Information Architecture - Steve Krug

1. “Don’t make me think.”
2. “It doesn't matter how many times I have to click, as long as each click is a mindless, unambiguous choice.”
3. “Get rid of half the words on each page, then get rid of half of what is left.”

Steve Krug's concepts on usability are wise words for anyone designing any interactive interface, and whilst his writings were originally in reference to web based usability, the themes and ideas can easily be appropriated for a mobile platform.

Simplicity is frequently referred to as one of the key factors to good interface design, minimalising the potential for the end user to be confused or uninterested. Shortening the journey to information is not considered as important as making sure the journey itself is painless and intuitive. Everything from the wording of available options to the colour of the border on clickable boxes can influence the time it takes for a user to decide whether they want to click through or not.

In terms of the architecture of the application, it is my intention to maintain a visual sense of 'real estate', where imagery and structure is maintained across all of the application. In a practical sense, this allows users to become familiar with navigational aspects of the application as well as developing an understanding of location in relation to other forms of content. If the app was to have the home button in different places when moving from page to page then the end user will experience a very disjointed journey to any content that they desire.

Structurally, I intend to construct a narrow and deep architecture, with real estate similar to that of Twitter for example, with a home button always present, and a small selection of shortcuts at the bottom of the screen. This allows the rest of the screen space to be dedicated to the content of each page, as well as making sure the focus is on the appropriate material. Functionality is something that needs to be at an optimal point for this application to maintain its audience, and therefore each user function should be effortless, much like Krug's views on navigation. For general sub-headings within the application, I have written a short list, and these are current navigational signposts to content, or external sites.

Within each section there will be more content, however these are the headings that summarise their subsequent content in the most succinct manner.

-Home
-News
-Sports/Societies
-Deals
-Events
-Email
-Blackboard

Krug raises the idea that some users prefer to browse first, whereas some prefer to use search functions. I'll need to make sure that both types of user can satisfy their usage trends as quickly as possible from the point of opening the app.

As well as structural hierarchy, there is also the concept of visual hierarchy to consider. Do some menu options command more attention that others? Is the space used efficiently to inform the user about which information is the most important and/or relevant? Ensuring that font thickness, spacing, and even bordering is consistent with the intended portrayal. All these things will come with the design portion of the product, which is already underway.

In summary, getting visual design correct can be a tricky task, however the benefits are massive. If users experience good architecture and design then confidence in the application, brand, or product is instilled, moving towards improving the overall customer satisfaction. 

Project Development - An Idea Evolved

Following some investigation into the coding and programming process for mobile applications, it seems like a more viable approach to develop the app from a conceptual perspective. This will involve completely designing the app from a visual perspective, rather than making an actual application, and then generating appropriate imagery to support the promotion of the application. Given this change in project style, the concept will need to push the boundaries of app design much more than before.

http://www.nextr.info/ is a website promoting an app for travel around Germany. The website itself has a smart layout, with interactive elements to enhance the experience the user has whilst visiting the site. Mousing over certain areas of the website brings up additional information or alternate screenshots. Using this method of presenting screenshots allows the user to customise their experience with the product in an online space, rather than presenting a predetermined video, with timed transitions. Having a smart and intuitive website suggests to the user that the product being advertised may also have similarly strong design and dynamic user interface, and subsequently works as part of the advertising itself.

Below you can see a portion of the website, including the additional information icons (+). The website also has an ingenious way of representing the transition from page to page within the app, placing two screens side-by-side and simply placing a directional arrow from one screen to the other. The arrow also shows the part of the app that has been selected to propel the user to the next page. This method of representation smartly sidesteps the limitation of displaying an app in still images.

This minimalist and efficient design is something I will try to utilise in my own presentation of my work, but that's something that will come further down the line. For now, I'm focusing on the conceptual possibilities oft the app which I intend to conceive.

With the app aiming to fill the gap for a students union mobile application, the product will need to meet the needs of both the union and also the students. Keeping this in mind, I will now develop a first draft for the infrastructure of the app.

Sound Recording!

An opportunity arose to record the audio for the advert, with the help of friends and Audio Production students James Palmer and Katherine Campbell.

I took the script along to one of the recording studios here at the University of Lincoln and spent a couple of hours reading and re-reading various versions of the script. I recorded a few different versions in case I decide to change the script later in the development of the project.

With the files safely stored on a USB I took them into Adobe Audition where I could edit the sound to be exactly what I wanted, following advice from James and Katherine. Sourcing appropriate royalty free music was my next task.

First stop, incompetech.com. This site has a huge variety of sound effects and soundtracks that are royalty free, perfect for this sort of project. After a search through a range of styles and tempos I selected a track called Perspectives(.wav). The track is originally 11 minutes long, however I trimmed it down to the required 60 seconds.

After adding a fade in and out, I began cutting the voice recordings. Removing bad takes and any pops (we added a pop filter on the second take) left me with the best run throughs, which I then chopped up into each line and began constructing the dialogue with the best takes of each line, following the script.

Once all the lines were ordered and balanced, the audio was ready to export.

The next step is to begin animating to the track.

Digital Media App Design - Initial Research

I've been tasked with designing a digital media application to solve a real world problem. In a small group; we will choose a topic, research the market and then design the product for an appropriate audience. The topic was chosen from this list of options: 

• Energy Consumption
• Personal Budgeting
• Food / Water Waste
• Fitness
• Commuting
• Local Government
• Education

As a group we decided to design an app for the fitness market. Whilst aware of the volume of fitness apps on the market, we concluded that there was no 'perfect' app, offering a range of functions in one well designed and easy to use product. 

A discussion within the group highlighted certain aspects of existing fitness apps that we feel could be improved. An example of this is EveryMove, an app designed to reward the user for simply moving and staying active, not necessarily exercising. While this seems like an attractive idea, as fitness apps go it is fairly limited. There's no particular plan or suggestions for activities to do, and the interface seems dated and socially focused. A link for the app is found here.

Lessons to take from this app is to ensure we have a fresh, attractive and functional design, while offering a strong and multifaceted service. 

For reference, find my colleagues blogs at the following links:

Jamie Blackhurst

Erika Carter

Thanks, 

Alex