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!