Tuesday, April 28, 2015
Sunday, April 26, 2015
Unit 3 Reading Response
Chapter 6. Street signs and Breadcrumbs: Designing navigation
This chapter touches upon how people get to their destination, and the logic behind it. When people are looking for something specific, their success depends upon their ability to find what they want and how much patience they have before they give up.
A the beginning of the chapter the author explains how the shopping experience between
e-commerce and physical stores is not so different. In terms of heir achy and organization of information, the customer is guided to his/her desired product every step of the way.
The customer from the beginning is empowered to either seek the desired product on their own/or using assistance. The latter needs to provide the customer with answers immediately in the event he/she is in a rush or isn't interested in navigating they're way through the tabs and links.
At any point of the customers or users shopping experience, it is important that they know, where they are, and where they're going, at all times. And if they don't, they need to have the option to always navigate back to the beginning with the home button. Customers rely on the home button to being consistently placed at the same spot. The physicality of this approach allows users to interact with your site in a more familiar approach.
Provided navigation is one of the most essential aspects of web design, however there are other paradigms to see through in terms of what is also happening on the page. Besides knowing where we are and where we're going, we also know what information is contained within the page, how to properly use the site they're on, and diminishing doubt of the design of the site not working properly or provide answers.
Consistency in your layout is essential to users being able to know where they are. The author uses the reference of street signs in L.A being easily identifiable because of it's consistency throughout the city. Leaving less confusion to a driver trying to figure where he/ she is or where they're going. The driver can rely on the design of the layout to help navigate home. This same means of design is just as essential on the internet, when people are clicking around, looking for whatever it is they need.
On this amazon page there is a bunch of information, but it's all consistent. The search bar at all times remains at the top of the page. Giving me an incredible sense of metaphorical teleportation to go anywhere I please. I just need to type it in. Typing in simply the word "ps4" the site knew what I meant was an entertainment gaming system, and provides me with a list of available products. At this point I know that at the very least I must be in the electronics, entertainment,gaming, section of the site. It is clear because of the side tabs on the left are all related to these very same synonymous topics.
On the official NFL Patriots site i navigated to the 2015 season schedule where I can find all the games they're going to play this season. At this point I can see where I am o the site and if I wanted to find some tickets to purchase, its layed out at the same hierarchal position.
This chapter touches upon how people get to their destination, and the logic behind it. When people are looking for something specific, their success depends upon their ability to find what they want and how much patience they have before they give up.
A the beginning of the chapter the author explains how the shopping experience between
e-commerce and physical stores is not so different. In terms of heir achy and organization of information, the customer is guided to his/her desired product every step of the way.
The customer from the beginning is empowered to either seek the desired product on their own/or using assistance. The latter needs to provide the customer with answers immediately in the event he/she is in a rush or isn't interested in navigating they're way through the tabs and links.
At any point of the customers or users shopping experience, it is important that they know, where they are, and where they're going, at all times. And if they don't, they need to have the option to always navigate back to the beginning with the home button. Customers rely on the home button to being consistently placed at the same spot. The physicality of this approach allows users to interact with your site in a more familiar approach.
Provided navigation is one of the most essential aspects of web design, however there are other paradigms to see through in terms of what is also happening on the page. Besides knowing where we are and where we're going, we also know what information is contained within the page, how to properly use the site they're on, and diminishing doubt of the design of the site not working properly or provide answers.
Consistency in your layout is essential to users being able to know where they are. The author uses the reference of street signs in L.A being easily identifiable because of it's consistency throughout the city. Leaving less confusion to a driver trying to figure where he/ she is or where they're going. The driver can rely on the design of the layout to help navigate home. This same means of design is just as essential on the internet, when people are clicking around, looking for whatever it is they need.
This portfio website explains the topic best in terms what I'm trying to explain. At any given point I know where I am on the site and at any given point I can find my way home. Because its all one screen it makes everything so much easier to use and easier to find what your looking for. The easiest path to the information your looking for isn't always the same for all sites
Friday, April 17, 2015
Unit 2 Reading Response
Chapter 3: Billboard Design 101
Designing For Scanning, Not Reading
This chapter talks about designers not needing to worry about innovating new, and improving upon current design systems. Instead adopting the systems for your own benefit to have a better web design. In order to replace something that already works with a better solution, you must understand the value of that thing you are replacing. As they would tell me back in my bootcamp days,"You can't play in the Super Bowl Game, if you don't know the plays. This to me really hits home because this means, only until you really understand the way something works and what its purpose is in design, can you effectively whey in on it's flaws, and improve upon them.
The rest of the chapter touches upon information architecture, and organizing your layout to be read and understood more fluently and seamlessly. Via consistency and clarity which are the same thing, one can achieve putting together a site that can communicate effectively.
