UniWidge

Working through my design document for Human Centre Design I found some partially blogged projects that really aren't getting the credit they deserve on me ol' blog! This was UniWidge, a project Kirstyn and I worked on. The widget would synchronise with blackboard, and be available free to students in order to help them organise a study schedule, and remind them of talks and deadlines as well as having the option to manage a social calendar.

I missed the NHS

This was the Monicom device that Agui and I thought up for a HCD, forgot to post the old girl up. Top job on this one, first time at using personas and they were fairly solid if I do say so myself. The scenario was lengthy, and I have actually just remembered I did try to blog this at the time, but whilst I was writing my spiel the internet cut out! On that note, Northumbria is a fine University yada yada, but the internet is so slow it's stupid. It is all those lonely students watching porn and using chat roulette.

iLift Me Up (Finally)

Better late than never, this is the iLift work we did as a group project for HCD. 3 out of the 4 group project we completed, and arguably the most successful.

The iLift application is designed for the overly popular iPhone. Working in conjunction with an 'intelligent lift' the application would allow lift occupants of a 5000 floor building to choose music, video and other forms of entertainment to improve their potentially timely vertical journey up or down the building.

The brief saw us branch out to other groups, discussing their ideas and essentially taking onboard their views and concerns and then bettering them.

First hand research at its best, I felt we came up with a solid concept as well as researching the current tallest building in the world (Burj Khalifa) located in Dubai with just 160 floors, and the time taken to travel those 206 floors indicated a need for such an application. (5000 floors being a ridiculous amount of floors....)

Human Centred Finale

The approach to the final HCD project I thought was spot on. Base research was started the same day Aguinaldo and I started discussing ideas and soon we were rolling with interface ideas, and what the outcome should include and how we should present it. Unfortunately, in between the initial motivated stage and the implementation stage, we had the Easter break, at which point barely anything got done.

Being 200 miles away from Newcastle Central didn't help, and consequently being 200 mies from my group partner. But it is hardly and excuse and I was sure come presentation time, our project would show that we had a clear 3 week gap in the middle of it and be overly poor.

Bafflingly this wasn't the case, in fact come presentation time comments were that it was a solid presentation and that we covered the areas well. Fair play we are first years so maybe the criticism was never going to be that harsh, but the fact of the matter is it could and should have been 200% better than it was.

The adaptive fast ticket machine, it isn't revolutionary no, but I would bet a fair bit that they will come into play in some way. Look at Spotify as an adaptive device, and the itunes store. They are much more intelligent adaptive systems than what we were proposing, and it is only a matter of time before those systems successfully trail down into everyday working systems such as ticket purchases, grocery purchases etc.

All in all, I would have liked to have concentrated and had more planning over the interface. Aguinaldo is a flash master, however the interface he created was that of a existing fast ticket machine with just a new button for our adaptive feature. Which in reality, would just make things increasingly complicated.

Though I suppose that is the problem with group projects, and to be honest this one unfortunately took a back burner because of the chosen subject. Helping a couple of other people with their more exciting ideas, Dave and Rach's shopping trolley and Steve and Jammy's Interactive bar, just made me very unenthused about mine and Aguis. But that is something I will hope to build on in the future, concentrate on my own work first before helping others.

And so it ends

All over now, just the design documents to compile and I'm officially done with Year 1. Now, the presentation of my work for Typography and Hypertextuality went just fine. It's a shame that I didn't concentrate my efforts on the print based area more, as Mike's suggestions about making the book feel and look a little bit aged would have benefitted the outcome greatly. However the digital side of the project (website) was much better, and realised in a more pleasing manner.

There are a few things I can take from the final project, not only new technical skills and software knowledge, but also time management and working with and helping other people out on the course.

There was not a lot of group feedback on my presentation, not that there really ever is, but my print based work certainly didn't have the wow factor that Faith's pop-up book did for example, nor did my website hold the attention as much as Matt's did. Although referring directly to the brief, I think I was the only person in effect to make an interactive website...so there you go.

Human Centred Train Tickets

Final HCD project of the year, sadly I might add. A new and deeper way of thinking for all to get something decent for this one, and I am confident Aguinaldo and I identified a need for an adaptive device through our research on public systems. Although the further we looked into the train station and its workings, the more problems we seemed to unearth!

A particular highlight was during a visit to the station when we were doing some video work, we found that the annoying ticket barriers could be opened with any ticket! Even one I had from April that was from London to Cheltenham! So wanting to have a system that eradicated the barriers, we found they were totally useless as a security device anyway.

The overall aim for Ags and I was to make the fast ticket adaptive. It is all very well using a self-service machine, but as it does not know who is using it, you have to start from step 1 every time. Language in fact, is the only thing the current fast ticket machines can assume due to the country in which it finds itself placed.

