This was the first time I approached a purely screen based solution which was an exciting opportunity and being introduced to commercial and professional considerations helped me to produce a site that could be realistically coded by a skilled developer.
At the beginning of the brief, I struggled to come up with concepts that not only solved a problem but were also relevant for society. Only’s advice of ‘don’t produce an app for the sake of creating an app’ is something that stayed with me from the talk, so I aimed to be more objective. I found considering user interfaces that I experience and use every day such as ATMs, smart phones and websites made me realise that I had the potential to produce an improved outcome. Researching into the capabilties of digital media and web developers encouraged my solution to evolve into an experiential site because I had identified successful method of organising information in engaging ways.
Crit sessions were really helpful for informing and moulding my solution into a considered outcome because I used them as an opportunity to make informed decisions. Choosing to redesign People of Print’s user interface was inspired by my research into design studio websites because of their seamless and tight site navigation and browsing tools that made each step of the site engaging and fun to use. I saw a lot of potential with People of Print’s site due to the already high quality content and articles., however the user interface really let the site down. Being a loyal user of the site since starting the course, I have discovered many artists, projects and studios that I have used as inspiration throughout numerous briefs so far. Therefor I was able to identify appropriate solutions to the site based on my own experience and asking fellow students on their experiences.
Being introduced to Hover States really benefited my project because it exposed me to experimental and alternative user interfaces which were stimuating and inspiring the use. This ultimately increased my understanding of the limitations of design for screen, considering pixel quality and colour modes in order for the site to produce the desired outcome in the real world. The website also influence how I demonstrated the site by animating the mouse around the page. This has improved my After Effects skills which I intend to take forward and improve because it is a stimulating medium to promote digital content.
My design inspiration was heavily influenced by my research into Studio Laucke Siebein and Mynameis because they were aiming to achieve a similar role and it introduced me to transparency layers and layered content. WDuring the production phase, my basic After Effects skills provided me with the ability to demonstrate the navigation and interactive features. During this process my AE skills improved, however I didn’t manage to produce a professional promotional video due to the lack of time.
I originally proposed to make each page of the site consistent in layout, however I took an executive decision to be more experimental in order to stand out against oppostition such as It’s Nice That and the array of other design inspiration websites. Again, crit and feedback sessions gave me confidence to try new layouts which ended up making my solution more immersive.
If I had managed my time better, I woud have liked to have spent more time developing the Account page so that it is more desirable and useful. To achieve this, the page should suggest projects, provide a directory and encouraged the visitors to contribute to the site by submitting their work. Having to research into the colour modes and limitations of print made me hesitant to start designing however after studying wireframes and sitemaps this allowed me to translate my ideas in a visual language that I could transfer onto screen. If I could improve on the solution, I would create the site so that it is responsive and works on a range of different platforms such as iPad, smart phone and TV.
By taking advantage of the wide computer monitor screen, I was able to condense the menu so that there’s more room for the user to view the high impact images. Making the menu transparent also immerses the user in the content which is visually stimulating. Previously, this problem made viewing content frustrating as the user couldn’t see a complete image without having to zoom out or copy and paste it into a separate document. I have successfully solved this problem because the user can see full images as well as enlarge them to see more detail. This is important because the user can clearly see the tactile qualities and print finishes clearly. The smart and clean layout was inspired by Swiss design as well as Studio Lauke Siebien’s site. This is appropriate because the neutral Helvetica and white space makes reading the content easy even though text and image is layered. This was also successful because I managed to keep inside People of Print’s current brand guidelines by using the two typefaces they use - Helvetica and Georgia. I changed the pink and blue typography because, although it was gender neutral and created a hierarchy, it made the copy hard to read, especially the pink text on white background. Therefor I kept all the text as black to increase legibility.
My website has its limitations which conclude to slow loading times due to the high pixel count for the large file images as well as the interactive features. This can also have a detrimental effect on what platforms the website can be viewed as old technology can not always display sites without JavaScript, etc. To overcome the slow loading times, the images can be translated into greyscale images until the user decides to view a project and the full high impact colour mode will be selected. By using greyscale images, the file size will be a lot smaller making the site quicker to load.
My website has its limitations which conclude to slow loading times due to the high pixel count for the large file images as well as the interactive features. This can also have a detrimental effect on what platforms the website can be viewed as old technology can not always display sites without JavaScript, etc. To overcome the slow loading times, the images can be translated into greyscale images until the user decides to view a project and the full high impact colour mode will be selected. By using greyscale images, the file size will be a lot smaller making the site quicker to load.
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