Chapter 4: Animal, Vegetable, or Mineral
Why users like mindless choice
At the beginning of this chapter, the author touches upon directing the users of your website methodically no matter how long it takes the user to get there. The amount of clicks are not to be seen as an inconvenience, but as a delightful tool that only increases the users curiosity even more with each click. If users are unable to find the information they're looking, the clicks can become giant bells of annoyance. Only through repetitive site searching by the user, where the user knows it takes long periods of time to get to. Then the value of clicks is more highly regarded in terms of efficiency in navigation.
I enjoyed playing the animal vegetable or mineral game. It helped me understand that even tough a machine can be programmed to anticipate what your searching for. It doesn't mean that you'll find the experience somewhere else. And this is brought by providing users with better options to choose from a pool of questions. Making it difficult for users to answer questions can be a boon in the usability of your site.
If the topic in nature is complicated, then you must simplify the experience as much as possible for the user. Staying along the guidelines of being BRIEF, TIMELY, AND UNAVOIDABLE DESIGN, ensures or greatly increases the success rate of your users.
Placing too many word son your website can greatly reduce the users time on it. People want to find the information they're looking for quickly. In the books terms of logic, placing so many words on your site suggests that the user needs to read absolutely all of it, in order to understand how to navigate or understand what exactly is going on. However simply removing half of all the words, in terms of architecture, give your words more prominence and effective and communicating.
Further more removing another half of the words that remain, further enforce the clarity of what you're communicating to the user. Making everything self explanatory should be kept in mind when building your site.
http://nimbletank.com
http://lamoulade.com/#!/services
http://niketo.com
I enjoyed playing the animal vegetable or mineral game. It helped me understand that even tough a machine can be programmed to anticipate what your searching for. It doesn't mean that you'll find the experience somewhere else. And this is brought by providing users with better options to choose from a pool of questions. Making it difficult for users to answer questions can be a boon in the usability of your site.
If the topic in nature is complicated, then you must simplify the experience as much as possible for the user. Staying along the guidelines of being BRIEF, TIMELY, AND UNAVOIDABLE DESIGN, ensures or greatly increases the success rate of your users.
CHAPTER 5: OMIT NEEDLESS WORDS
The Art Of Not Writing For The WebPlacing too many word son your website can greatly reduce the users time on it. People want to find the information they're looking for quickly. In the books terms of logic, placing so many words on your site suggests that the user needs to read absolutely all of it, in order to understand how to navigate or understand what exactly is going on. However simply removing half of all the words, in terms of architecture, give your words more prominence and effective and communicating.
Further more removing another half of the words that remain, further enforce the clarity of what you're communicating to the user. Making everything self explanatory should be kept in mind when building your site.
http://nimbletank.com
http://lamoulade.com/#!/services
http://niketo.com
Tuesday, April 14, 2015
Unit 1 Reading Response
Summary and Reaction:Don't Make Me ThinkBY: Steve Krug
Beginning at the introduction, the author wants to let you know that the subject matter at hand can be a complicated process if you let it. People usually pay a lot of money to make it simple. However; what if you could keep your money and move forward with your process with the least amount of hardship. The author wants to empower the reader with more logic and common sense to solve the design process. In turn the reader is showered with confidence to tackle any design problem. The author is very clear about his approach and that there is no one solution to any design problem.
Chapter 1:
Even though there is no single approach to a design problem, you still must adopt a particular rule that guides your search to a solution, and that is "Krug's First Law Of Usability: Don't Make Me Think". Embracing this helps the reader understand that keeping the user happy means not making him/her think too hard about what they're seeing and navigating through in a website. Losing site of this can lead to poor results in terms of the effectiveness of your website. Everything on the website should either be self-evident or self-explanatory, depending on the approach of the design.
Chapter 2:
When a user visits your website, they don't read, they scan. They're usually on a mission. They don't need to read everything, and they're good at it. Understanding the way users use the web, is an important factor in your web design's effectiveness. Satisficing and muddling through is most common amongst users because they either just don't have the time to sit and read or because there is no penalty for clicking on the wrong link. Usually the user doesn't have a full understanding of the sites function, but as long as the user can find what they're looking for, it doesn't matter.
Why Moodboards Matter:
Moodboards matter because they lay the foundation for the concept the designer is trying to convey. This is the most efficient means to minimize time wasted on an undesirable result. Moodboards clarify the creative direction between the designer and the client. Thus keeping the client happy, the designer can move forward with full confidence.
Portfolio Inspiration:
http://djnr.net/
http://ericafirment.com/
http://jedmund.com/
http://radium.ro/
http://www.andyhugelier.com/
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