Final iPhone App Project

Jilley_AmandaP3

Refined iPhone App Design Statement

Background:

This iPhone application will allow people to search musical events that are happening within a certain radius from their location. 

Target Audiences:

The targeted audience is adults between 18-55. Anyone who enjoys music and concerts will love this application.

Objectives:

Our objective is to make people aware of concerts and show happening in their own town. 

Obstacles:

The biggest obstacle will be to make this app general enough so that it doesn't go off in too many directions. We simplified it by sticking only to musical events.

Key Benefit:

People will be more aware of musical happenings.

Support Statements/ Reasons Why:

The concerts will have better attendance rates and people will be more aware of shows going on in their area.

Tone:

Simple, Fun

Media:

Using stock photography of existing iPhone screens 

Refined iPhone App Wireframes

iPhone App Wireframes

Week 8 Reading

This weeks reading was about iOS Human Interface Guidelines. The first tip to remember was to make sure the design works well for the interface which you are creating it for. People can tell if the application appears to made for a particular phone, so designing for that particular screen and type of phone is key.

Next you need to have a clear idea for whom you are designing the phone application for and what features it will offer. You app needs to be concise and can't go off into a million different directions. 

Your app needs to have a consistent design and all little details need to be looked at to make sure everything blends together. The phone applications needs to include all necessary technologies; such as voice over or printing. Finally, all apps need some sort of their own artwork.

Links:

App Developer

App Manual

My First Mobile App

iPhone App Design Statement

Background:

This iPhone application will allow people to search local events and activities happening nearby. They can look up information about these events and add them to their calendar.

Target Audiences:

The targeted audience is adults between 19-55. Anyone who is looking to try new things in their town.

Objectives:

Our objective is to make people aware of the happenings in their own town. 

Obstacles:

The biggest obstacle will be to make this app different from all the other social applications out there. The information will have to be neatly organized so that it doesn't become too cluttered or confusing.

Key Benefit:

People will be more socially interconnected. 

Support Statements/ Reasons Why:

The local events will have better attendance rates and people will be more involved in face-to-face contact.

Tone:

Simple, Fun

Media:

Using stock photography of existing iPhone screens 

iPhone App Thumbnails

Final Ecommerce Project

E Commerce Project

Application Definition Statement

1. Features Users Would Like:

• Local Events
• Coupons for places and activities
• Ideas for new places to go to
• Maps for how to get to those places
• Rankings and comments from other users
• Event & Festival calendar

2. Determine Who The Users Are:

Apart from the likelihood that your users are mobile and that they expect beautiful graphics, simple interactions, and high performance, what distinguishes them? In the context of the app you’re planning, what is most important to your users?

• People who want to try something new
• Users who like to go to different events and restaurants
• Families who want coupons to try new places
• Moms who are looking for a cheaper way to entertain their families
• Anyone looking to save money
• People who like to go to events and festivals
• People who just want to try new places

Three Characteristics of Targeted Audience:

1. People who go to a lot of festivals and events
2. Anyone who wants daily deals on local venues
3. People who are into trying new things

3. Filtering The Features:

• List of local events and activities
• Coupons for restaurants and other places
• Calendar of upcoming events

Mobile App Ideas

1. Study/Flash Card AppI like the idea of combining video, notes, and study cards together in an app for students. We could have an area for recording lectures and then a way to customize flash cards that can be set to a specific test for a certain test. The test can have an alarm set for maybe the day before as a reminder. 
2. Local Festivals and EventsTake a look at the app for LivingSocial, it gives coupons for local restaurants and salons and what not. I think that it could be a good base to start, but we can take it in a direction more towards events,  gallery shows, and festivals in the area without the discounts.
3. Event PlannerIt would be fun to create an app for all sorts of events and have pre-set to-do lists that could be edited. We could have it for things like birthday, weddings, graduation, etc. 
4. Travel GamesWe could put a list of travel games together so that adults or kids who have to go long distances could be entertained. Games like matching, travel bingo, hangman, or other simple word/image games. 
5. Parking meterYou came up with the idea of having a timer for parking meters and maybe we could add a map system to show where free parking is or show what it would cost to park certain places.




