Omakase is an interesting concept. The idea of "I leave it up to you" to trust the person making the decision is something that I would like to have but would not expect to see in America, where people complain and are never satisfied with someone else's decision, nor their own. Buyer's remorse is a constant in our society. I think this is due in large part to our competitive nature and desire to have the biggest and the best. It would be nice to be able to "just lean back" once in a while and not have to make certain choices or worry.
Monday, May 3, 2010
Matt Maeda 7, 8
In regards to emotions versus simplicity, I tend to lean more towards simplicity. I love clean and modern design. I also like the style and versatility of the color black. It is so common for things to come in black, it is very easy to match. My mother also has a similar point of view to Maeda's. She enjoys cross-stitching and has an attachment to Victorian era. I think that things like ipod or cell phone skins / cases offer a fitting compromise to this conflict. Luckily people have the freedom to choose and customize the things that matter, like cars, clothes, and their homes.
Sunday, March 28, 2010
Matt Maeda 5, 6
Simplicity and complexity are compliments to each other. Without one there cannot be the other. If everything were as simple as possible, it would be very plain. Complexity adds interest, challenge, and stimulation. When listening to music for instance, a repetitive, predictable song is boring and uninteresting.
--
A "lack" of something is just as important if not more so than what is actually being presented. Without breaks, pauses, and space, the message quickly becomes lost in a bunch of noise. When forced to pay attention to things in the background, they become much more distracting and confuse the focus of what is truly important.
--
A "lack" of something is just as important if not more so than what is actually being presented. Without breaks, pauses, and space, the message quickly becomes lost in a bunch of noise. When forced to pay attention to things in the background, they become much more distracting and confuse the focus of what is truly important.
Matt Maeda 3, 4
By completing something quickly, the task at hand feels as though it took less effort. This perceived ease is complimentary to the feeling of simplicity. Time spent waiting can cause frustration and take away from time spent doing more desirable things. Therefore hiding the time being spent can relieve some of this frustration. However, showing a timer or loading bar for instance can reassure a person that their time spent waiting is not being wasted or that there is only "X:XX" long left to go. I prefer to provide a distraction for longer waiting times. Giving people something to focus their attention on keeps them busy and they spend less time thinking about being forced to wait. For example, putting a TV in a waiting room or having elements to interact and play with during a loading screen on a website.
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Not knowing what to do instantly makes things more complicated. Therefore it is vital to make things as intuitive as possible. Some things simply require prior knowledge. This is where tutorials and helpful tooltip hints come into play. Showing people what to do and how to do things increases their chances of success and gives them more pleasure in doing it.
--
Not knowing what to do instantly makes things more complicated. Therefore it is vital to make things as intuitive as possible. Some things simply require prior knowledge. This is where tutorials and helpful tooltip hints come into play. Showing people what to do and how to do things increases their chances of success and gives them more pleasure in doing it.
Thursday, March 18, 2010
Thursday, March 4, 2010
SPRING BREAK
General Page Designs:
David will be combining what works in each design and what's been said in critiques to create some refined pages. As you create continue develop the style guide.
Data Visualizations:
Matt will be making data visualizations for the Admissions category.
Ojai will be creating data visualizations for the Employment category.
Consider what graphs will lead into other graphs (example: I click something general which leads to something even more specific, or an new graph topic) Also consider the how these graphs will work when they are being compared to another major/school/year.
David will be combining what works in each design and what's been said in critiques to create some refined pages. As you create continue develop the style guide.
Data Visualizations:
Matt will be making data visualizations for the Admissions category.
Ojai will be creating data visualizations for the Employment category.
Consider what graphs will lead into other graphs (example: I click something general which leads to something even more specific, or an new graph topic) Also consider the how these graphs will work when they are being compared to another major/school/year.
