Inspiration
Schedule for 2nd Semester
Fab
Research/Wire Frame/User Test
2/14~Research
2/21~Wire Frame
2/28~User Test
Mar
User Test Justify/Post-design Interface and Function
3/6~User Test Justify
3/13~Final Justification/Design Interface
3/20~Design Interface/function
3/27~ Design function
Apr
Building Prototype/Alternative options
4/3~ Start building prototype
4/10~ Building prototype
4/17~Building prototype/Alternative
4/24Building prototype/Alternative
May
Final Branding/Justification
5/1~ Branding final decision
5/8~ Final Justification
Research on iPhone Application
Before designing an iPhone application, it’s important to understand the task of an application interface in order to design a user-friendly app. I read some of the articles on how to . In iPhone Apps Design Mistakes: Over-Blown Visuals, Alex Komarov talks about how over-blown visuals of an application could affect users’ decisions on downloading an application.
Five Most Frequent iPhone Design Mistakes
1. Over-blown visuals
2. Neglecting technological limitations (e.g. internet connection, slow processors..)
3. Confusing navigation (e.g. flow, layout, taxonomy)
4. Confusing the iPhone with a computer
5. Disregard of context. A lack of understanding of how, when, where, and why the mobile device is being used.
And in other article iPhone App Design Trends, Jen Gordon introduces some feature trends on iPhone application, and they are
1. Mirroring native iPhone UI elements
2. Simplifying the interface
3. Hardware-ish Look
4. Rich, padded and pretty list views
5. Layered interface
6. Icons for the list view
7. Illustrations in use
8. Using gesterues
I’d like to take these two articles as reference while starting my design. Meanwhile, keep doing more research on how to design a user-friendly application.
Thesis Proposal
|*Topic
My thesis topic started with a personal experience of time management that I figured more people are using digital agenda instead of physical one for their daily schedule. I got interested in people behavior pattern and tried to observe how does it related to their time management. If they are related, what can be done to improve people’s time management skill?
|*Audience
My target audiences will be design students becasue they have a better sense to conceive visual images to deliverables. I also hope the application will help students to manage their time from school schdule to personal life.
For solution, I want to use colors and geographic shapes to represent differnt period of time as well as categories of doing things. Basd on information design concept, graphics will automatically visualize user’s daily schdule once users enter their schedules.By combining multiple graphics, the visual graphic will become the new schedule device for the users.
Branding / Game / Video / Website
[D] Prototype 3 : Final Critique
I was worried that my new prototype weren’t well-developed for final critique because we had so little of time to really work on it( compared to the other critiques we had) but I did get a lot good feedback which is great.
Originally, my concept was “to document time in order to manage it”, but during the process between my first and second prototype, I decided to just focus on the “manage” part. The solution/outcome of these prototypes seems broke the original concept, and they became ordinary planner. But for my final prototype , Procrastination became my new focus that I came up with something rather different, a physical device. I guess for my thesis, there’s lack of celerity of ORIGINAL concept which caused disconnection between my prototypes. I need to finalize my concept before I move to next step.
Still, I’m glad that I got to show another idea before the winter break. Now I know what is working and what is not working. Micheal’s feedback were very helpful, not only he pointed out some of the design problems but also gave me some good advices. He mentioned about “Imaging Time” which was not my initial idea but something that I feel could be a interesting component of my project.
Over the winter break, I hope to explore my ideas about documenting time and as well as imaging time. I’ll also expand my research to how people see their time, so I could use these valuations as part of my projects. Most important, to really finalize my concept so next semester (maybe first or two months) I can work on more prototypes.
[D] Timeline
2011
December: Research//Prototype//Possible solution//User Test
2012
January: Final Design for the Tool// Start Design for the Package
February: Design of the Package//Production of the Tool & Package
March: User Test//Verification
April: Edit on the Tool and the Package
[D] Prototype 1 :Time Filter
For my very first prototype, I did a chart called Time Filter for Thursday group presentation. This chart suppose to document and calculate the time that people waste unconsciously during the day. From outer block to inter space, each layer suggest user to document the events of the day as well as the time that they feel like they are doing nothing. (Time for waiting elevator, checking e-mail/twitter/FB every 2 mins…etc) By the end of a day, user is able to calculate the total time he has wasted, and improve his time based on the result.
Some feedback I got from the presentation:
● The number of Hour is confusing since it starts from 4 instead of 12, maybe put all twelve numbers like a clock, so people will think about Time
● 5/10/15 should be darker to show the importance
● The total calculation block should be bigger
● Does it necessary need to be this exact shape? Could it be other shape?
● Maybe change the day/night color
● Definitely do a digital version, maybe an app
● Space for planning to do list is too small
I feel like I’m still finding a right direction for this particular topic. After seeing David Seah’s Productivity Tools, I’m confused and wonder what kind of tool that I could design. Even though I did a tool for my first prototype, I’m not so sure it’s the proper format to present the idea. Maybe something more like a product? Or maybe something like a manual?
For my future prototype development, I’ll keep doing research on the relationship between human behavior and time. What are the time that we’re missing in our life? Why we’re missing this period of time? How can we turn this period of time to something that we’re able to use/spend/take? Meanwhile, I’m planning to develop more versions of this Time Filter in different directions - functional, useful, portable…etc.
Research Statement
I’m learning about the relationship between human behavior and time, because I want to find out what are some of the factors that influence the way people spend their time, in order to improve a time management tool that I am designing.
Story Telling
Anna is a freshman student of Parsons who loves Fashion and wants to be a fashion designer in the future. Being a new comer to New York City, Anna found herself unfamiliar with the environment as well as the life style. Anna is interested in fashion design that she is passionate about everything about fashion. She is also a fashion blogger that she often goes to SOHO area to take snap shoots and photography during her free time. With stressful assignments from school, she became out of control with her time management. She can’t sort her priority between school assignments and her personal interests. She has a notebook for her to sketch some initial fashion drawing, but she also use it as an agenda book. She hopes her notebook could some features, which would help her to manager her time better. The new design of a calendar/agenda book will not only help her to understand what does she spend on her time, but also help her to sort her priority things to do in the big environment. She could also manage her time through the agenda as well as sketch her fashion drawing if she needed.
Midterm Critique
When I presented my “T for Time”, there were different voices for the project. Main critique was arguing about whether it should be physical or digital/electronic since we are in a digital world right now. I guess that’s because in my presentation, there were not enough supports about the advantages of using a physical one. Some other feedback were maybe rethink the relationship between time management and documentation.
After the critique, I was unsure about this is the project that I want to continued. But after talking to Jess, I feel like there is a lot more research that could be done to support this project. In order to promote the idea of “time management” and “usage of time”, I’ll start working on prototype for my next step, and use these prototype to do more research. Meanwhile, I’ll also interview few people to understand how they manage their time and what some of the methods could help them to improve their time management.
