Week 6A

Today in class we briefly reviewed the website and storyboard for the conference. We then critiqued my and Levi's matrices, persona, vector app, and breakdown study. I was told to fix small things here and there but the only big thing that I have to change is my app icon. Then we got into small groups and critiqued other ones.

Week 5 Outside of Class

This weekend I put my matrices into vector form.

I also put my persona into vector form.

I also finished the vector form of my app icon. I did two versions but can't decide which one I should go with.

I also put each of them into the photoshop document.

I also put each of my icons into flinto and put them on my phone.

I also did some research and found 5 different apps and compared their layouts in a breakdown study.

Week 5B

Today in class we went over the website for the design conference and talked about what could be fixed or changed. We also did a very small critique on our app sketches. Then we had the rest of class to work on creating a vector version of our app.

This is what I got done:

They are still extremely rough and I am still playing around and tweaking things. The one on the left is nowhere near done.

Week 5 Outside of Class

Outside of class I read the article http://wrenlanier.com/mobile-design-with-gestures/. These are my notes:

• Taps are great but boring - we should take advantage of gestures
• Adding in some gestures makes your app more responsive, because it simply does more stuff
• All of the critical functionality in your app should be accessible by taps - but gestures can provide shortcuts and accelerate actions for your expert users
• The biggest challenge to making gestures work for your app is creating good affordances that let users know what they can do with your interface
• The main thing is to try and avoid really heavy-handed coaching and instruction
• Instead make your interface simple and appealing in a way that invites exploration

I also read https://medium.com/design-ux/a93647e5a44b. Here are my notes:

• Using hollow/thin line icons in a user interface is, generally, not a great idea
• Icons that are hollow cause the brain to trace the shapes twice as much as solid icons

I also read Call To Action, Controls, Design Patterns, Hub & Spoke, Infinite Canvas, and Multitouch Gestures in IIDC.

• A call to action (sometimes called call to action buttons) is simply a visual prompt (call) by the designer to the user in hope of a response (action)
• Controls are common components within screen-based interface design that allows the user to change, adjust or manipulate interface content
• Can fit into different categories:
• Action based controls - take direct action (buttons and links)
• Selection-based Controls - allow the user to select one or more choices
• Input-based Controls - allow the user to enter information into a bound or unbound field of entry
• Display based Controls - help operate the displays within an interface design (scrollbars)
• Design patterns in interactive design go beyond style and are more than just visual repetition
• They are similar/reusable solutions that have a working function often seen in interface and software design
• Used in distribution, computer network systems and directional structures, hub and spoke is an analogy of a wheel where each path is connected off a central area
• To travel down a different path, they must return to the central hub first
• Scott McCloud invented Infinite Canvas to push the concept that screen content truly never ends
• This window presentation allows a variety of interaction scenarios, information organization and narrative structures 
• Multi-touch gestures are various operations and movements between a user's hand, touch pad or multi-touch device

I also did 6 refined app sketches.

Week 5A

Today in class we got with our conference group for just a small amount of time. Then we got into groups and critiqued our app thumbnails. Then we listened to a lecture about Signal and Cue, Viewport, and Mobile Design Patterns.

Week 4 Outside of Class

This weekend I read Mobile First pgs 47-66. These were my notes:
Organization:

• When it comes to organizing the content and actions on mobile, solid information architecture principles like clear labeling, balanced breadth and depth, and appropriate mental models remain important
• Align With Mobile Behaviors
• You need to think about what mobile is uniquely good at and align it with the needs of your customers
• Josh Clark focused on three critical mobile behaviors - micro-tasking, "I'm local," and "I'm bored."
• These align pretty well with Google's breakdown of mobile users into three behavioral groups: urgent now, repetitive now, and bored now
• Mobile usage generally consists of a couple of interaction types:
• Lookup/Find (urgent info, local) - I need an answer to something now - frequently related to my current location in the world
• Explore/Play (bored, local) - I have some time to kill and just want a few idle time distractions
• Check In/Status (repeat/micro-tasking) - Something important to me keeps changing or updating and I want to stay on top of it
• Edit/Create (urgent change/micro-tasking) - I need to get something done now that can't wait
• Aligning with mobile behaviors also naturally aligns your website with real-world needs
• Content Over Navigation
• As a general rule, content takes precedence over navigation on mobile
• Pivot and Explore
• Keep navigation bars small
• Bottom menus are useful because you can decide where you want to go once you are finished with the current page
• However, they shouldn't just duplicate a menu that can be found elsewhere
• A simple anchor link in the site's header jumps people to navigation options at the bottom of the page
• Having this list present at the bottom of content pages allows people to pivot and explore other parts of the site
• This design uses a minimum amount of navigation elements (just a single link at the top), gives people an opportunity to pivot and explore when they get to the end of content, doesn't duplicate the content of another menu, and (best of all) only requires a simple anchor link to work
• Contextual navigation options are also useful for tasks
• Getting Back
• Adding another back button in your mobile web experience's header only confuses things
• When designing mobile web experiences, you can leave "back" back in the native app
• Sticking To The Bottom
• Native iPhone applications (many of them) use fixed position navigation bars at the bottom of the screen - these menus make key actions easier to access with our thumbs
• However, unlike mobile web experiences, native iOS applications don't have web browser controls eating into their screen space
• When developing a native mobile application you could adjust a menu's position to account for physical buttons below the screen, but mobile web experiences need to work across platforms - physical buttons below the screen or not
• Navigation menus fixed to the bottom of the screen might be a good idea in some native mobile applications, the variable presence of web browser menus and physical controls below the screen on mobile devices means they are often a poor idea in mobile web experiences
• If you need a fixed menu, better fix it to the top
• Maintain Clarity and Focus
• Because we only have people's partial attention - the sites have to be clear, focused designs to get things done - not lots of navigation options getting in their way
• Minimizing the amount of navigation options on mobile screens help to prevent errors as well