Sunday, February 28, 2010
Thursday, February 25, 2010
Monday, February 22, 2010
Thursday, February 18, 2010
Ojai 7,8
7, 8
Maeda is correct when he says emotion is "the stuff Art's made of". As designers we cannot design without this in mind. Almost all the decious we make are based are based on some emptive quality. How does it make us feel? How does it make the people we care for feel? I can understand Maeda's mother's need to embellish and personalize. Personalizing has become very integral part of ownership. My ipod is engraved with the message "Ojai, don't wash me this time" and do feel a stronger sense of ownership and identity, even though I'm not into the embellished iPod cases. These items become so regular in life is no wonder people would choose to personalize.
Trust is definitely an important factor. Of all the laws we have come across so far, I think they collectively lead to this one. In order for a design to be successful, there must be a level of security for the user. A sense of security will lead to a much more lasting relationship. If you think about it, there are many gadgets in our lives that are integral. A computer, cellphone, car are a few. If these items fail on us, it's likely that we'll experience loss.
Maeda also discusses the undu button a reactions towards. I think the undo button is awesome and it's too bad I cant use it when working traditionally. The ability to undo definitely allows creatives to experiment and work fearlessly. Theres a certain sporadic quality that is lost, but in world were precision is important, the undo key is a much needed tool.
Maeda is correct when he says emotion is "the stuff Art's made of". As designers we cannot design without this in mind. Almost all the decious we make are based are based on some emptive quality. How does it make us feel? How does it make the people we care for feel? I can understand Maeda's mother's need to embellish and personalize. Personalizing has become very integral part of ownership. My ipod is engraved with the message "Ojai, don't wash me this time" and do feel a stronger sense of ownership and identity, even though I'm not into the embellished iPod cases. These items become so regular in life is no wonder people would choose to personalize.
Trust is definitely an important factor. Of all the laws we have come across so far, I think they collectively lead to this one. In order for a design to be successful, there must be a level of security for the user. A sense of security will lead to a much more lasting relationship. If you think about it, there are many gadgets in our lives that are integral. A computer, cellphone, car are a few. If these items fail on us, it's likely that we'll experience loss.
Maeda also discusses the undu button a reactions towards. I think the undo button is awesome and it's too bad I cant use it when working traditionally. The ability to undo definitely allows creatives to experiment and work fearlessly. Theres a certain sporadic quality that is lost, but in world were precision is important, the undo key is a much needed tool.
Ojai Maeda 5, 6
I would agree that simplicity and complexity need each other. This idea coincides with a lot of what I've learned in design school. Variation is necessary in order to keep a viewer captivated and make a piece interesting. As Maeda mentions, it also allows the viewer to fully understand and appreciate each component for its attributes when there is another component to compare it to. Recently I have gone to a number of musical performances and i've noticed that they employ the same idea. Whithin the performance, the musician will repeat parts in a different key or change the way he transitions. There are even parts that are made up on the spot, like a freestyle that makes a performance one of a kind.
Empty space is definitely important in all aspects of design. Im not certain if I agree with the idea that empty space invites chaos. The way empty space is interpreted is dependent on the context in which is exists. There are instances when empty space goes unnoticed and its purpose isn't analyzed. If there is uncertainty as to why a space is empty then there might be an issue with how the entire piece is designed.
Empty space is definitely important in all aspects of design. Im not certain if I agree with the idea that empty space invites chaos. The way empty space is interpreted is dependent on the context in which is exists. There are instances when empty space goes unnoticed and its purpose isn't analyzed. If there is uncertainty as to why a space is empty then there might be an issue with how the entire piece is designed.
Monday, February 8, 2010
What's in a name?
Examining the possibilities of naming, we arrived at these two: Studentify, and Studentity... Only the difference of one letter, however the meaning is changed slightly. In the end we decided to go with "Studentify."
Sunday, February 7, 2010
To Do List
Matt
OJ
David
- Mood board (1 board each)
- "Studentify" logo fine tuning
- Survey
- to compare other people in the same field
- to look up info/schools based on interests
- Gather information:
- number of students by major
- male vs. female by major
- freshman ages (OJ's sample?)
