Category: Reading Response

I think that one of the most important things that I learned while reading chapter six was that it is super important to recognize societal rules that dictate our behavior in daily life. These rules can include talking loudly on a bus, in a library, hospital waiting room, or even walking up the down escalator. It’s important to keep those in mind because when designing, if something you create makes someone break these rules and they fall victim to the repercussions of those actions, then inevitably it is your fault.

All of this is essentially to point out that as a designer you have a responsibility to take part in ethical design, as what you create has a lot of weight socially and could possibly influence people to do things you didn’t originally intend for.

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

Interaction design is a highly complex field that pulls from many studies to design products to apply an understanding of human behavior to designing products and systems. This new industry is still working to establish and differentiate itself from the other disciplines that it is closely related to. Also, the industry has been revolutionized in the past years by growing technologies and is struggling to have a firm place in the process of development.

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

Interaction design is applying knowledge in human behavior to designing products, services, or systems for humans. In recent years, interaction design has shifted its application to many different users flows in regards to designing technology. It is a study that overlaps with many other fields such as psychology, design, engineering, and anthropology.

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

Ethnographic tools can give loads of data that allow the designer to determine how to design specifically for the users of particular ethnic and geographic groups. This is beneficial because it reduces the risk of offending people in a particular group, which would be bad for business as you would be losing part of your intended users. With that said, things like symbols, colors, words, among other things can play a huge role in how a brand or product is perceived in different geographic and ethnic areas.

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

A design is never truly finished because things can always be improved. There is a point at which the designer needs to make a decision to either continue working, or consider it “finished.” In terms of dubbing it a success, it can be considered as such when it has solved the problem outlined in the beginning of the design process.

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?

Even though it is extremely popular, the first thing that comes to mind is my reliance on Apple products. The integration between my phone, my laptop, my watch, and my camera all make for the perfect workflow with the products of theirs that I own, even if they aren’t the newest models. To clarify, I do not own an apple camera, besides the one on my phone of course, but apps and Bluetooth connection on the iPhone allows for easy connection and transferring of photos and other data that would be time consuming and clunky to do between different systems. Their branding has affected my use and experience with the products because it all has the same look, layout, and generally operates the same way. This makes me far more inclined to want to use Apple’s products compared to others because the seamless transition between devices. I would even go as far to say that using their devices feels more like using Apple as a company, not the device itself.

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

Interaction design in made up entirely by the people who do it. Their ideas, research, intuition, eye for design, connections with people, experiences, education etc. All of these make up the inspiration for which a UX designer create a tool or product that will (ideally) flawlessly work the way it was intended to be used. However, it’s very rare that that happens the first time. This brings in the challenges. It is nearly impossible to think of every possible issue that could occur with a new product that has been designed. With that being said, one of the challenges in the industry is the constant evolution and testing loop that needs to occur to finish a product. Accompany that challenge with deadlines and you have a lot of pressure to produce quality work.

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

Interaction design in a relatively new field, introducing elements from many different disciplines and industries. Some of the first and most obvious fields are graphic design and web design, but it also pulls from psychology and most importantly, the users. The users’ thoughts and insight are the most important when it comes to development in the interaction design field.

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

Interaction design is creating products, systems, and services with user behavior in mind. Interactive media is more heavily technologically centered than human centered, and since there is so much that goes into the making of any design, the user’s goals and expectations may be overlooked at times.

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

Interaction design is now an important consideration even for products that used to be quite simple, as digital components become cheaper and easier to implement into existing products. This design practice is closely tied to the fields of cognitive psychology and art.

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

Observing real use of the website can give ideas for how people intuitively react to certain prompts or layouts. Some users may have biases such as already being familiar with another banking website, so the designers should account for what the user may already know and be accustomed to, even if it is not the most logical approach at first glance. This can be accomplished by interpreting user actions from market research, as well as gaining additional information from interviews and surveys.

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

A design is never truly finished because it can always be improved or iterated upon. The user needs or context of application of the design may change over time. Designs can, however, be subject to deadlines or other constraints that would cause them to be abandoned.