I also read Persona, Denotation and Connotation, Digital Skeuomorphs, Geon Theory, and Touch Target in IIDC.

• Personas are a type of user model that allow designers to predict how users will act and think, and why they want to accomplish a given task
• Denotation is the direct meaning of an object; it is its pure definition without any emotions or associations to it
• Connotation refers to the different ways people interpret an object, through emotions, beliefs or prior experiences
• Digital skeuomorphs give users the ability to make connections with objects that they are familiar with in the physical world
• Geon theory states that we recognize and break down objects we see into a basic group of shapes
• Touch target refers to the target area of a digital button or link in relation to a person's finger size

I also did 25 thumbnail sketches for my app.

I also created my persona.

Week 4B

Today in class we went got into our conference groups for only about 20 minutes. Then we got into small groups and went over our matrices. Then we talked about icons and the new iOS 7 operating system.

Week 4A

Today in class we met with our conference groups for a little bit. Jamie and I talked about sandwich boards and where we want to place them. We want two sandwich boards/stands, one by the McComsey parking lot and one by the door right by the registration table. Alannah found that Staples sells metal stands for only $3.
Staples Signs

Then we talked about our elevator pitches and went on to Branding Matrices.
Apps Used to Compare:

• Groupon
• 111 Things - Bucket List
• Dream Bucket List
• Bucket List PRO
• iWish
• Complete Your Bucket List (my app)

Opposites Used:

• Personal vs. Not personal
• No savings vs. Good savings
• Complicated vs. Simple
• Cheap vs. Expensive
• Customizable vs. Stagnant
• Independent vs. Group

Final Matrices:

Week 3 Outside of Class

This weekend I completed my elevator pitch.

For the curious and adventurous person who has problems checking things off of their bucket list, Complete Your Bucket List is a personal/adventure app that pairs up items on your list with coupons to help people complete their bucket list. Unlike Dream Bucket List and iWish, the product finds coupons and discounts for items on your list to help give you that push you need to complete that item on your list and do it at a reasonable price.

I also completed the tribe questions.


To narrow down your tribe, try identifying key characteristics that unite the people you envision using your app, such as a shared passion, stage of life, or desire for change.

- People that use my app would be people who are adventurous and curious. They have a drive to try new things and want to complete their bucket list before they die. I would say the app is mostly geared towards high school age to 50 year olds. However, that does not mean that anyone outside that range cannot use the app.

What are my tribe’s shared passions, values, and beliefs? Do they share a common goal?

- My tribe's shared passion is to try new things and be adventurous. Their common goal is to complete their bucket list before they die.

Is my tribe at a particular life stage? Puberty? Parenthood? Graduation?

- I would say that the app is mostly geared towards high school age to 50 year olds. However, that does not mean that anyone outside that range cannot use the app.

What is their common identity, sense of belonging, and expression?

- They can all have different sense of belongings and expression. There could be a person using the app who is really shy, quiet, and feels that they don't fit in but another person using the app who is very loud, outspoken, and has a strong sense of belonging. My app is so widespread that my audience could be very vast.

Who do they hang out with? Where do they hang out (both on and offline)?
- They hang out with their friends and family. They don't have specific places that they hang out. My app is open to anybody. One person who likes to hang out at rock concerts could be using it while another person who likes to hang out at a country club is also using it.

What is my tribe currently talking about? An event? A product? A problem?
- They are talking about how expensive things are. They want to take a trip for their list but airline tickets are very expensive, or gas is too expensive to go on a road trip. They are not talking about any event or product specifically.

What rituals do they practice?
- They practice the art of shopping around and comparing prices.

What goods and services is my tribe passionate about? How do they link them to others?
- My tribe is passionate about discounts, coupons, and any way that they can save money.

How will my app impact their lives? How does it makes their world a better place?

- My app will impact their lives by helping them complete their bucket list and feel accomplished. It does make the world a better place because it helps people complete their dreams. By completing things on your list you feel better about yourself.