- graduating ages
- number of employed vs. unemployed (add subheading?)
- admission facts (college board?)
- tuition
- room & board
- number of students housed on campus
- acceptance rate
- number of student body population by year (population growth)
- number of international vs. national students
- release/credits info
For Thursday, May 11th, 2010:
- Visuals
Thursday, February 4, 2010
Monday, February 1, 2010
Thursday, January 28, 2010
Ojai: Maeda 3 and 4
I remember when I was much younger using an early version of windows to transfer files. When a transfer was initiated you would see the yellow folder, and an icon for whatever storage unit the information was being transferred to, for example, a briefcase, another folder or a floppy disk. The animation would show sheets of paper flying from one storage to the other, however, there was one thing that always bothered me. The amount of paper in the initial folder did not dwindle. It was the same amount, not mater how long the transfer took, and how many sheets of paper went flying. You could not visually gauge how much time had elapsed, or how much was left. The loading bar was an ingenious idea.
I think with capabilities that exist now in design and communication, it is more than just a courtesy to inform a user of time being spent. It's almost offensive not to. We have grown accustomed to seeing visual representations of time on everything. Many online applications with have a counter, telling you how much more needs to be filled. Every video player has a bar, allowing you to visually understand where the video is in respect to its whole, and gives you the opportunity to speed up time to a point of your choosing. Elevators ding on each floor, even if its not its final destination. These little reminders of time are a part of our daily life and I couldn't imagine living without them.
In chapter 4, Maeda touched on a number of points. One thing that struck me was the method of teaching he mentioned. The method can be applied to any form of communication. Its a process in which the speaker carefully controls the message he is trying to convey. BRAIN: Basics are the beginning, Repeat yourself often, Avoid creating desperation, Inspire with examples and Never forget to repeat. This is a model I can see used in any sort of campaign. Breaking you message down to its most understandable essence as a necessity in design. The other points of repeating and inspiring, and staying completely on message is essential to the success of anything being sold to an audience. The same build could be used for political campaigns.
As was discussed in earlier chapters, Maeda has simplified communication. He has broken down message making to its essentials providing his readers with a way to be more direct. He also discusses creating on the basis of forming relationships and then surprising in-takers. It's almost like hunting (though I've never been, I imagine something like this might happen) where the hunter attempts to maintain the environment as it is. The animal is comfortable and then...surprise! Fortunately for us as users, the surprise doesn't end in death, but makes for much more tugging and memorable experience.
I think with capabilities that exist now in design and communication, it is more than just a courtesy to inform a user of time being spent. It's almost offensive not to. We have grown accustomed to seeing visual representations of time on everything. Many online applications with have a counter, telling you how much more needs to be filled. Every video player has a bar, allowing you to visually understand where the video is in respect to its whole, and gives you the opportunity to speed up time to a point of your choosing. Elevators ding on each floor, even if its not its final destination. These little reminders of time are a part of our daily life and I couldn't imagine living without them.
In chapter 4, Maeda touched on a number of points. One thing that struck me was the method of teaching he mentioned. The method can be applied to any form of communication. Its a process in which the speaker carefully controls the message he is trying to convey. BRAIN: Basics are the beginning, Repeat yourself often, Avoid creating desperation, Inspire with examples and Never forget to repeat. This is a model I can see used in any sort of campaign. Breaking you message down to its most understandable essence as a necessity in design. The other points of repeating and inspiring, and staying completely on message is essential to the success of anything being sold to an audience. The same build could be used for political campaigns.
As was discussed in earlier chapters, Maeda has simplified communication. He has broken down message making to its essentials providing his readers with a way to be more direct. He also discusses creating on the basis of forming relationships and then surprising in-takers. It's almost like hunting (though I've never been, I imagine something like this might happen) where the hunter attempts to maintain the environment as it is. The animal is comfortable and then...surprise! Fortunately for us as users, the surprise doesn't end in death, but makes for much more tugging and memorable experience.
