Interaction Design

When I signed up for this class I thought that we would be learning how buttons work, designing code, and making an interactive site that would be interesting and teach something.  Little did I know that the first thing I would need to do is learn as much as I could about tiny goats. Interesting that the way I would learn the fastest would be to logically organize the data provided.

The funny thing is that we do this all the time as we talk, write, even drive. We organize information so that we can understand it. All that work we do is for one reason; Simplification. if something is easily understood than a we will remember more, and come back to it as a reference more often. It does not matter how much, or how complex the information is, if it is broken down, grouped, and classified correctly than it could be Greek history and it could still be read and learned easier than if it was in lump of data.  We do this type of organization in Graphic Design as well.  We create a higarchy according to what is most important to least in all of our printed art and now we are learning how to apply that same thing to the web.

Given 50 random articles, our group of designers were to sort, revise, and collaborate to create one compiled little Pygmy Goat book. There was of course the usual unexpected challenges, but that is what makes it into one great learning experience.

This was project was unique for me from the beginning.  In the past I have always been given set content for the project or gathered it myself. With this project, however, we practiced something more like what you would receive in a real world situation. We were given a random collect of information and to sort through and decide how to best make some logical sense of it.  We then made decisions on how to put all of those pieces into an actual presentable order for our content.  I felt this was a very effective exercise as it taught us that you usually will not be handed some body copy that you can just paste in and format.  In the real world there is a lot more work and preparation that takes place even before the design process begins.

Each member of our group was assigned two articles of the book to layout and design.  We were then to meet and combine our files into a single book.  Consistency was to be achieved by conforming to similar paragraph and character style rules that we had agreed upon earlier.  Once combined, we would select the article with the best overall design and synchronize the other articles to conform to its styles. The end result would be a streamlined book that seamlessly appears to have been laid out by a single designer.

Sounds like an great streamlined process, right?  I thought this was an awesome idea and that it would only take a half hour to choose the design, synchronize and add the finishing touches. This was my first collaborative project and I quickly realized that I had a lot to learn. Communication is a vital instrument in this situation and unless it is highly maintained throughout the designing process there will be conflicts. Everyone has their own style, taste, and way of thinking. Even though there may be an agreed standard, how that standard is interpreted by each individual is entirely different. The actual synchronization process actually took several hours of tweaking to get each article to match the template. The leading factor to this complication I feel was not so much on what we had agreed upon, but the things that we hadn’t considered.  There were many layout and other elements that were not discussed or realized until we were faced with the obvious differences.

Overall it was a powerful learning experience that helped me better understand working collectively as a group. It made me aware of just how important constant communication is in a collaborative process and that it is not just a one step deal. It takes a bit more work than I had realized, but in the end it is amazing to see everything comes together to make the final product.

There are many things I’ve come to learn as the assignment has come and gone that has truly helped me understand the importance of organization of information on the web. This assignment has also shown we a more elegant and simple way or making information look beautiful typographically.

My learning experience included not only the fact that we organized information into specific topics, but I came to learn how difficult it is to work in a group of designers without knowing each of their strengths and weaknesses. I came to learn very quickly that there needs to be some sort of unity within a group and a leader to look over them to make the final decision.

I believe that the group I was in met the objectives that were asked. After collecting the many articles about Pygmy goats and organizing them into five general topics, there needed to be a collaboration of each members ideas to complete the project at hand. Through the process of analyzing each others copy and designs and eliminating those which were not appropriate for the task at hand, we found a way to create hierarchy within the text to help the readers find the information they seek.

In conclusion, there are many ways to organize information, but as a group we must find the right way that will be pleasing to those who are on your site.

I used to think of information architecture as some strange and mysterious thing. This assignment helped me understand that organizing information can be simplified. And anytime that anything can be simplified it can be de-mystified.

Organizing information is a very logical process and has to be thoroughly thought out or it won’t make sense. We’ve been taught to organize information since we started speaking. When we write papers, text our buddies, or explain our favorite television show we are creating our own information architecture. It’s the same thing (only more complex) when we deal with loads of information and just requires more thought, but it can be simplified. For me, that’s the kicker.

It all comes down to simplification. Even the most complex information can be simplified, grouped, sorted, and arranged to make logical sense to the reader. In the end that’s all that matters. The reader is the only reason we organize information and make it navigable. Without a reader, or a client, we have nothing to do but twiddle our thumbs.

Designing with no attention to content is decorating.

When this project began it was a bit overwhelming to have a large stack of papers, that all looked the same, spread out across the table. First,was to make sense of these various parts. Basic categories were formed. Throughout the process categories were switched combined and eliminated. Once this was done generally our group went in a made sub-categories where necessary. After this point there was no longer a disorganized mess of information.

The next step was to give the categorized articles further form to allow the information in them greater accessibility. This was done by setting the type with line lengths, text colors and typographic hierarchy that was pleasing and functional to the eye.

This point was somewhat difficult to come to. Each member of the group had different opinions as to which design they preferred. This group element provided an unexpected opportunity for insight. A group of creative people can be a scary thing. But after a while we started to adapt to the group and each others personalities. We started to be able to make decisions faster and more efficiently. Before we knew it we had a book with information presented in a logical, and most important, functional format.