Name Ideas for app:

• Complete Your Bucket List
• Your Bucket List
• The Bucket List
• Bucket List Enabler

Week 3B

Today in class we worked with our conference groups. Jamie and I were in charge of making the signs that would be hung up in McComsey and right outside the doors. This is what we created.

The pictures above are the signs for inside McComsey.

The two above are ideas for the sign for the sandwich board signs. We bolded the words "interdisciplinary" and "conference"because we felt that it would be difficult to read from far away. The signs inside would be 8 1/2 x 11. We aren't sure what size the outside ones would be because we haven't seen the size of the sandwich board.

The rest of class we talked about our app ideas. We were to get into groups and talk about our app ideas and try to think about our elevator pitch. I decided to switch ideas for my app. My original idea was a color scanner but Alannah mentioned a really good idea today in class about a Bucket List app. I asked her if I could use that idea because I felt it was perfect for me. I have a bucket list but feel that I don't get anything checked off of it because everything is so expensive. So I now am using that idea. I figured when you open the app you can go through a list and pick what things are on your bucket list (or add your own). Then the app would look for coupons and deals on items on your list. For example, if you had "Ride an elephant" on your list, the app would find coupons for local zoos and notify you. You could also connect with friends and if your friends had the same item on their list the app could find group deals on items.

Week 3 Outside of Class

This week outside of class I asked myself "what if" for my app idea. The post-it notes that I received said:

• use an artist paint palate to put the colors on
• scan the color & find its name & more info about it
• make a color chart to compare it to & find the name
• it could be like a dictionary theme...color dictionary 
• run the color through a paint company's database
• maybe when you scan it you can have a random object pop up in that color & random facts along with it

- What if you could scan a color with your phone, save it, and then use your phone to paint that color onto your wall - the camera could put paint right onto the wall

- what if you scanned a color and the app would pair you up with other people who have just scanned a similar color (social media)

- what if it was a game - you would scan a color and an object would come up that was the same color, then you would have to go find a color that started with the same letter as that object. For example, you scan the color red - a red apple would show up - then you would have to go find a color that started with the letter A.

Week 3A

Today we met with our groups for the conference. Our group today talked about making a map to show how to get to McComsey and where signs will be placed. Then we did a test run of the registration process. We discovered that we should get to know all of the rules for the conference in case anyone asks us questions. We also started to find ways to iron out the small problems we might run into - like someone who did not register. Then we began to talk about apps. We saw some different examples of apps. Then we went into the middle room and got into groups. We were to write our problem on the white board and our group members were to put ideas onto Post-It notes on the board.

Week 2 Outside of Class

This weekend the registration group talked about the number of signs that we would think we would need for the conference. Our rough estimate was between 15 and 20. About 10 small signs to post throughout the building of McComsey and then another 5-10 to post on the outside of the building to direct people inside.

I also did some brainstorming for app ideas. I came up with two ideas.

The first idea is for a Color Run app. The Color Run is a 5k run that raises awareness for homelessness. During this 5k, the runners go through 4 stations where volunteers throw colored cornstarch onto the runners.

I took part in a Color Run over the summer and absolutely fell in love. I had the time of my life. So this was my inspiration for my app. I thought The Color Run App could be an app where you can earn points by checking into Color Run races, purchasing apparel, taking a picture with the mascot, etc. There would by many ways that you could gain points. Then you could trade those points in for benefits or coupons. For example, you could trade them in for a pair of Color Run sunglasses. I was also thinking that there could be a weekly deal that people could take advantage of. Example: you can get $5 off of a race registration, or 15% apparel.

My second idea was for a Color Scanner. The app would utilize the camera feature on the phone and would scan the image that the camera was pointed towards. Then the app could tell you what color that object was. For example, I go to a friend's house and love the color they painted their walls, I could use the app to scan the wall and the app would tell me what color that paint is (or the closest it can find). This app would be similar to the Home Depot color scanner where you can take any object into Home Depot and they could scan it and create paint in the exact same color. The only difference would be that this is portable and enables everybody to use it. I feel like this would be a very useful app, especially for art majors, since they can scan a poster they like and find out exactly what colors were used.

Week 2B

Today in class we got with our conference groups and talked about our jobs. My group is Registration and today we found an app that would keep track of the list of names of people who registered. It also allows multiple iPads or iPhones to register people from the same list of names. We also created a list of questions that we wanted to ask in the registration process. We figured we would ask: name, where they work (if they are a student, faculty, or professional worker), their email and whether they would like future emails from us, phone number would be optional, and where they heard about the conference. We decided that we don't need to split people up at the registration by last name. Anyone can go to anyone at the table - then you don't have one person with a whole line of people and another one with no one. We decided that the speakers would have the name tags that you print out and put in plastic sleeves because they are more professional. But we decided to have the attendees make their own name tags on stickers because it's less expensive. The rest of class we reviewed the different mobile items: mobile phone app, mobile web app, hybrid phone app, and mobile website.