we had a session with phil and lorraine about web. we were asked to pair up so i went with sarah. as part of the task we were asked to answer 5 questions:
from the summer brief and the research i gathered i decided to base my website around pens and drawing as this was the most interesting and personally/professionally relevant topic.
What are you trying to communicate?
i am trying to communicate the promotion of pens and drawing and also prvide guidance and instruction on draweing and the use of different pens.
Who will be / could be your audience or ‘end-user’?
the audience could differ depending on the specific aim and content of the website. it could be creative students seeking advice and information about pens and drawing. it could be older creatives or professionals seeking new information.
What will be the most appropriate / effective form of content?
informative and useful but not overly detailed or dense and will an inviting and light hearted tone of voice/delivery. an understanding and patient layout and instruction for any interactive aspects of the website.
What is the function & Purpose?
to inform and instruct the audience about pens and drawing and the different types and techniques involved. potentially as an interactive guide and lesson scenareo.
we were then asked to consider what sector/industry we would likely be designing for.
due to the nature of it being informative and instructive/educational, my website would be appropriate in both the private and public sector as both professional and in education creatives should benefit from it. the industry i am designing for the the art/design industry, mainly graphic design, illustration, digital media design.
from these questions we were then asked to discuss our ideas so far with our partner and consider appropriate and flawed aspects of our proposals and where we could improve.
we were then asked to make some spider diagrams about our topic, content, and audience to visualise our thoughts and ideas.
PART 2
to gain a better understanding of design for web we were asked to gather a breadth of research about website design and what exists already. to gather a broad range of research and different types of research we were first asked to establish an understanding of the different types of research.
- Qualitative Research -
Qualitative research is a method of inquiry employed in many different academic disciplines, traditionally in the social sciences, but also inmarket research and further contexts.[1] Qualitative researchers aim to gather an in-depth understanding of human behavior and the reasons that govern such behavior. The qualitative method investigates the why and how of decision making, not just what, where, when. Hence, smaller but focused samples are more often used than large samples.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Qualitative_research
Focus groups, in-depth interviews, content analysis, ethnography, evaluation and semiotics are among the many approaches that are used, but qualitative research in its most basic form involves the analysis of any unstructured data, including: open-ended survey responses, literature reviews, audio recordings, pictures and web pages.
Qualitative researchers study things in their natural settings, attempting to make sense of, or to interpret, phenomena in terms of the meanings people bring to them (Denzin 1994). Qualitative research is intended to penetrate to the deeper significance that the subject of the research ascribes to the topic being researched. It involves an interpretive, naturalistic approach to its subject matter and gives priority to what the data contribute to important research questions or existing information.
examples of qualitative research -- observation - actually watching a subject and recording any findings. this allows the researcher to gather research about a subject that is undisturbed and unaffected; in its 'natural environment'.
- artefacts - when studying a specimen (e.g. bones or documents) the researcher learns things from it which can inform about other things linked to the topic of research.
- interviewing - asking people questions or getting them to give an account on something provides perspective research.
- focus groups - gathering a selection from a target market to give information and opinion about a research project provides relevant research.
- surveys - to gain impartial and large scale
- Quantative Research -
In sociology, quantitative research refers to the systematic empirical investigation of social phenomena via statistical, mathematical or computational techniques.[1] The objective of quantitative research is to develop and employ mathematical models, theories and/or hypothesespertaining to phenomena. The process of measurement is central to quantitative research because it provides the fundamental connection between empirical observation and mathematical expression of quantitative relationships. Quantitative data is any data that is in numerical form such as statistics, percentages, etc
Quantitative research — including surveys and customer questionnaires — can help small firms to improve their products and services by enabling them to make informed decisions
Quantitative research is about asking people for their opinions in a structured way so that you can produce hard facts and statistics to guide you. To get reliable statistical results, it’s important to survey people in fairly large numbers and to make sure they are a representative sample of your target market.
from the session we were asked to look at 5 different websites and critically analyse them.
1. http://www.wemakepdx.com/#ourstory
i really like the visual compsition of this site as i think it offers a minimal layout that doesnt take =away from the background image. conversely the image doesnt hinder readability or navigation. i think the logo font is really suitable and works well as white on top orange. the navigation in the top left is predictable but useable and works well. the bottom right rollover flag is a nice addition that looks like a label for the page but also acts as a hyperlink.
the layout for serialthriller i think is well considered and follows an undertandable and navigable grid system. each image acts as a link to the folio of it and the relevant artist which is a simple but clever way to organise the art showcased. its easy to follow and there are no confusing or offputting aspects to it.
simlilar to the above example this site uses a grid system to organise and separate the images they are also links to other pages. this site has considered the horisontal grid more so than the vertical and hence pushes a left to right view of the page as opposed to indicating a downward extension(even thogh there is one). i really like the simplicity of this site and the sans serif font involved mimics the minimal aesthetic of the site well.
i think the kuler website is a really well organised and useful site that offeres a great number of tools for colour exploration, understanding, application, and combinations. its simplicity allows for easily understood navigation between tools and houses everything in a clearly presented and useable way. because the tools can be used in conjunction most things are displayed on the same page. this allows for complete interactoion with tools and also cross referencing and use. becvause most things are pictoral or image based there is little confusion over language and written communicative aspects.
flat spot is a well considered and well designed websote that i think is a great example of a design that really considers its target audinece and tailors the site to them. the navigation at the top is categorised well and clearly enables the user to navigate through the different clothing and range categories. i like the simply aligned central image because it smarty levels the type to image ratio but is not overtly apparent. the fact that it is a changing image space is a good way to keep the site looking active and live
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