What information can ethnographic tools give you to improve the interactivity of an online banking website? (pp. 48-54)
Ethnographic tools can help people to see what is working in a design and what isn’t. Sometimes journey mapping can be a great tool to help plan how a user could use the product in “real life” scenarios. An example of how an online banking website could use ethnographic tools is through analytics. Through analytics of a website, you can find the number of page views and view time, and compare this to other times. This can help to identify what was the most successful and least successful parts of the site and how people navigate through the site itself. This can be important when thinking about redesign and updates for the site in the future.
At what point is a design finished? What makes it a success? What is its purpose? (pp. 54-62)
A design is almost never finished. It can only be “finished” when it satisfies all of the client’s needs or when it has to be completed by a certain deadline. Even when a piece is “done,” there can always be updates or improvements to be made. As technology is always changing and evolving, designs and trends follow. A successful design is one that is functional in relation to its purpose and is easy for the user to comprehend. The purpose of a good design is to leave the user with a design that will do a task for the user or better their life.
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)
My family is mixed between technology brands, but personally, I am an avid Apple user. I got my first Apple iPhone about three years ago because my Motorola one was old and I wanted to “fit in.” It seemed everyone in school had an iPhone at the time, so I decided to try it out. After that initial purchase, I realized how much I liked the interface and brand experience and never turned back. Even when I was inexperienced with Apple devices, the familiarity I got from both the website and friends helped me gain familiarity and grow confidence in the brand. Since then, I have bought the iMac to use in college because I realized that many people in the creative industry use them. I noticed this through the recommendations from professors, friends, and through social media. Last winter, I also bought an iPad Pro in place of a laptop so I could have the drawing aspect as well as most of the functions of a basic computer. I feel these products are really useful for graphic designers and to use in daily life. Apple did well in marketing that they are meant to allow you to express yourself. Also, the branding really helped to convince me that I was buying the right product. It is advertised that it is easy to sync all devices with each other, which was a big selling point for me. They also are known for their great customer service and have a lot of information on the products on their website that help you to solve many problems yourself. This takes the inconvenience of waiting out of the picture. These views helped me establish a positive feeling towards the brand and their products.