The ones highlighted in RED are the three that we are most thinking about doing.

Week 7 Reading

Chapter 12 discusses how we design to please our bosses; a.k.a. "Help! My boss wants me to ___."  If there's one thing you learn by working on a lot of different Web sites, it's that almost any design idea—no matter how appallingly bad—can be made usable in the right circumstances, with enough effort. And almost any good design idea can be made unusable, by messing up the details of the implementation. Your boss probably doesn't have bad intentions, and trying to understand that good intention is often the best way to figure out how to make your case for a different approach.

prelim crit ecommerce

Case Study

week 6 reading

Chapter 10 talks about usability as a common courtesy. It discusses why it is important for your website to be easy to use so that the user knows what they are looking at and how to use it. Basically, does the user “get” your website? Make sure your website is clear and that it is offering all the necessary information to the navigator. If you treat the user badly, they most likely will not return. If they have a negative experience on your site, there is a good chance that they will think differently about your entire company. Stay away from things that will diminish your goodwill; such as hiding information, asking for unnecessary information, having an amateur site, etc. Keep all these things in mind, and your site should provide common courtesy.

Chapter 11 discusses accessibility to your website. Can every user navigate their way around your website? This includes users with disabilities. You could look up tons of reasons why this is a necessity to your website. This provides equal rights to all users and it is a law. Designers and developers tend to stay away from this designing for accessibility because it creates more work for them and it can sometimes compromise that look of their design. All in all, accessibility is very important and shouldn’t be overlooked.

ECommerce Wireframes

ECommerce Site Thumbnails

ecommerce moodboard

Week 4 Reading

Chapter 7 of, "Don't Make Me Think", talks all about designing a good homepage. Right away, the site needs to demonstrate a mission statement, an explanation of what the site is about, a search bar, teases for promotional items or events, and timely content (information that gets updated often). The homepage also has to appear trustworthy should show not only information I need, but information I didn't need as well. Basically the homepage has to be amazing because it is what everyone will stop by to look at at least once. What the consumer sees on the homepage will be the deciding factor on whether or not they decide to return in the future. To sum it up, the homepage needs to answer all of the consumer's questions with ease and it needs to be easy to use.

Creating an Effective Homepage
Designing a Homepage
Building Homepages

ECommerce Project Statement

Background:

Maddie's Closet is a website that specializes in selling small child and baby clothing and accessories.

Target Audiences:

The target audience is the parents of the small children and babies. Basically anyone who is in need of children's items.

Objectives:

Our objective is to make the website easily functional so that consumer's will keep coming back for purchases. Right now the site is quite confusing and cluttered. We will simplify and clean up the site so that it has a greater return rate for customers.

Obstacles:

Our biggest obstacle will be organizing all the information on the site so it is simple and easier to use. Also, this store has a lot of competitor's who it will be competing with, so it will have to stand out and look representable. 

Key Benefit:

Maddie's Closet sells high quality clothing and accessories at an affordable cost. Their new website will demonstrate these qualities.

Support Statements/ Reasons Why:

Being able to easily find what you are looking for on the website will result in a greater return rate for customer's. 

Tone:

Youthful, Fun, Bright, Simple

Media:

Using stock photography of existing products and happy consumer's to set a happy mood.

Website Final

Final Design

Week 3 Reading

Chapter 6 of, Don't Make Me Think, is all about designing for navigational purposes. This chapter compares navigating a department store with navigating a website. Proper headings and subheadings make all the difference when trying to find exactly what you're looking for. By using hierarchy on a website, it will allow users to click on what is most important to help them guide through the site. The author uses "site mapping" as a tool to visually show how complex the navigation process can be. Three of the biggest differences between navigating the real world versus navigating the web are that on the web you have no sense of scale, direction, or location on the web, thus, making it more difficult. There are many aspects to web designing which need to be considered when creating a seamless navigation process. If the user can maneuver their way around your site, then don't expect them to come back!