For a regular traveler our adaptive ticket machine utilises a hard plastic card, credit card sized in order to store journey information and train station shop purchases. This card replaces the current discount rail cards, as well as weekly, monthly and yearly passes.

The regular traveler card is inserted into the fast ticket machine in order to load preference details, very much like a club/store card. The fast ticket machine will then show on screen what your most likely destination will be, and what time your next rain is leaving.

Other factors considered will include: ticket price, seating preference, class preference, time of travel, number of changes.

The advantages of the adaptive fast ticket are obvious. Not only does it improve the speed of the current fast ticket machines, but also saves the traveler money on both train tickets and train station purchases. This in turn benefits the train companies and the train station based businesses with repeat business.

Anyway, I'm sure all these points will be made in the main presentation. I'm sure. I hope. Bye bye.

Quoth the Raven!

I did it, in time, slowly. Firstly the print based part of the brief. Bound by my own fair hands using black cable wraps I found near a building site. The use of brown card as the front and back cover are meant create the feeling that the book is of age and could have been found in the chamber mentioned in the extract. The images within the book are ones I imagined as I read through the extract time and time again. Between every page is an acetate sheet, on which it printed a singular letter which through the book gradually spells, 'NEVERMORE', the major word used throughout the extract.

On the right, is a vertical view of my main navigation screen for the website. After toiling with 3-4 designs, this one came together as I came to realise how many different flash techniques I had learnt whilst trying to get different animations/functions to work. Although I didn't have enough time to create links for all the 11 potential buttons, I did manage to have a bit of fun and create a 'click the crow' game...although I'm not sure how much fun it is...you just click crows and they make noises. (It makes me smile and is interactive...so it's staying) Also experimented with basic masks, keyframes galore and a bit of animation/audio syncing. It is pleasing slightly, I am just pleased to have learnt some skills on the way.

Stalking Panda Power

Pandas that were in the Design Museum in Laaaandan near tower bridge. My favourite restaurant is 2 minutes walk from there, awesome views of the bridge at night time and did a gorgeous steak. I remember once though a pie had to be sent back due to being slightly too cool. They stack chips like Jenga.

Beware Wet Paint 68&69

From the book Beware wet paint, a collection of works by Alan Fletcher. Just made me smile!

Collar me, I walk far

I am developing the 8 page website now, done in flash mainly using the trace function. Hardly advanced stuff but I'm thinking of making it like a flick through website as you would a book. This is actually one of the images I produced for the printed booklet which is now ready to print and bind. Student elections yada yada is going on right now, I was sat on a table next to them all for the quiz night in the SU and one of them went to the bar to accuse me of cheating when in fact I was booking tickets for the megabus...now do I want to vote for petty people? Or people that bang their feet on the floor and their hands on the table just for 'the laugh'. Don't these people get paid money for those positions? Yes, they do. Should I vote for any of them? No I shouldn't. Did I vote?Yes, I did. Confusing world, we beat them in the quiz anyway, all 13 of them - justice.

Hello, meet said person, let said person talk

Most people I hear talking about Art or anything Design related I usually presume have some knowledge of that area, something that I have not thought about or cannot connect with. Something about my grammatical mind makes me think Art and Design as words should start with capitals. They are nouns, unique and singular perhaps? The more people I meet who are involved with the 'creative' industry make me feel like there is nothing unique about these words at all, nor the meaning behind them. The existence of artists such as Damien Hirst pain me, simply playing a target market. All the time I studied fine art, although I took a lot from it in terms of reference and ideas, it always seemed to me that unless you had people with money to buy into your 'ideas' you would not become much of a 'artist'. Perhaps I am overly critical, perhaps I over think things. All I can really say is there are systems, there are ways of working, and understanding these systems, and that is far more important than creative idea generation. That is what I took from todays talk anyway from David Burrows as I have it noted. Fair play he is successful, I just wonder when did he last sit back and enjoy life for what it is, technological advancement is great and I applaud it, but now and then, hug a tree, walk bare footed on the sand for fuck sake, life isn't a computer screen. Less of this.

Jenny Holzer, you old sage!

Little did I know on attending the Baltic that I had already experienced Jenny on a trip to Venice. The above blurred image shows the exact installation I witnessed at the ripe age of 18. The difference between then and now? I actually bothered to find out what her work is actually about this time, and I find her slightly dated. That isn't to say i don't appreciate her work, or her intent. Her work to me said, very good for her time. Still very engaging and holds a depth that very much made me believe she was an impressive artist (unlike Damien Hirst who is just a terrible exploiter of the modern art world - he can go away soon please)
Looking at her work as a way of presenting her thought paths, her ideas recognised in such a fashion, I actually thought I took quite a lot from her exhibition. The human bones coupled with engraved metal rings, once I understood they referenced rape victims in the Yugoslavia war, and that even the position of the rings meaning you could only read a little of the text, represented how not all the information from these victims had been portrayed/released. Hmmmm....I'm thinking. I have seen many things in my time design wise, experienced lots, now I am seeing how Interactive Media Design (whoop) linked with Artistic thinking (Hmmm) can almost form the ultimate creative design. Is anybody following that? Certainly makes me think anyway.