Thursday, January 21, 2010
David: Maeda's Response - Laws 1 & 2
Maeda's outlook into the idea of taking away, hiding while still conceiving a sense of inherent value is something I have always been interested about. Perhaps because it is a subconscious effort for most designers. "Less is more, less is more." However, I never really thought how the end user is perceiving it. Maeda's just put these things I took for granted into context. My favorite part is the silver backing on the iPod meant to help the device blend with the environment while the remaining face gives you the allusion of a smaller object. I remember when I picked one up, it was much heavier than I expected the little white thing to be and did more than I could ask for. A humbling experience indeed. An example of Apple's clever ways of hiding things is the browser rotational feature on the iPhone. The ability to go portrait to landscape is hidden in the users hands. The unexpected is what makes a product memorable. Alongside audio products, another gadget I recently came across is the Tykho radio, designed by Marc Berthier back in 1997 for French brand Lexon, and the colorful silicone-covered audio box is still popular. It works in different environments ( http://www.dwell.com/products/tykho-radio.html ) and has a few intuitive buttons that make it different from the others. Or the red IKEA clock. The only thing you can see is the time and buzzer button. In all, careful reduction makes a product meaningful.
Maeda's second law of organization is compelling. It is funny because when I first read "organize" in the title of the section, i thought of the Container Store, which is also mentioned in the text. Making life "look" less complicated motivates me to carry on with a project that may otherwise seem overwhelmingly big. The SLIP concept, the visual design and the gestalt that results from it is effective. The arts and the sciences working simultaneously. Nevertheless, everything comes at a price. When the iPod came out and later on there were speculations about an Apple phone following it, my initial thoughts were on its future design, but specifically its "buttons." It makes sense to have two in one, but I wonder if the price they pay is from customers like people with visual handicaps. How would they use the iPhone? Maybe I it's time for me to squint my own eyes and see the bigger picture.
Matt: Maeda Response 1 & 2
Maeda's first law seems obvious, stating that if a piece of information or a function is not essential, simply remove it. This can not only be applied to electronic devices and mechanics, but also user interface, signage, and many other contextual applications of information. I do feel however that his assumption of size versus expectations is inappropriate. In my case, I often base my expectations of the performance and capabilities of an object, not by how large or small it is, but by the price. In my mind, the price should be an accurate reflection of an objects value or potential worth based on how well it performs.
In regards to organization, I feel that it is an essential part of daily life. Particularly here at Ringling, if a person is not organized, it becomes easy to lose track of dates, times, and assignments, resulting in absence or lateness, decreased quality of work, and lack of preparedness. This remains true as well for holding a position at any firm. Client files, invoices, contracts, important dates, and meeting times must all be organized accordingly in order to maintain a proper level of professionalism. Without organization, society would quickly deteriorate.
In regards to organization, I feel that it is an essential part of daily life. Particularly here at Ringling, if a person is not organized, it becomes easy to lose track of dates, times, and assignments, resulting in absence or lateness, decreased quality of work, and lack of preparedness. This remains true as well for holding a position at any firm. Client files, invoices, contracts, important dates, and meeting times must all be organized accordingly in order to maintain a proper level of professionalism. Without organization, society would quickly deteriorate.
Ojai: Maeda 1 & 2 Response
Maeda's first law of reduction is definitely something we see often in our culture. The idea is very evident in the ipod, but also evident in other Apple products. iMAcs now come without a tower and have no buttons on the front. I wasn't sure how to turn one on on my first encounter. The keyboard is cropped to leave just enough space for the keys; it doesn't even feature an apple logo; It doesn't need one, the sleek simple design screams apple. I laughed at the idea of pitying something small and simple but it is true. I remember how amazed I was when I heard Ipod Nano's would now play video. Video was a definitive distinction between iPod Nanos and and iPod Classics for a while. It was as if the Nano was just too small to have such a capability and I accepted that fact. Suddenly, the feature was added and I felt as if the Nano was now everything you could want in and ipod - Small, lots of space and the ability to play video.