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)

I am a frequent user of services designed by Google; almost all of the apps on my phone are made by them. Many of these are default apps that come preinstalled on the Android operating system and I quickly became accustomed to them so I never had the need to search for alternatives. Some, however such as a podcast app, I had to choose for myself. When confronted with those decisions, I still typically opt for the one provided by Google, as I am already familiar with the interface and layout that is consistent across their range of services and I can reasonably expect a certain level of quality. Being a creature of habit, this may even cause me to choose something I am accustomed to over an alternative that may provide more functionality.

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 primary goal of Apple’s website is to get you to purchase their products. It also emphasises its brand identity by being consistent with the clean look and colors seen in their products and stores. The landing page is mostly dedicated to showcasing their lineup. There is a link to the Support page prominently at the top right on the navigation bar that can be useful to a new MacBook user.

What are the functional specifications of your preferred social media’s home page? If you are not on social media what are the specs for Google? (Chapter 4: Functional Specifications, Content Requirements and Prioritizing Requirements)

The functional specifications of Google are primarily that it allows you to easily enter a search query. This field is large and placed front and center of the page, aside from which, the page is mostly empty space. There are of course links to some of Google’s other services and the user profile located in the top right corner.

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

Hierarchical: RMU’s website

Matrix: Amazon product pages

Organic: Wikipedia

Sequential: Checkout process for an ecommerce purchase

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

Almost all of the Huffington Post’s index page is content, with only the navigation bar at the top and some links at the very bottom of the page, far out of the way. The same is true for Google and Etsy, with Wikipedia additionally having a small bar on the left edge of the page.

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

The text on the landing page is boldly displayed towards the top of the page over a full page image that is mostly a single tone. A small arrow at the bottom center prompts the user to scroll down and as they do, the text fades, while the colors of the image shift to more vibrant hues. This fade in is used repeatedly as you progress down the page with new content becoming more visible as it nears the center of the page. The minimal navigation bar is hidden while scrolling down and only makes itself visible upon scrolling back up.

1. The website seems to emphasize, first and foremost, the sale of Apple products. Their most recent and updated products are put on display with sleek, advanced looking design choices to highlight them. Apple’s website provides a simplistic layout with visible options that can direct a new user of a MacBook to assistance in any way that they possibly can help, as well as solutions to frequently asked questions.
2. Entry to instagram immediately makes a clear layout. The logo marks the top of the screen, paralleled by a square plus button, similar to the shape of the images that inhabit the main portion of the site (implying this button would add a new post), a heart button that has a red dot in its top right corner when you have a notification, and a button in the shape of a speech bubble with something that appears to be lightning in the middle, implying instant messaging. Immediately, the main portion of the website begins at the top left with your profile picture and text under it that reads, “Your Story,” which explains what the profile pictures to the right of yours mean: they are the stories of other users that you follow. Below that is the main content, which is an image that likely takes up a good half of the screen, as well as the username and profile picture of the user, a description under the image, and a comment section below the description with a date for how long ago the image was uploaded. The small bottom section of the screen is the navigation, which is separated into the home page, a magnifying glass signifying the, “explore,” page, a play button with the top of a clapboard on it for the, “reels,” a shopping bag for shopping, and your profile picture to show your own profile.
3. The four listed architectural website approaches are:
   1. Hierarchal
      • Newspaper Websites
        • USA Today
        • Pittsburgh Post-Gazette
        • New York Times
   2. Matrix
      • Amazon
   3. Organic
      • Wikipedia
   4. Sequential
      • A majority of interactive documentaries
4. The immediate opening to the page presents maybe 15% navigation, and as you scroll down, it represents much less. With the three bars on the side selected though, navigation becomes around 30% of the page’s makeup. Google’s navigation makes up maybe 5% of the top of the screen, 10% of the bottom of the screen, and the search bar takes up maybe 10% on its own. The screen has no content besides navigation. The wikipedia has a sidebar and navigation bar at the top that represent maybe 10% of a widescreen view with navigation. No matter the size of the page, the size of the navigation generally remains the same, allowing for the navigation to always have prominence. The majority of the screen is taken up with content that offers links to different areas on the site. Etsy offers navigation in the header and footer of the page. When scrolled to the top, the header is around 5% of the screen, where at the bottom, the footer navigation represents 25% of the visible content.
5. Bold color choices distinguish what is most important at any given time, and even small areas of text are clustered in such a way that makes them an active presence on a page.