Quoth the Raven, "Nevermore."

Something I don't usually do on a Saturday is sit in a bar and work on my Uni projects, it's true, that is just damn right rude to my friends! Buddies and pals! But still, I think I've made reasonable progress. The image white on black, I can't help but feel I have lifted the idea from somewhere or at least acted upon some influence, but what it is I have no idea because I just...did it. All I can think about is the scream paintings by Edvard Munch...never mind, I think it is about time I ate or got drunk, liquid dinner.

Elephantitis

This is for the indesign magazine tutorial. You know I have these odd hot pains just under my ribs, what on earth? I am sleepy today too, inDesign although very useful in principal, functionality wise I am still a bit unsure. Personalize your workspace, top tip if you can be bothered, I - cannot.

Alan Fletcher on the art of looking sideways

Bush endings

This beauty I just found was the ending of my flash presentation for the semester A project. The intention was after presenting a playful game aimed at children, I would hit the audience on their own level. Kate Bush - This Woman's Work features, it is tried and tested...but I am actually listening to Damien Rice right now, must have a thing for depressing music!

Ambient sweaty hand

Ok so this is the ambient device we didn't actually present...perhaps for good reason. The concept was a full body suit that you would wear for jogging, with a built in smart display that showed you statistics of your exercise, distance travel, speed, heart rate etc. It didn't get presented as I was absent with the files...whoopsie! But I think it would have taken quite a lot of BS to get through the presentation without people falling asleep anyway. I mean, we are talking about a glorified pedometer if I'm honest...do you know 3 members of SClub 7 are performing in mood tonight? Makes me think...they probably only needed 3 in the first place, but S Club 3 just doesn't roll off the tongue as well does it. On that note blazing squad, how many people constitute a squad? Ey? EY!?

Tickle my Widget

CSS, certainly sexy stuff

I've got a cold...and it sucks so badly, what is the point in colds anyway? Just a mucus party, that's it. So These are screen shots from the CSS tutorial. Basically creating CSS using a tool instead of typing it in code. I actually think a tutorial in coding would be simpler! Less of the, click here if you are windows, hold fn-ctrl-alt-c,d and t if you are on Mac...plus understanding code would be a lot more beneficial than just understanding Dreamweaver as a program. But anyway, job's a good 'n, I will be looking to apply a style sheet to my portfolio website, as it is pretty ideal to have a style sheet applied to it, quite a bit of text on there! Chicken soup ahoy!

Fontsruct away

'Kilmar' was one of 2 fonts I constructed on www.fontstruct.com. As a free website I'm going to give it a 9/10, as an actual usable program it is a bit of a ball ache. I just went free hand on my ass, basically drew with the mouse as if it were a pen. I think using a tablet would create some more varying and interesting results.

Digital Cube

READY...STEADY...CUBE! Yes it is a digital cube, I'm not going to repeat what I went though in my presentation because it was lots of BS. But this was Kirstyn and my idea...super awesome cool nice one.

We had to make a non-digital font...right. I think photographing the font and displaying them in pdf format kind of detracts from the material nature of the font...yes/no? Basically down to laziness I used the laundry I had just completed washing (£6 a pop you know) and just laid it out on the back of some mount board I had already used. Upper and lower case, question, exclamation marks, comma and full stop. You know I like Damien Rice, I don't care how depressing his music is.

Find some type, flick it

Ok so I've done a couple of briefs like this one before. Head out with your old compact and snap some type! What else can I say about it really? Signage in itself seems very unvaried, especially the ones you see walking around town. Much like today's graphic design, all samey and overly uninspired. Here is something more useful that I learnt today though, I always thought antidisestablishmentarianism was the longest word in the English dictionary...but no, it is in fact Floccinaucinihilipilification but that is in non-technical terms bare in mind.

For some reason text still isn't working right on here...stupid blog, stupid tuesday.

Hello blog! Did you miss me?

First couple of weeks back, and new briefs galore. Well not galore, but we have them. Human centred design is a new module which we've started, relatively pleasing. Group work is on the agenda and the 3 of us got together to tackle the first project which was to make a cube, simple yes? Yes. And to be fair the choice to build if from fruit, veg and cocktail sticks was not too bad.

The results are here for all to see! She is a beaut. It is what it is however so I can't blab too much about it, I'm happy with the group though, I have just amused myself by branding them JK...I need some sleep. Also being away from the blogging scene, Safari has lost my preferences so now it keeps crapping around. I mean wtf is that underline all about? sod it.