Portfolio Review: March 27, 2014

Project 3 issuu

Week 10 P3 Prelim Crit Notes

Working with Lindsey and Linsie:

Most of the critique was focused on the color scheme that we are using. Seems to give the theme of a clothing store like Forever 21. Needs to look more "grown up" in its appearance, such as making some of the color less soft and feminine and more mature.

Specifically, they informed us that the choice of Salmon as a color should be changed to something else.

Everything else is looking pretty good, they like the idea of the app and are looking forward to seeing it implemented.

*****

Eva and I continued to talk about what we need to do next:


We need to change the Mood Board that we currently have to the Inspiration Board / Research Inspiration page. Also, the Research Inspiration page will include screenshots from apps such as Netflix, Hulu, My Seeen.

We are both going to do Mood Boards that are more conceptual and less literal.

*****


To do:

Dave - Finish the Mood Board. Once the images are sent from Eva, to complete the InDesign file and put together the app in Flinto.

Eva - Refresh the color scheme. Finish the Hi-Fi's. (Library, Wish List, Login, Subcribe, Ticket)

Both - Mood Board.

http://issuu.com/brokenrelic/docs/bartlam_berner_finalproject_02_ad_d6c6ebb9d1f48e

Unit 9 Reading Response

Unit 9 Reading Response

For our final reading assignment, it seemed fitting to learn about the "Don'ts" of mobile app design. And the principles to follow to ensure success in the venture. Even more fitting was the fact that the author chose the first of his countdown to address appropriate process.

One of my previous partners in school and I were just having the conversation about how we often end up doing the wire frame before the concept sketches. It seems that being in a digital world, we often make the mistake of assuming that using a computer is so much easier than using a pen and paper. However, I recall Doug Heinlein telling us on many occasions that the best tool for a designer is exactly that: a pen and paper. For the past few quarters, I have been noticing that my flow goes so much better when I am drawing first and then hitting the computer after.

And, like true form with following the book we have been reading, it's important to keep things simple and not to rely on the garish or ostentatious. Opening animations can be data-hungry and often confuses the message of the app. Having a simple splash page that gets the point across is often times the best measure and practice to take.

Number 6 is a very important issue to address, as well, however, for different reasons than what the author pointed out. While the author was stating that it's important to have a progress indicator to let the user know that things are still working, I presumed the headline was talking about something else: networking. Creating something for the public requires a great deal of connection and it's important to constantly keep your fans in the loop. Keeping silent and not doing any connection will alienate your possible customers.

It's been difficult for me to break the barrier of social networking, but I am getting better. This entire class has been incredibly enlightening, as it has helped me realize the importance of simplicity in design. In a world that cherishes special effects and awesome visuals, when trying to get a message across, oftentimes the most appropriate language is the most simplistic.

Inspiring Websites:

http://www.themuse.com/advice/make-it-happen-how-to-design-your-first-iphone-app

http://www.forbes.com/sites/dianemehta/2013/04/30/5-things-you-should-do-when-designing-for-mobile-moment-designs-john-paynes-on-commercializing-welldoc-the-first-fda-approved-diabetes-app/

http://www.hongkiat.com/blog/app-business-tips-resources/

https://developer.apple.com/library/ios/documentation/iphone/conceptual/iphoneosprogrammingguide/AppDesignBasics/AppDesignBasics.html

Week 09 Team Feedback

Project 03 Feedback

Feedback from Christa Friedli and Christina Cline:


* Feel for the app looks really nice.
* Idea seems to be a strong idea.
* Interface is recognizable, as it looks somewhat like the Netflix interface.
* Color scheme works very well.
* Logo looks nice, too.

Things to consider:

* As this is a potential business adventure, we need to consider who is going to fund this kind of a project. Who is going to work here? How will they be hired?

* In the Creative Statement, make sure to address how this will be funded and how you will hire your workers.

* There are freelance stenographers and interpreters who could work for this company on a contract basis. Since there is a "Wish List" page, make sure that the wish is sent to the appropriate freelancer.

* Where is the money coming from? Benefactors? Travel gurus like Rick Steves or Abe Frohman? Make this real, as it is a possible app that can work.

