user, Google will give them it. The crazy thing is that these sites can change their policies without anyone really knowing it. Facebook did this awhile back, changing everyone’s information back to the default of being publicly available. This can be done because the original policy said so. There are loopholes throughout every agreement and moments where they outright say something the user wouldn’t agree to had they actually read the thing.

There are arguments that “if you have nothing to hide, then you shouldn’t be worried” about spying and actions of that nature, but complete privacy is a basic human right. Even if you have nothing to hide, any authority could interpret something you said to mean whatever they want. For example, the film shows a 7th grader who made a statement of FaceBook about the president. He said that Barack Obama should watch out for “suicide bombers.” This was a statement of concern, not a threat, but sure enough the FBI came to his school and placed him in custody. Another example given was a writer on Cold Case being placed on a list because he searched Google for terms like “dead body,” “decapitated head,” and “murder wife.” He was just doing research for a murder mystery TV show. These provide ample evidence that the authorities having our information is more of a good thing than a bad thing. It places us all at risk and rarely does anything to “protect us.”

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Thoughts: Chapters 3, 4, 5

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

Ethnographic tools are used by observing, interviewing, and analyzing people in a social setting. An online banking website could use this to better understand its users. This understanding would ultimately create a better, more wholesome experience.

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

A design is finished when the designer(s) feel as though their work is done. Now, whether or not a design is successful or not is subjective. Everyone has their own metric of success. To one,  it may just be whether or not the design makes a profit. To others it may just be whether or not it is well liked and/or useful. A design’s purpose depends on the person using it. A user may find a purpose that wasn’t initially intended by the designer.

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?

Google has run my life for the better part of a decade. I have an android phone that runs on Google software, I use google chrome as my default browser, and, obviously, I use Google’s search engine whenever I have a problem or question of any kind. I use google because it’s efficient. All of their products work well and fast. Also, the connectivity is very important. I can save a file using google drive on my MacBook Pro, then open it up on my Motorola phone or Samsung tablet.

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Objectified Response

Objectified explores a plethora of mindsets and definitions of design. It features real people from the world of design. Each brings their own experiences and ideas to the table. This makes for a very interesting viewing.

Design is made up of a lot of things. Everybody has an answer for “what is design?” The truth is, no answer is wrong. A lot was said in Objectified. “Design is art.” “Design is simple.” “Design is the search for form.” All of these can be true, but a question that hovers around throughout the film is “what makes a design good?” Plenty of answers can be found. A couple of things that stood out to me early on were the Japanese toothpick and the shot of two plates containing the same food. The toothpick had multiple uses. These uses depend on the culture, there was a feature that was used very commonly in Japanese culture that would have no use in other cultures such as American. I believe the two food dishes were shown to showcase the different eating habits of the two people enjoying their meals. One was very neat and organized, the other absolutely destroyed his meal. These two examples show just how different people can be. This leads me to believe that a good design should be able to satisfy the needs of different people. It shouldn’t cater to a specific type of person. Now, it’s impossible to satisfy EVERY person, but your audience is going to shrink if you don’t expand your target. Another attempt at answering this question was when one designer brought up the fact that there are objects that were made decades ago that are still used today. Examples would be cars or furniture. It can be inferred that “good design” should stand the test of time.

The range of ideas that Objectified considers is interesting. It’s a lot to digest. Every designer had his/her own definition of design and what he/she though made for a good design. The most interesting part: I didn’t hear a single thing I disagreed with.

 

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Thoughts: Chapter 1 & 2

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

Interaction design is made up of many things. Companies designing objects for consumer use, artists making an object’s interface more appealing, a designer making an object more approachable. All of these can be examples of interaction design.  There are many challenges facing the industry. One of which is designers figuring out what the user wants and needs. These wants and needs change fast and it can be difficult to keep up.

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

In a general sense, it is the way an object is used by the user. It’s objective is to make the consumer’s life easier while still being appealing to the eye. It is the creation of a dialogue between a person and a product. It evolves with the desires of its users. It can draw knowledge from many fields, from art to science and technology. Anything to make a product easier to use and more appealing.

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Elements of the User Experience

Apple most likely had quite a few goals when planning the strategy of their website. One of which would be to develop branding. Apple wants to have it’s own “look.” Another goal would be to sell product. This ultimately leads to the user’s needs. When a user purchases their first Macbook, clearly they would have needs. The user would need information on the product, a shopping cart, and it all must be easy to navigate. Apple’s website does fulfill all of these needs by having a shopping cart system and a simplistic design.

Facebook’s wall is a main feature of the site. It relies heavily on user created content, but the site gives the user the tools he/she needs to create that content. There is a text box for posting written messages and a place to upload pictures and videos. When you are not a user, Facebook shows you the signup page. This page shows a number of text boxes that the user can fill out in order to make a profile. Everything that is filled out is a requirement. Emails and phone numbers are needed to identify a user, passwords are necessary to keep the user’s information safe, and a date of birth ensures that the user is of appropriate age.

