nov 27 class

i hope everyone had a nice break and took at least a little bit of time to focus on relaxing and recharging. contrast is good for not just design, but life as well.

in class
study group with juniors
what common ground is shared between your project and the juniors, and what can be gleaned from that? 
how can you quickly position your progress so as to get useful and critical feedback from your peers? you are not looking for pats on the back, but useful info to push the work forward. 

course evals

production work time and desk crits
are you using age-appropriate models or images to properly frame the audience challenge for this project? one of the primary issues you should be dealing with here is usability for the 65+ age group so it makes good sense to show and tell about them specifically. 

new work for next class
continued work on production
make sure you are pacing your work properly so you don't have a bottleneck of work monday and tuesday night of next week. i expect a high degree of professionalism (craft, visual form) and clarity (usability+delight) in your final work. 

prepare for final crit presentation – wed dec 6, 12 noon
each project will have about 15 minutes total for critique. design for this interaction accordingly. consider your media needs, space needs (who you want where in 119), and physical technology needs, as well as transition time before and after your presentation. talk with your peers about your tech needs. it is always better to be concise in your presentation so you have plenty of time for discussion, with our guests leading the commentary and peers filling in as needed. be prepared with questions to solicit feedback from our guests if there is a void in the conversation. finally, make sure all deliverables are emailed to me before the start of class. 

project videos

check out the portfolio site of gerg (greg) kaufman, which is packed with tons of great interactive work with videos and stills to explain the work. definitely skim through his "multi-touch light table" project. the video is crazy long but the production quality on his demo screens is very high. 

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and here's a set of stills alongside a video as an example of a more comprehensive portfolio showing. by kelly reeve and kylie dressman. 

nov 20 class

in class

discuss senior show progress and decisions. technology available: hallway monitor and rolling cart tv. 

talk about the braun prize and possibilities for submitting work. thanks to caylie for alerting me to this amazing opportunity. 

review current status of work:
- task scenarios you're covering
- screens that support those tasks
- visual design refinements – make that puppy look great!
- production plan including deliverables and software you'll use

new work for next class [monday nov 27]

• study group with juniors.
• production work time / desk crits. 

nov 15 class

in class

• discuss krug chapter 13 reading
• small groups: review visual design directions. select a final direction to pursue.
• discuss final deliverables for crit, based on project brief. 
• final crit will be at noon on wednesday dec 6 in 119. two GD alumni who work in interaction/interface/ux, garrett peek from garmin and chris magee-jenks from cerner will be joining us as guest critics. bring your best work!

new work for next class

• make final decisions on what tasks you are covering and the number of screens you will need to complete each of those tasks. 
• continue with visual design refinements and detail – look for consistencies or problems in how you are handling type, color, button choices/decision-making points, language. 
• make a production plan. what software are you using? what steps need to be undertaken to achieve your goal? remember the goal items ashley covered in her DP talk last friday.

nov 13 class

in class

• group crit – sitemap posters.  
• one-on-one – top user testing changes for wireframes phase 3.

new work for next class

• read krug chapter 13. last one!
• make final wireframe changes as needed for phase 3.
• begin 3 visual design variations for a range of at least 3 system states (i'm looking for a wide variety of screen types, based on your full set) – 9 screens total. look for shifts in color, type, scale, imagery, etc as you seek to push these screens in different directions.

next class we will look at your design variations in small groups and begin planning for final production and determining your preferred deliverables. 

nov 8 class

in class

review krug chapters 11, 12 and "humanity-centered design" article.

desk crits – review progress on phase two wireframes in prep for more user testing.

per the will hall suggestion for jarkece, steven, and nicole, assemble a poster-sized site map of your wireframes. the point is two-fold: to show screen-to-screen flow of your entire system so far (and its breadth, depth, and relationships) and to evaluate all wireframes/compositions in relation to one another. a printed final of your phase 2 wireframes will be due next class. 

new work for next class

poster-sized site map of your phase 2 wireframes. 

round two user testing documentation including user comments and top changes to make for final design. 

nov 6 class

announcement: denise gonzales crisp will be speaking twice this week and i strongly encourage you to attend both [well, friday will be required because you'll be in class]. thursday at 4pm she'll be speaking about emigre magazine and that whole macintosh-experimental-design-80s thing which is covered here [emigre issue 11] with contemporary commentary about said issue here. read through before attending thursday's talk. 