* Make sure that the client is well-defined: People who want to learn, but must have a love for movies and film.


************

Template Resources for building an app:

http://yvonnelao.com/2011/04/28/mobile-app-user-flow-chart/

https://www.flinto.com

http://screensiz.es/phone

http://www.mydevice.io

http://www.axure.com

http://speckyboy.com

http://www2.developerforce.com/mobile/services/mobile-templates

http://codecanyon.net/category/mobile/ios

http://www.appdesignvault.com

Good for app prototyping:

http://www.invisionapp.com

Project 3 so far...

Unit 8 Reading Response

Unit 8 Reading Response

This was a wonderful article to read, as not only is it written by a student (at the time) but it comes from a perspective of extreme professionalism and passion. One of the aspects of creative briefs that has always been a struggle for me is the creation of personas. For some reason, this has been a huge obstacle for me, and now that I have done several briefs over the past few quarters, I have come to realize just how important it is. The author of this article conveys the importance of this crucial step very well, showing that without understanding the target audience through more ways than simple demographics, there is no foreseen success.

Great ideas never find fruition, due to the fact that no one needs it. We, as designers, might feel our ideas are the most amazing things the world has ever seen, but unless a majority of people could use it, it becomes irrelevant.

I enjoy the fact that the author references Don't Make Me Think in this article, as it makes it clear that the book is relevant to many different designers and developers. The idea of focus, simplicity, and clarity seems to be the ongoing theme, and once again, the book we have been reading this entire quarter shows just how helpful its messages are.

The amount of research done by this team that is referenced in the article shows how much time is put into R & D before the implementation is actually started. I believe this is an error that many new developers make when they are trying to create new apps. The mistake of putting the cart before the horse seems to be rampant, and it's incredibly important to measure before cutting.

Inspiring Web Sites:

http://www.formotus.com/14018/blog-mobility/figuring-the-costs-of-custom-mobile-business-app-development

http://mashable.com/2013/07/13/top-selling-app/

http://www.fourhourworkweek.com/blog/2012/04/22/how-to-build-an-app-empire-can-you-create-the-next-instagram/

http://www.steptwo.com.au/papers/kmc_personas/index.html

Project 03_Concept

Unit 7 Reading Response

Unit 7 Reading Response

Chapter ten was particularly appropriate for the upcoming project, as it discusses in great detail how to approach the design and development of mobile-based websites. The supplemental reading of the website assigned, was also very helpful, as the distinction between Responsive and Adaptive design is still under debate, at least in my opinion it is. This specific distinction debate is a constant thorn in my side, as though I understand the difference between them, I simply have trouble deciding on which one is more appropriate. Adaptive seems to be a better choice, as the design itself takes for granted that there will be specific parameters of size, regardless of the myriad devices on the market.

For example, there are dozens of different sized mobile devices, but they are all in a particular range of size, which makes adaptive a better choice, as the layout and design are designated for a particular pixel count and that they work perfectly for the given device. Responsive seems like it could get messy, as instead of reorganizing the data and content, it simply makes it smaller. Currently, I am working on my personal website, and am leaning more towards a media query for Adaptive design, as that seems to be a better look.

The other aspect I was glad to see mentioned in the chapter was the fact that it helps to have a link to the desktop site on the mobile site. Call me old-fashioned, but I do like to feel safe in what I know. I know this is probably the worst thing I could say as a web designer, but it’s nice to know that the desktop version of websites is not dead and that on a mobile device, I can still access the desktop version of a particular website.

There are numerous sources for Adaptive design in the website that was part of the reading that I will be bookmarking, as they are very helpful to get me to where I wish to be.


Inspirational Websites:

http://venturebeat.com/2013/11/19/responsive-design-adaptive/

http://www.rasmussen.edu/degrees/design/blog/web-design-101-adaptive-vs-responsive-design/

http://bradfrostweb.com/blog/post/the-many-faces-of-adaptive-design/

http://artificialrome.com/
I chose the last page as it was a very clever mix of parallax scrolling and responsive design.