Reading Assignment

Reading Assignment every week Steve Krug Don’t Make Me Think Post reading response to blog Late blog post receives no credit.

Client

the person or company who hires you to design a User Interface for reaching users

In this class, you will be designing with both your clients’ needs and your users’ mentality.

Information Architecture (IA)

Data is the electronic storage of information in binary code(1s and 0’s)

Content – is data a client wants to make available to users. Data describing products, images, media.

Information Architecture (IA)

IA and UI IA — “Information Architecture”: the logical

structuring of the content into usable streams. (Facilitates the creation of a UI)

Some free Content Management systems that provide information architecture are: Wordpress, Drupal, Joomla, etc.

IA and UI IA — “Information Architecture”: the logical

structuring of the content into usable streams. (Facilitates the creation of a UI)

Creating information architecture involves more complex code. Apache, PHP, MySQL are some of the terms and languages often involved.

IA and UI Information Architecture is not our focus in this

class. If you have experience with Information

Architecture, with code, this class is an opportunity to put down the code, and put on your designer’s hat. You can focus on visual and interactive design with less concern for what is and is not configurable.

IA and UI Information Architecture and code are not our

focus in this class. If you have no experience with information

architecture or coding, then this class is an opportunity to not worry about code.

USER EXPERIENCE

The overall logic of this class is to focus on user interface design: the presentation layer.

We are interested in designing mockups. Good layout, typography, and attention to

the experience of the user IS necessary.

PRESENTATION LAYER

UI

UI Whether you are a Graphic Designer or an

Interactive Media Designer, you will be learning code soon enough: html, css, javascript, dynamic website design.

The opportunity this class provides is a chance to play hard with the design of interfaces, code-free.

UI User Interface UI — “User Interface”: In the context of the

internet, this means the visual and sensual environment that allows the user to gain access to content

We are concerned with the Design of the User Interface. Our concerns are aesthetic AND functional.

Who is the User?

What is an Interface ?

Wikipedia: “A user interface is the system by which users interact with a machine.

Usability is the degree to which the design of a particular user interface takes into account the human psychology and physiology of the users, and makes the process of using the system effective, efficient and satisfying.

Interfaces User Interfaces (UI) - Non Digital: potato

peeler, car dashboard (well...) . All tools. All acoustic musical instruments- even the

triangle. DJ deck, Newspaper. The newspaper probably has the strongest

residual effect on web design. “Above the fold”, “Below the fold” - layout, typography, hierarchy – all terms and conventions are used in web design today.

Human factors In industrial design, interface design is under

the heading “human factors” and is synonymous in some important ways.

Baddesigns.com is an archived critique of physical, manufactured user interfaces from an industrial design perspective.

A similar critical stance will be useful for you to cultivate as you move from consumer of online experiences to producer.

User Interfaces (UI) Digital:

Kiosks: photocopier, ATM, Car wash ,Gas Pump , Fandango kiosk, DVD, television remote/onscreen interface.

Webpages are digital interfaces (no surprise). They have several categories that we will explore this quarter.

iphone, ipad, droid, windows phone 7...

User Experience (UX) The experience the user has with the

interface: Its quality, efficiency, positive, negative

Wikipedia: User experienced “…is a term used to describe the overarching experience a person has as a result of their interactions with a particular product or service, its delivery, and related artifacts, according to their design. “

UX User Experience UX — “User Experience”: feedback about how

well the UI performed from the user’s point of view

Assumptions

Al-Jazeera English Al-Jazeera Arabic website

Assumptions

In the United States it is universal for the “on” position of a toggle switch to be “up”, whereas in the UK, Australia, and New Zealand it is “down.”

Assumptions

As another example, Japanese do not place an X in a check-box to indicate acceptance --this indicates refusal.

Assumptions Conventions are these agreed upon

choices within and across cultures. Conventions are useful. Without them we have to learn a

new way with every new interface we encounter

As you design interfaces, ask yourself it forcing the user to learn a new way is necessary and improves their experience.

Portfolio Website Project

Portfolio Website Project Specifications