Wednesday, March 18, 2009

Planning tools for Interaction: Moodboard

A mood board is a type of poster design that can consist of images, text, and samples of objects. Designers use mood boards to develop their design concepts and to communicate to other members of the design team. The mood board may be used as a frame of reference during the design process in a variety of abstract disciplines. As an example, this is a mood board for Johnny Smith:


Planning tools for Interaction: Storyboard

Storyboards are graphics that organize a series of illustrations or images displayed in sequence for the purpose of previsualizing a motion graphic or interactive media sequence which also includes website interactivity. As an example, the first three steps on how to make toast.


Planning tools for Interaction: Flowchart

Used for analyzing, designing, documenting and managing a process or program in various fields, a flowchart is a common type of chart, that represents the process, showing the steps in different shaped boxes, and their order by connecting these with arrows.





Planning tools for Interaction: Step-By-Step

The planning-tools, step-by-step instruction for interactive design is mainly the first step when you begin an interactive design. For example:




Tuesday, March 17, 2009

Information/Instructional Design: Examples

Some examples Information/Instructional Design include:

Maps

Signage (shopping centers, road signs etc)

Diagrams

Illustrative graphics

Graphs

Information / Instructional Design: Definition

Instructional Design is creating a way to teach people through the use of creating tools and content to help a person learn efficiently through the instructions created, these instruction designs exist so that they can be followed easily through the ease of society. Enhanced through the analysis of learning needs and organized expansion of learning materials, in this day and age, Instruction Design has come a long way, with the help of advancements in technology.

Information Design is form of design that addresses the organization and appearance of data into valuable and important information. It’s the process of preparing and gathering information, in accordance with design principles, in order for designers to properly understand the true meaning of their findings. This data then can be easily communicated to others with efficiency and effectiveness. It’s where data is organized, written and presented so that everyone can understand it. Information design is evolved around the success of information; the visual portrayals would not exist without graphic design.

The aim of Information/ Instructional design is to make given data and instructions effective, logical, appealing and cost-effective.

Interactive Design: Examples

Some examples of Interaction Designs are:

Flash Games
Animation
E-Learning
E-Banking
Facebook
Flickr
MYspace
Youtube

Monday, March 16, 2009

Interactive Design: Definition

Gone are the days when design was confined by the traditional method of one user determining the content, as is the case with television, radio, a book or movie. Now, with the development of interactive design, the experience is determined by the user, and not the person “behind the curtain”. As a quick example, websites such as Facebook or Flickr, these sites allow the user to easily input their own information and opinions. Interactivity is concerned with being part of the action of a system or performance and not simply watching the action passively.

Interactive Design is a system/product that allows the user to interact with them. As the discipline of defining the behaviour of products and systems that a user can interact with, the practice typically centres around these systems and products that allow interactivity range from mobile devices, electronic devices and software, where the tool (branching off Web 2.0) is defined through a number of mediums and processes.

Interaction design is made up of complex technology, however it aims to decrease the learning curve and to raise accuracy and efficiency of a task without withdrawing usefulness. The aim is to shrink frustration and increase user productivity and contentment. It creates compelling relationships between people and the interactive systems they use, from computers to appliances and so fourth.

Wednesday, March 11, 2009

Web 2.0: Definition

Web 2.0 is the second generation of the World Wide Web, a term that had been made famous and developed by Tim O’Reily in 2004. Web 2.0 has become an imaginative way to experience and explore the Internet across the globe as it reaches out to a new generation of web and development design. It has created new dynamics of the way we communicate with different web communists, applications and hosted services.

In today’s society, people are looking for an experience on the web, not just using the tools for information. Taking the user to a new virtual world, the products, services and designs Web 2.0 brings keep people hooked onto it for hours on end.

Web 2.0 continues to expand as the shift from read-only webpage's to interaction has proved as a major move and success in today’s society.

Web 2.0: Examples

With thanks from the website wisdump.com, these are the top ten of Web 2.0.

1. MySpace.
2. WordPress.
3. Flickr.
4. YouTube.
5. Revver.
6. Newsvine.
7. Yahoo.
8. Digg.
9. Skype.
10. Facebook.

Other examples that haven't made it onto the list include Twitter, iTunes and Google Earth.







Tuesday, March 10, 2009

In the begining...

Hey guys, haven't gotten around to doing much with this yet, but ill spend the next day or so doing it up because I'm falling behind!

The blog is currently under construction and will be up and running shortly!

Take care =D