The hierarchical structure consists of a tree-like structure where one node can lead to multiple nodes and each of those nodes can lead to even more nodes. Huffington Post’s website is an example of this because different paths open up based on which page you visit. There is also the matrix structure. This structure allows a user to move through two or more dimensions. Amazon uses this structure when the user seems to be searching for something somewhat specific. Another structure is the organic structure. This structure is not consistent. Every user could have a different experience and follow a different path. Wikipedia is a good example of this. Finally, the sequential structure is the simplest of the four. Here, the user moves from node to node in a predetermined order. There is no way of going from the first to the last without going through every other step. When purchasing from a site like Amazon, this structure comes into play.

A lot of The Huffington Post’s homepage is content. There is navigation in the sense that that content is linked to a page with more information about said content. There are also places on the site used for searching for more specific content. Google on the other hand is all navigation until you start searching or clicking on google’s apps. Wikipedia and Etsy are kind of the same way. The user doesn’t find much content until they start using these sites to find what they are looking for.

Landor seems to use large text to direct the user’s eyes to content that it thinks is the most important. Pictures and bright colors also come into play.

 

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Review #3

http://bravofranco.com/index.asp VS. http://www.burgatorybar.com/

These restaurants are very different and are going after a different audience. Therefore, the styles of the sites are different, but I believe both do a good job.

First, Bravo Franco’s site. The first thing that grabs the user’s attention on the homepage would be the three large pictures of their food and restaurant placed in the center. Then, the user sees the toolbar that is split by the restaurant’s logo. The toolbar consists of all the necessary pages to navigate to and above the toolbar, there is the restaurant’s phone number and address. The site is easy to navigate. The store’s hours are at the bottom of the site in their own section titled “hours of operation.” This makes them easy to find. One visual problem would be the menu section in the bottom right of the homepage. The different categories of the menu are listed in bright red, a color that doesn’t fit the overall scheme of the site. That could because they want to emphasize that section, but their menu already has it’s own page that can be accessed through the toolbar at the top of the page. Although the site’s aesthetic is a little rough around the edges, it does a good job at making sure everything that needs to found is easy to find.

Burgatory’s site has a completely different feel to it. The first thing the user sees on their site is a completely interactive look at their burgers and shakes. This is easy to use and works well for restaurant who’s main attraction is it’s unique menu. The toolbar is placed directly next to the interactive menu and has a way to navigate to useful sections such as the full menu, locations, ways to contact , and merchandise. All of the locations are also listed at the bottom of the homepage. One problem I do have with the site is the fact that the hours of operation are placed at  the bottom right of the homepage in small, dark red font that may be hard to read for some. The site is definitely unique and modern looking, but the hours of operation should definitely be easier to find. It’s an important part of a restaurant’s site.

Although Burgatory looks slicker and more modern, I feel it easier to find what you want on Bravo Franco’s web site.

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Review #2

Sonic Blocks

Sonic Blocks is a one page music platform that allows users to create music by dragging different blocks into a centered cube. Each block has a different sound that adds to the music. The blocks are divided into treble, mids, and bass. The site’s layout consists of one center cube surrounded by floating blocks of varying sizes. The user can click each block and drag into the center. The site makes use of cool colors such as blue and purple. the background seems to be made to look like outer space, which adds to the feel of the site. The site is easy to use and understand. Clearly written instructions are shown once the page has finished loading. The music is interesting and there are plenty of possibilities. I ended up making a few beats of my own. Some good. Some bad. I was even able to put every possible block into the center and it sounded pretty good. This site’s design is very user friendly and fun to use. It is a good way to waste time and the designers seem intent on adding new blocks when they can. I plan on returning to this site in the future.

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Review 1

I do a lot of online shopping. I have ever since I got a job and a debit card. Amazon has always been my go-to and I never would buy clothes online, in fear of them not fitting after the long wait for them to be shipped, until I saw an ad for JackThreads. There was a checkout code that gave you 30% off and free shipping, so I had to check it out.

The site is set up well. Neat, compact, and easy to navigate. This time I figured since fall is coming up, I’d search for a jacket. The home page has categories shown in large boxes. Everything is easy to read and there are a lot of categories. I clicked on “Jackets & Outerwear” and the first thing shown are the best sellers, then the rest are shown with the recommended jackets first. On the far left of the page are the filters. There are a lot of options here. Brand, size, type, color, even a filter for how warm the jacket is.

Now, this site is not for searching for a specific item. Most of the brands are not huge names, and a lot of the items are exclusive to the site. There is a search bar if the user is looking for a specific item, but I doubt someone that has never been on the site would use it effectively. I normally just browse the site with a very general idea of what I’m looking for and I almost always find something for a good price that I would deem worthy of a purchase.

Does this site “make me think?” I would have to say no. If I want to browse this site with a general idea of what I want, I will be able to find an abundance of options to choose from. If I want to narrow it down to one specific article of clothing, there are a good amount of filters to use on my search. Everything is laid out nicely and easy to navigate.