Links:

Navigating a Website

Webpage Mistakes

Website Navigation

Week 3 Preliminary Critique

Prelim Design

Week 2 Read and Respond

Chapter three of, "Don't Make Me Think", talks about designing pages for 'scanning' rather than 'reading'. Basically everyone who goes onto a website scans the page quickly until they find the information that pertains to them personally. In order to make sure they are clicking the right information, there needs to be a clear visual hierarchy on the page. Pages need to be broken down so that they are simple and clear and highlight the most important information first. 

Chapter four discusses why we as users like to make 'mindless choices' when clicking around on a page. Basically, keep things as clear and as simple as possible so that the navigator doesn't get confused and leave out any unnecessary parts.

Chapter five goes further into the last statement and discusses leaving out needless words. Keep things concise and to the point. Don't add any "fluff" or "happy talk" to your website. It just takes up space and isn't needed.

Three Links: 

How Users Read on the Web 

How People Scan 

Website Conversions

Concept Statement

Create a list of all users that may visit your site (not from the WWW but those you’d invite).

Fellow graphic designers, future employers, creative people of all types.

What will each of those users want to see in order to enjoy their visit to your site?

They would want to see designs I have worked on, graphics and designs that grab their attention and make them want to browse further into my portfolio.

Name your intended audience (the person(s) you need to persuade.)

Future employers, anyone that will give me a job :)

Describe what you need to inform and persuade them of:

Promote my: That I am a talented and unique graphic designer who does and will continue to do high quality work. 

Goals of the site are: To display my personality as well as display my talents.

My ultimate message/philosophy (about who you are): I am an upbeat, bold, and unique designer working in Seattle.

What is the story you are telling? "I am a graphic designer and you should hire me because..."

Write a 200 word concept statement based on the user, your persuasion, navigation and the assets.

List the assets you need to persuade the user: Which 7  projects? Identities, packaging, illustrations, freelance, print, website designs, etc.

What projects which do not exist yet will you want to show? 

What categories will you depict in your mockup? Illustrations, Branding, Print

Concept Statement:

Jilley Waits is a graphic designer who creates imagery and designs for the world of graphic arts. Waits is currently a student at the Art Institute of Seattle and is studying to obtain a Bachelors Degree in Graphic Design. The purpose of this website is to promote her work as well as seek out job opportunities in her field. By creating a well designed and easily navigable website, Jilley will be able to showcase her portfolio in a clean and sophisticated manner. This website will provide those who visit it a glimpse into her portfolio, as well as contact and resume information. 

Week 1 Read & Response

Chapter one summarizes the main point of this entire book. If you want your website to be effective, there is ONE rule you must follow: "Don't make me think". Web pages should speak for themselves and it should be evident how to guide yourself through a site without any confusion. The different parts of your website should be marked clearly and should only take the user a few clicks to find each page they are looking for. Basically, break the parts of the website down into their simplest form and throw out any unnecessary components.

Chapter two describes the way we actually use the web as a viewer and consumer. We never fully read things, we scan them and stop at the parts that jump out at us. When looking at a website, we scan them until we see the information that pertains to our needs. In some cases, we don't even choose the correct option, we just pick the one that we see first. This chapter concludes with describing how we as a society never take the time to actually figure out how things work, rather we "self teach" ourselves and figure out our own way of making things work.

Hotlinks: 

Shawn Bishop Portfolio 

Taufiq Ridha Porfolio 

Ryan Scherf Portfolio 

Website Thumbnails

So, basically I want to have really high contrasted black and white photos of myself on the website. I will be interacting with the viewers on the site and guiding them through my portfolio and contact information. The photos will be edited to look more like rough sketches and will mash up well with my typeface and color choices for the website.

Website MoodBoard

Adobe Experience

I have been using the Adobe Suite for about four years now. I consider myself to be pretty good in Illustrator, Photoshop, and InDesign. I have only been using InDesign for about a year now.