All posts tagged: Technology

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 Rules eventually become outdated and new ones will appear to replace them.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). …

Music of the Future

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Music is constantly reinventing itself. As people change, it’s natural that music should too. Humans have been playing music for thousands of years; the origin of music predates recorded history.

About 35,000 years ago, our early ancestors made flutes out of mammoth ivory. From this, music flourished. It was written down and played on an expanding variety of instruments: fiddles, bagpipes, harpsichords, whatever they could invent. Humans continued to drive development. Composers produced operas, and orchestras were formed. This rapid development skyrocketed as the 20th century saw a revolution in music.

Bob Dylan was Right

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If you’ve spent any amount of time in public, whether at a coffee shop or on public transportation, you’ll probably have seen the technological generation divide. Someone will be reading a book while someone else is swiping pages on a kindle. While someone (most likely over 25, if not older) is reading a newspaper, someone else is skimming a virtual newsfeed that compiles their favorite media sources. It’s a competing landscape of old media and new media, and new media is winning. As Bob Dylan sang, “the times they are a-changin’.” The new generation of consumers isn’t satisfied by old media and often, the older generation despises new media for its complicated nature. My parents barely know how to use a tv remote, so the digital world is an absolute mystery to them. They complain that there are too many unnecessary options and that people no longer talk to each other. It’s not that there is less interaction, but the way we interact and engage with each other has changed. It’s a difficult landscape to adjust …

The Digital Dating Phenomenon

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People are connected. It’s a fact of the Digital Age. It has allowed us to engage with people we may never have otherwise interacted with. In the dating world, this presents a unique opportunity. Before technology, we were limited to people within our social circles, which realistically didn’t add up to very many people. How likely are you to meet your ‘soulmate’ in such a small pool of people? The Internet turns that pool into an ocean. Suddenly, people are meeting and falling in love online. There’s hundreds of dating websites to help direct single individuals to each other. Some of them are specifically tailored to the individual like Farmers Only and Single with Food Allergies. Out of the 7 billion people in the world, there’s a much higher chance you’ll find the one for you. Sometimes an individual might click a few hyperlinks to find someone’s blog, discover their mutual interests, and reach out from there. The dating landscape has changed drastically.