1. Interaction Design is dialogue between a person and a product, system and/or service through the understanding of problem spaces and what people want and need. The industry provides challenges such as time constraints for project ideas/completion, deciding which problem needs solving, or the designer “being responsible for creating a product that affords, or encourages relationships between a product and a person in a very finite sense”. Chapter Seven also mentions “wicked problems” which are “a form of large-scale social or cultural problem that is difficult to solve because of incomplete, contradictory, and changing requirements”.
2. I answered what interaction design is above, but as for how it’s evolving, in Chapter Six it mentions how technology is beginning to become depended on in everyday activities. Kolko says, “Many people view Google or a similar search engine as an extension of themselves” which I see everyday. If you are having a conversation with someone and you both are unsure of a fact or statement that is made, someone simply pulls out their phone and google searches the question at hand. Interaction Design draws knowledge from a lot of user research data, which shows how people use technology on a daily basis and what their habits or tendencies when using technology are.

I took a couple things away from Chapter Six, including in the beginning the conversation about norms and how they are “unspoken rules” in society. I found it interesting and relatable when it talks about the example of talking on the phone loudly in a tight space such a bus. If things were reversed and that was socially accepted, things would be much different. It also states, “Norms are communicated through societal interactions, including conversation, body language, and other forms of group interactivity”. This is very interesting because it is true. Things such as conversation or group interactivity over time can create a norm.

Another takeaway I had was towards the middle of the chapter when it talked about Invisible Manifestation in relation to judgment, frames, and ethics. It said “most people rarely have the time or awareness to understand how a complicated product is affecting their life”, which I have personally found evident in my day to day life. Things such as our phones play such an important role in how we communicate, navigate, and even do things such as plan our day. Without them, some people’s day may go to shambles.

In relation to this, I spoke about this in a previous week’s reading questions, in the section regarding shifting negative behavior through design it speaks about the “increased dependency on technology with regard to common, everyday activities”. It gives the example “many people view Google or a similar search engine as an extension of themselves” which as I mentioned before is very true. People tend to use technology even when they don’t realize it. How do most people check what time it is nowadays? Their phones.

1. Ethnographic tools such as observation or user testing can improve the interactivity of an online banking website. Data could be gathered as to what is looked at most frequently when accessing banking information and then this data can be used to provide a easy-to-use website.
2. As discussed in class, there is no correct answer as to “when a design is finished”. However, it can be said that you can always add to an idea, an idea itself is a finished design, or maybe a deadline makes you ‘end an idea’, but in reality a design is never finished.
3. A product family that I use regularly is Apple. I use their phones, computers and even Apple TV. Its branding has affected my relationship and experience with the products in a positive way I would say. I love how simple Apple products are and how simply elegant they are design-wise. Apple has provided so many clean-looking products aesthetically that run smoothly and in my opinion have set the curve for technology in the past two decades.

1.

Apple’s website is easy to navigate while also being appealing to look at, this creates a welcoming environment for users.

At the top of the website, it has all Apple products listed, this makes it easy to find for someone looking to learn more about their Mac. Once clicking onto the Mac tab, you are given options to learn more about the Mac and even compare different versions of it.

2.

The functional specifications of Twitter’s home page is that it shows you tweets right away that apply to you the most. It also allows easy access to other tabs of the site such as messages and searching.

3. 

Hierarchical Structure: Nodes have parent/child relationships with other related nodes. Ex: An example of a hierarchical structure is Google, you start on the simple homepage of Google, but once you begin to search you are taken to more link that can lead you to further links.

Matrix Structure: Allows the user to move from node to node along two or more dimensions.

Ex: An example of a Matrix Structure could be a clothing website that allows users to sort the contents of the site through different desires such as size or color of the clothing.

Organic Structure: Nodes are connected together on a case-by-case basis, and the architecture has no strong concept of sections.

Ex: An example of an organic structure would be a website such as Wikipedia that has thousands of pages connected to one another in various ways.

Sequential Structure: A Sequential Structure is one that flows in a straight line without varying paths or options.

Ex: Watching a video on YouTube could be an example of a Sequential Structure, as you can only move forward in the video or rewind.

4.

The majority of Huffington Post’s Index Page is navigation as it is mostly a list of links that take you to the variety of stories offered by the website. Besides the links it is just the text that labels what each link will lead you to.

Google’s homepage is a lot more open than the previous example, however most of the options to click on are links labeled by text that will take you to different parts of the site. The main piece of content on the site is the Google logo which is often replaced by a drawing or video.