From this project it became evident to me that working in a group is a learned skill. At first it is somewhat strange and uncomfortable but as one becomes acquainted with their team it is a powerful and efficient force. In order for a group to function well the group must learn to voice their opinions honestly and freely. It was not until our group began to do this that we were able to accomplish anything.

Finally this projected made it apparent that you must have content to design. You cannot design without content.

I found that this assignment was very successful in helping me understand how to organize a variety of information into a more manageable series of groups. I also learned how to use typographic hierarchy to make each article easier to navigate, along with being introduced to tags, and becoming more acquainted with InDesign.

As students we are not often required to gather and organize information. Our teachers have usually already done that for us prior to assigning a project for the sake of time. However, I feel that research and organization are a very important part of any process, and I am very glad that we were able to experience this from start to finish this time around. I was also very pleased to have learned so much about hierarchy. I feel like I have a much better grasp on the concept and can’t wait to apply what I have learned during this project to all areas of my design work. I feel that I finally have a firm grasp on the concept of paragraph and character styles as well, which will prove to be very valuable.

In conclusion, this project has not only helped me to better understand a bit more about how a website is organized, but I feel like I understand the whole art of graphic design more because of it. Like I said, research and organization are two key elements to carrying out a project that are too often over-looked in our education. But no matter how good your design skills are, if people can’t navigate through it, you might as well not have designed it.

Real world experimentation has lead to a valuable experience in this exercise.  I can honestly say that the challenge is as real and raw as it gets.  Businesses are never as organized as they would like to be.  It takes fine tuned methodology and a good amount of skill to sort through the fluff and establish what is truly important.

A petting zoo pygmy goat gives me the stare down with his horizontal iris. Creepy!

There is real value in being able to organize and distill information. Whether a firm or business realizes it or not; this skill allows me to solve problems not associated with websites and newsletters. It has more to do with thinking like a designer and getting to what the root of the problem is.

In this exercise the challenge was to make sense of a jumbled mess. How many projects are handed to a designer or a team and they are already a muddle of disorder? What we should all be able to do now do is bring order, logic, structure, and beauty to something that may not be otherwise.

Yeah I said it:

Pygmy goats are some quirky little buggers!

Projects will all have their little quirks- and that may determine the character our outcome of the work. Having a handle on what is possible and what the options are, creates room for creativity when it may not seem apparent at first.

Team dynamics can help lead a project to interesting conclusions as well. It is nice to see that great minds think alike. I had the privilege of working in an excellent group of people. We were able to play to each other’s strengths and to divide the labor in such a way that the work was light. Group communication was key- emails and phone calls were all essential in execution and delivery of our product. A product that could not be produced with out each person doing their part.

Overall the value obtained from this experience has added to my quiver of skills. These insights don’t apply to web design alone, but to any problem solving task. I may not always be able to choose my groups, but I feel like I have gained experience through adding value to a group project. Even if it was about creepy-eyed goats! :)

Like most people, I have been to websites where information is sporadic and you have to tour the entire site before you reach what you initially went there for. Thus, organization for a web designer is a fundamental necessity.

The task of organizing an array of articles about Pygmy Goats covering a wide range of topics seems like a daunting task. As a visual learner and thinker that task was simplified by having tangible articles to organize by category.  Our group organized the articles into the categories of, Basic Information, Pygmy Goats as Pets, Farming, Medical, and Miscellaneous.

Our group decided on a hierarchy scheme to work with before designing. When we collaborated with our individual designs we chose the overall design that had the most color and was the most intriguing. The most color was achieved by utilizing the hierarchy the way it should be; by breaking up information enough that the text doesn’t look daunting and boring, while still making the text similar enough that the information looks like it goes together.

The overall look was intriguing not only with the use of hierarchy to create color, but by the layout. The main text was on the right column with appropriate margins and simple graphics and navigation stayed on the left.  Allowing the reader to focus on the main text but provided easy recognition of what was being read.

Some of the finer details were overlooked in the technology part of the assignment. Things such as labeling with lowercase, <h1> instead of uppercase, <H2>; or using different versions of InDesign held up the process a little bit.

The assignment was a very appropriate stepping stone in learning the organization process and beginning steps of web design. I am confident that if I were given this assignment again my group and I would complete it with no hold ups or confusion.

When designing a website, organization is key. The web is a very informative tool that many use. If the information is not organized properly, then one may not know where to find your information.

In this assignment, I learn the importance being organized when organizing. If you are not an organized person yourself, it becomes very hard to have an organized design. Once a designer is organized, they can then produce organized work.

When organizing the pigmy goat articles, there was a lot of information that we needed to consolidate into 5 categories. Because there was such a range in topics of articles, we had to find general categories that the articles could relate to. Having a general topic with more detailed subheads was very helpful. The design of hierarchy in type was very helpful in distinguishing between all the articles and their categories. I also learned how important it was to keep everything assigned to a paragraph style. Keeping the information in certain paragraph styles helps with the organization and flow. There are certain things that can only be a heading; therefore assign it <h>.  There are only certain things that can be a subhead; so assign the correct paragraph style for subheads. Paragraph styles not only style the type but also helps you as a designer stay organized and produce and organized design.

In conclusion, a designer not only organizes the given information but also must stay organized in their design throughout the entire process. Being organized really helps a team when it comes time to combine documents. The final piece not only reflects the organized information, but the organization of the designer.