in class

• will hall lecture at noon
• study groups with juniors
• review krug chapter 11

new work for next class

• read krug chapter 12
• read this great article, mentioned below, about "humanity-centered design" as opposed to human-centered design. it asks some great questions and offers three useful concepts for us to ponder in our work as designers.
• round two of refinements/prototype/testing: add detail to your wireframes [medium-fidelity] while still keeping them largely structural, about content areas and decision-making/navigation, which will dictate the user experience. prepare for more user testing which will need to be done before next monday. 
• build strong momentum in your work. make lots of stuff. have energy! be excited! it's a privilege to get to do this stuff. 
• make in proportion to your team size. examples: steven, nicole, and jarkece's project should be 3x the depth and impressiveness of caylie, erin, and daisy's individual projects. and sarah and justin's should be 2x as impressive. 

reference: beyond the cult of human-centered design

great article on the long-term implications of our design decisions over at fastco design.

ponderation

mostly relevant for the three independent project, but still worthy of thought for all:

i'm thinking about the directive for this project to enhance relationships. i just read through erin's project brief, which was well considered and about enhancing communication, and it brought to mind a couple of questions:

is it possible that this thing can facilitate face-to-face interactions?

if not, what is the least-mediated form of communication such a device could manage [minimal intervention of a non-human object]? 

mediate [entry 6 on dictionary.com]: acting through, dependent on, or involving an intermediate agency; not direct or immediate.

i ask these questions so we don't just go immediately to redesigning a phone interface. we need to ask the bigger and broader "what if" or "how can" questions that might result in something different from a "phone" [a known format/solution], and avoid jumping to these known formats or modifications of existing formats/solutions. i would say the goal here is for technology to bring us into the best possible relational state and that would be in-person, real-time hanging out, sharing experiences. we want it to be a way we come together, not a convenient way to put off getting together. it is indeed a double-edged sword – facebook allows me to see images and thoughts from friends across the country, but it's just enough information where i don't feel the need to call or book a flight. 

a few random "what if" and "how can" questions: 

what if an electronic device could bring about more frequent in-person get-togethers?

how can a device make it feel like we are in the same room together, if we cannot be?

what if technology was an excuse for us to get together?

nov 1 class

yes, it's november, folks. only about five weeks left in the semester. one semester and five weeks and you will be design professionals. develop your work accordingly.

in class

• ponderation: what are the priorities for this project? how are they different from, say, your folly poster project or your kcai timeline project? what does that mean for the visual aspect of this project? 
• individual review of design briefs
• review of user testing process and results. what did you show your participants and how did they respond? what are you prioritizing as your top changes to make?
• make sure you save the file, drawings, or otherwise document your prototype in its current stage. that will be good for reviewing your process development. we'll call this "stage 1 prototype". 

new work for next class

• read krug chapter 11
• prep for study group with juniors. is this an opportunity for a user test? or is it smarter to review your process and get feedback on wireframes / design process / possible visuals?
• work on your stated revisions from your user testing session and make sure you are staying on top of new prototype development – "stage 2 prototype". add detail to make your wireframes more high-fidelity. 

oct 30 class

in class

• review krug chapter 10
• wireframe talk
• discuss project redirect – waymo experience, teams, schedule, etc
• revised project 2 is here
• work time + desk crits as time allows

new work for next class

• a draft of your design brief document, which includes your problem statement and audience description. 
• waymo people – documented user testing on your first round of wireframes. 
• audience people – a solid round of wireframes [paper or flinto] ready for user testing over the weekend. 

oct 25 class

in class

• take down exhibit
• review krug chapter 9
• turn in interview sheets
• discuss audience progress
• waymo click-thru prototype, demonstrating a door-to-door scenario for seniors.
  - in pairs, write out a simple scenario
  - map out the possibilities on paper, showing "before", "during", and "after" screen states.  
  - make a wireframed click-thru using flinto
  - present your work 

new work for next class

• read krug chapter 10
• make any progress possible on current project – finding participants, interviewing, problem-finding, etc. 
• work on DP

oct 23 class

in class

• study group [with juniors]: provide project background, summary of research do-date, and share interview questions. juniors are starting to discuss interviews with outside people, so the bulk of your discussion can be on the finer points of conducting an interview. what do you know about this? how does one prepare? how does one write the proper questions? structure vs going off script, setting the right tone, how to document, etc, etc. 
• dp exhibit recap
• dp project questions
• discuss audience developments – kcmo group, vs nicole's group vs my parents
• so i had a slightly awkward phone conversation with my mother about possibly interviewing her and my dad for this project. she seems open to it but was going to check with my pops about whether he wanted to join the fun or not. i will know tonight [oct 23]. we may need to prepare for a group interview session of one person, either via phone or mail [yes, snail mail. their email is currently out]. 
• discuss how to move forward effectively. 

new work for next class

• preparation of final interview questions, either for your individual person or for my mom. 
• forward momentum. tbd.
• read "don't make me think" chapter 9

