Author: Kaitlyn Stahl

Breaking Design Rules: The 3-Click ‘Rule’ of UX

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UX design (as with all disciplines) is full of ‘rules’. These set a standard that designers can follow to ensure that their UX is both current and efficient. Rules eventually become outdated and new ones will appear to replace them.

Rules can be helpful, but ultimately, I prefer to call them guidelines as a designer should always consider their specific situation before making decisions. The best designers are ones who breaks rules. If we never broke rules, we wouldn’t have innovation.

Building an Interactive Mirror

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My current side project is to build an interactive mirror; this post is to introduce the concept and give you an overview on how to approach building one. I’ll be blogging as I go through the process. If you’re not interested in building your own or learning the skills listed below, you can search ‘interactive mirror’ or ‘magic mirror’ and purchase one. It’s just less fun. Building an Interactive Mirror requires experience or knowledge with the following: Programming – Depending on the approach you take, you’re going to need to build an app for android or program with a raspberry pi. Woodworking – You’ll need to cut wood and use tools to build a frame. You may be able to buy a frame and the correct size mirror, but this reduces your freedom. What is an Interactive Mirror? Interactive mirrors use some sort of display (tablet, tv monitor, etc.) and a reflective overlay (I’ll be using a 2-way mirror) placed on top. This allows you to see both yourself and the application. Some are interactive …

Fundamental

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Fundamental is an educational application that teaches kids about science in fun and innovative ways. It uses characters, storytelling, and achievements to encourage kids to learn. The goal is to ignite or encourage an interest for science by turning it into a fun, rewarding experience. Kids are in control of their learning as they have the ability to explore and choose what adventure (lesson) they want to do next. I spent 9 months working on the project from initial research to the final functional prototype.

Tools for the Product Design Process: Part 1

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This is for anyone who is new to product design and is wondering what tools they should use or purchase. It is by no means a definitive or complete list, so I invite other designers to share what tools they use. This first part will cover sketching, while future parts will cover wireframing, prototyping, and project management tools. Sketching The first (and arguably most important) step is brainstorming and sketching out ideas. For some people this could be storyboarding or diagramming user flows, while for others it could be jumping straight to interface sketches. You should consider what you’ll be doing before you purchase a sketchbook. Every designer should have a sketchbook, but I recommend having at least two. The key goal here is iteration — you want to explore all the possible solutions to your problem. Since this usually means I start with rough, quick, and ugly sketches to get out ideas, I try to save money with a cheap sketchbook. Sometimes I’ll just whatever is free and accessible (e.g. printer paper, a napkin, my arm). …

Dear 4th grade me, you’re probably not marrying Orlando Bloom

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In “Seventy-Nine Short Essays on Design”, Michael Bierut includes a plethora of essays I would recommend to anyone wishing to become a better designer. Naturally, the first essay I read was “How to Become Famous,” because I recently had a dream about Orlando Bloom, and maybe if I become famous enough to meet him, there’s still a chance for my 4th grade fantasy to come true. However, I was slightly disappointed with this particular essay. This wasn’t because I didn’t agree with Beruit or think that he had good points; it was disappointing to know the politics involved in graphic design. To win graphic design competitions, one must submit ‘win-worthy’ material. Reading this section reminded me of how authors will write books they know will sell, rather than good books. It’s why we have so many damn teenage vampires. Seeing how competition-entered work can be judged in a glance makes me wonder if merit and design are truly being evaluated. You can’t really push limits and create new, original work if you’re confined by others’ …

To Helvetica with It

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Helvetica, the movie. The Helvetica Drinking Game  Drink… Every time someone says Helvetica, typeface, serif or sans-serif When an old white man is interviewed (twice if he has a foreign accent) Add more rules at your own risk as you watch the movie. Play a card game after the movie and realize the typeface is Helvetica. Drink. Go home and write a blog post about it. So you’ve seen Helvetica? Now what? You’ve taken the first step on your typeface journey. Now you have a full arsenal of cheesy designer puns and pick-up lines, including but not limited to “I shot the serif” and “Are you a keyboard ? Cause you’re just my type.” You may even be able to articulate the difference between typeface and font. You also witnessed a lot of old white men (and a couple women) talk about Helvetica. What’s so special about this typeface? It looks good, it’s ubiquitous, and some argue it may be the be-all and end-all. I like it. I think it’s gorgeous, and I definitely use it when in doubt, …

Shirt Design at All That JAS

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For over two years, I ran All That JAS’s vinyl cutter by using a program called WinPCSign. I was able to import my artwork from Adobe Illustrator or create it in WinPCSign and then vectorize it so that it could be sent to the cutter and cut on vinyl material. Creating the designs was an agile process. First, I did some customer research to know which sororities or community members shopped the most, what designs could become popular, and what price the designs could sell for. Whenever we made a sale, we tracked which sorority (or if it was non-sorority) the sale was for. I used this data to figure out which to design for so they would end up marketing the design on campus for us. I did a lot of social media research as well. I looked through popular designs on Pinterest and Tumblr or kept track of what type of designs would appear on Facebook newsfeeds. I also looked at existing companies to see what they were selling and if their customer …

Why do you write?

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As a writer, I’m always interested in why others write. Obviously no one writes to get rich (if that is your reason, I’m sorry and good luck), so what is it about writing that we all seem to love so much? Some authors cite their characters keeping them awake at night or something noble like wanting to change the world. Their answers are varied and thoughtful. While I agree with these reasons, I also have some of my own to add. I love writing… …because everything around me can turn into a scene. I’m in love with the sound of the keys tapping, and more than anything, I want to see my words copied on paper and bound in hardcover. There’s the off chance that I can create something more than words on a page. I can create world of my own and travel to another place for free. I love writing because I want to taste the stars. …because it helps others understand me. It helps me understand me. I have something to say …

Some Short Films

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I love short films. If it’s well done, you can get the same satisfaction (if not more) as a full-length film in a fraction of the time. One of my favorite short films is The Eagleman Stag. This one, I love for way too many reasons. First, it’s stop motion in styrofoam. How someone has the time to do that and successfully pull it off astounds me. Two, the animation in general is stellar. The lighting and textures work really well and creates a beautiful design aesthetic. Third, the subject matter is something most of us freak out about constantly: time. The beginning of the video explains relativity by animating the narrator at different ages. The part where he creates a graph in the water to try and explain relativity is one of my favorites. Finally, it was a student project that won a BAFTA. Goodbye. I love weird, crazy artists, especially those who can successfully craft a short film. Eino Ruutsalo is a relatively obscure director who uses animated painted effects to his work. Personally, …