Organization is highly important and is something I think all designers should always gravitate to. It should be a second nature solution. Its a process that allows easier understanding and comparison.
Organization is highly important and is something I think all designers should always gravitate to. It should be a second nature solution. Its a process that allows easier understanding and comparison.
Tuesday, January 19, 2010
Monday, January 18, 2010
Topic Brainstorm Session #1
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COMMUNICATION ANALYSIS
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- Type: phone, internet
- ISP, type, connection speed
- Phone: talk, text, photo, video
- Provider: verizon, sprint, att, tmobile, other
- Number of customers
- Coverage area map
- Internet: email, instant messaging, photo, video, other
- Time: how long? how often?
- Contacts: number of people
- Social: facebook, twitter, myspace, blogs, other
- Gender
--------------------------------------------------
TIME / SCHEDULE
--------------------------------------------------
- Sleep
- Eat
- Class
- Events
- Priority LV
- Productivity
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ENTERTAINMENT FINDER
--------------------------------------------------
- Food
- Night life
- Outdoors
- Community
- Culture
- Locations, TV, Internet, Music
- Ratings / reviews
- Search
--------------------------------------------------
FRIEND ORGANIZER
--------------------------------------------------
- Who knows who
- Birthdays
- Gender
- Common interests
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FINANCE MANAGER
--------------------------------------------------
- Food
- Entertainment
- Travel
- Rent / Utilities
- Other
- Cash vs credit
- Interest rates
- Card type: MC, Visa, etc.
- Bank branch: Chase, BB&T, etc.
- Frequency of purchases
- Amount spent
--------------------------------------------------
EMPLOYMENT TRACKER
--------------------------------------------------
- Graduation date
- Major
- Salary range
- School attended
- Degree obtained
- Years attended
- Averages w/o degree
- In demand fields
COMMUNICATION ANALYSIS
--------------------------------------------------
- Type: phone, internet
- ISP, type, connection speed
- Phone: talk, text, photo, video
- Provider: verizon, sprint, att, tmobile, other
- Number of customers
- Coverage area map
- Internet: email, instant messaging, photo, video, other
- Time: how long? how often?
- Contacts: number of people
- Social: facebook, twitter, myspace, blogs, other
- Gender
--------------------------------------------------
TIME / SCHEDULE
--------------------------------------------------
- Sleep
- Eat
- Class
- Events
- Priority LV
- Productivity
--------------------------------------------------
ENTERTAINMENT FINDER
--------------------------------------------------
- Food
- Night life
- Outdoors
- Community
- Culture
- Locations, TV, Internet, Music
- Ratings / reviews
- Search
--------------------------------------------------
FRIEND ORGANIZER
--------------------------------------------------
- Who knows who
- Birthdays
- Gender
- Common interests
--------------------------------------------------
FINANCE MANAGER
--------------------------------------------------
- Food
- Entertainment
- Travel
- Rent / Utilities
- Other
- Cash vs credit
- Interest rates
- Card type: MC, Visa, etc.
- Bank branch: Chase, BB&T, etc.
- Frequency of purchases
- Amount spent
--------------------------------------------------
EMPLOYMENT TRACKER
--------------------------------------------------
- Graduation date
- Major
- Salary range
- School attended
- Degree obtained
- Years attended
- Averages w/o degree
- In demand fields
Thursday, January 14, 2010
Topic Ideas
Expand on: Communication, Hobbies, Finance, Education, and Entertainment.
What are some possible questions to ask, categories and examples of different types of information? Where and how can we gather this data?
What are some possible questions to ask, categories and examples of different types of information? Where and how can we gather this data?
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