"objectified" film

"objectified" is a great film about product/industrial design by "helvetica" director gary hustwit. as the everyday objects we use increasingly merge physical and digital worlds, the contributions of graphic designers to produce great interfaces is vital. 

oct 19 class

in class

• review krug chapter 7 reading
• sam mak workshop!
• discuss audience options

new work for next class

• read krug chapter 8
• develop interview questions and an introduction to the project to set up the interview process, explain goals, etc.
• prep for study group with juniors – what can you share about this project and your progress on it?
• review the research sources below, and consider each a possible jumping-off point for further research. focus this round of learning more on the human side of things – what are issues facing senior citizens? what are their concerns? motivations? obligations? 

apple watch series 3
nice overview of the interface and capabilities of the apple watch. this is a good example of “device-specific interactions” because the interface and controls change specifically due to the scale of this object. 

the internet of things is far bigger than anyone realizes
thinking big about what's possible with sensors.

waymo, google's self-driving car

top ten concerns that seniors face

Technology Fear Stops Older Adults From Logging On from aarp

oct 16 class

in class

• caylie project 1 crit – 12 min total.
• review tech collections. discuss status of audience access and how to talk to people. 
• maybe: rapid prototyping play time.
• discuss DP process

new work for next class

• read "don't make me think" chapter 7
• other action tbd

project 2 start

project brief here!

homework for oct 16
research emerging interactive technologies including, but not limited to wearables like fitbit/vivofit, digital watches; findy things like tile; nearables like beacon; voice assistants like amazon echo and google home; smart objects for the home; audio/video communication like facetime, skype and similar. there are many more things out there – those listed are just top of mind, so explore widely.

also take a peek at various technology solutions aimed at senior citizens. here's one quick article to get you started. okay, one more.

before class, email me a 1920 x 1080 [widescreen presentation size in keynote] pdf slide[s] editing and compiling your findings into an interesting range of things to share with your classmates. i will pull these up on my laptop for a full series of informal research presentations by each of you. organize and design accordingly. 

jazz a\v assemblage crit format

30 minutes to play and interact with all work

designer: state your audience, context, and device.

a classmate will run through or interact with your project and respond to the following project objectives [5 min]:

• how usable and logical is the interface?
• are you able to move fluidly between screens and maintain a sense of place?
• are any moments of linear narrative [animated transitions, motion graphics, etc] well-done and engaging? 
• is there a good balance between usability and surprise/innovation/sense of play?
• is the experience and interaction unified top-to-bottom?

additional peer input [5 min]

author commentary [2 min]

12 minutes per student total

EDIT: updated deliverables

all are due before the start of class on final crit day – wed oct 11. email to me or send a google drive link.

• final functioning prototype
• 3–5 screen grabs illustrating a typical user path and showing a visual range of screens
• new: design brief and audience/context descriptions [pdf or link to blog post]
• new: user testing documentation [pdf or link to blog post]
• if appropriate [not required], a video of a user session

oct 2 and 4 class

in class
work time and desk crits with danielle young, UI/UX designer at virgin mobile.

new work for oct 4 and 9
conduct at least two simplified usability tests. read this article from uxmastery.com for an overview of how usability tests are typically done. "don't make me think" chapter 9 is also about usability testing – feel free to skim that for tips and ideas. our test will be greatly simplified, as we are near the end of the process – not an ideal time to test. consider this an introduction and we will get into it more on the next project. 

• determine what questions you have and create a few simple tasks for your users to complete. example: find a song by miles davis to play and play it."
• find users to test that fit your audience profile.
• write up a simple script describing your project and that you are testing the design, not them. prepare follow-up questions to ask, like "how difficult was that task, on a 1-5 scale?" or "were there any points of confusion?" 
• when you test, remain neutral, encourage users to think out loud, observe their actions and refrain from leading or hinting unless they are really stuck. take notes as they work so you don't forget anything. 
• notice any recurring problems from multiple users and prioritize those problems, among others, to fix. 

documentation of your testing is a required part of your process. if your final project is not planned as a clickable prototype in flinto, let me know and we can talk about paper prototyping.

EDIT: please read "don't make me think" chapter 6 for wednesday oct 4. 

sept 27 class

in class
- discuss "don't make me think" chapter 4
- DGC lecture
- flinto skill share
- [hopefully] small group crits on work in progress with sophomores

new work for next class
- read "don't make me think" chapter 5
- prep work to give a two-minute presentation to guest critic danielle young. she has seen the project brief and knows the bare bones. fill in details of your audience, context, and visual approach. show her what you've done, not what you plan to do. i will try to time these so she gets through the entire class in one session. she will be back on wed oct 4 to check progress.