Wikipedia’s homepage is a fairly even mixture of navigation and content. The side is a wall of links labeled with text, but the middle of the page is content such as the featured article, news, or fun facts about the current day.

Etsy’s homepage is the most even mixture of navigation and content. There are links that can take you around the website, but there are also a lot of images that show what the site has to offer.

5.

The site welcomes you with an eye-catching interactive logo that changes as you scroll down. As you continue to scroll, the website uses bright boxes and large black text on a white background to help guide your eyes to what is important on the website.

1. Apple’s website is designed to emulate their user experience which captivates the user and is very interactive. The colors and animations they use are very pleasing and easy on the eye which provides for a very fun experience for anyone using or simply visiting their website.

As briefly discussed in class, Apple’s website does well to offer assistance to new or returning Macbook users. They have a support tab big and bold alongside all their other main elements such as ‘AirPods’, ‘iPhone’, and ‘Accessories’. When clicking on this ‘Support’ icon, it provides a list of things users commonly need assistance with in order to more easily help them with their needs.

2. My preferred social media is Instagram. The functional specifications of Instagram is to be able to upload, download, and view photos. Also, users are able to perform searches based on account names or photo/video titles.

3. There are many approaches to information design and organization, but the four that I found in the reading are the organization, grouping, ordering, and presentation of content. Examples of these are library science, journalism and technical communication.

4. The Huffington Post’s index page is about 65% navigation and 35% content. Although the content is what jumps out at you when looking at the home page, the content is really only a glimpse of the real story, which you need to navigate to through the link embedded in the content. Google on the other hand is 95% navigation and 5% content because they are known for being a SEARCH engine. Their main job is to provide the user with an easy way to move to what they are trying to find. Wikipedia is a mix of both, but is about 50/50 with content and navigation. They do a nice job of providing a lot of information, but within that information giving you the option to navigate to specific points of that content. Lastly, Etsy is leaning more towards content. They provide about 80% content and 20% navigation. The website is used mainly for content and purchases, so navigating to those items or ideas is a smaller piece to their website compared to something such as Google.

5. After looking at lindor’s website, I was thoroughly impressed. Besides Apple’s website, I haven’t seen one like this. It is very interactive and changes colors when you scroll. It guides the readers eye and focus very well through a linear scroll, but also through their use of color and sizing. Initially the color scheme is very dull and dark with a greenish tint, but as you scroll (which is an instinctive element as a user when using a website) the image brightens and provides a brighter, more friendly and inviting color scheme with more of a light blue tint. As you scroll it is very simplistic and easy for the readers’ eyes to follow whats important. They use a white background and yellow and red boxes to capture their attention.

• 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?

This website is very modern and well-designed and helps users find the information they need easily. It seeks to aid users in finding the best product for them, while also seeking to have them upgrade and buy accessories as needed.

• What are the functional specifications of your preferred social media’s home page? If you are not on social media what are the specs for google?

On Twitter, the functional specifications rely mostly on allowing the user to browse a feed. Unlike some other social media, the home page of Twitter brings you instantly to a feed. It then must allow you various other options, such as posting immediately from the homepage, making an account if you do not have one, and viewing other tabs for other exploration. Overall, most of the functions rely on scrolling and viewing other people’s posts, and most of the features revolve around that.

• What are four architectural approaches to information design and organization? Find one example of each.

Organic Structure: wikipedia.com

Hierarchial Structure: rmu.edu

Matrix Structure: amazon.com

Sequential Structure: kotaku.com

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

The Huffington Post brings you immediately to content and has very few points of navigation. The first image is a huge header for an article, and then there are many smaller images for many other articles.

Google’s home page is only navigation. The first sight is a search bar, to which you might enter what you are searching for. It may also recommend familiar sites to you as you have used them before.

Wikipedia is also heavily based on navigation with a search bar being most present, though it also has more content upon scrolling down.

Etsy, though it has a large search bar on top, immediately brings you to content even if you are not a returning user. The main goal is to sell you things, and the content comes immediately.

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

The website starts with a big image and display, and the display does not leave until you scroll far down. It makes the user force their attention on the starting image. As you scroll down, content takes a second to arrive as it fades in from white, so the audience must really pay attention to see the content or they will scroll right past it.