Meeting w/ Tony

Unit 6: What Motivates People

100 Things Every Designer Needs to Know About People (Voices That Matter) by Susan Weinschenk, Ph.D.

Chapter 6: What Motivates People

People are more motivated the closer they get to a goal. Like these assignment, for example. I tend to feel more motivated toward the end of it when I get closer to finishing. In terms of a more logical example, motivation and purchases plummet right after a goal is reached which is called a post-reward resetting phenomenon.

The most motivating behavior pattern is called a variable ratio schedule. A slot machine is a good example of this. Players will be reward from a varying amount of slot games unknown to the user. There are other types of reinforcements companies use to engage their customers including punch cards (fixed ratio schedule) and Dropbox extra storage when inviting a friend (continuous reinforcement schedule).

Interesting thought about punch cards improving motivation vs building customer loyalty:
http://www.lendio.com/blog/throw-punch-cards-build-customer-loyalty/

The Pavlovian reflex is very interesting, especially when thinking about its application in gaming and the gamification of other design. The Pavlovian response is associating something with a stimulus. When a stimulus is paired with information-seeking behavior, dopamine is released in our brains and triggers a motivated response. I immediately think of social media and the "like system". In fact, the reason why Twitter limits its letter count is probably due to the fact that people are more intrigued by bits of information that don't fully satisfy.

Usability Hub:
A great example of gamification and motivation through consistent reinforcement.
https://usabilityhub.com/

Great infographic about the positives for gamification in education:
http://www.knewton.com/gamification-education/

Progress, mastery, and control are three key motivational factors. What keeps me motivated to continue working on a class that isn't associated with my field? When it comes down to it, the grade. Progress through the course, mastery of the subjects to receive high grades, and control over my gpa keeps me motivated even if I lose interest in the subject matter.

People are motivated by social interactions, which will be discussed in the next chapter.

Project 2 & Thesis Bibliography 2

Elements of play experience:
http://uxmag.com/articles/the-elements-of-player-experience

UX designers can learn from game design and gamification:
http://www.paulolyslager.com/ux-designers-can-learn-game-design-gamification/

UX and video games:
http://pressstarttobegin.com/

UX and lean startups:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=g_g-9BpBcFs

Books I need to read:

1A. Lean UX
http://www.amazon.com/Lean-UX-Applying-Principles-Experience-ebook/dp/B0074KA0A4/ref=sr_1_4?ie=UTF8&qid=1424895382&sr=8-4&keywords=smashing+ux+design

(Replacement) 1B. The Lean Startup
http://www.amazon.com/Lean-Startup-Innovation-Successful-Businesses-ebook/dp/B004J4XGN6/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1424895758&sr=1-1&keywords=lean+startup

2. Playful Design
http://www.amazon.com/Playful-Design-John-Ferrara-ebook/dp/B0084E0HHA/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1424895249&sr=8-1&keywords=playful+design+by+john+ferrara

3. Evaluating User Experience in Games
http://www.amazon.com/Evaluating-User-Experience-Games-Human-Computer/dp/1848829620/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1424895284&sr=8-1&keywords=evaluating+user+experience+in+games

4. Brave NUI World
http://www.amazon.com/Brave-NUI-World-Designing-Interfaces/dp/0123822319/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1424895309&sr=8-1&keywords=Brave+nui+world

Project 2 & Thesis Bibliography 1

Tutorials in games:
http://grail.cs.washington.edu/projects/game-abtesting/chi2012/chi2012.pdf

Tutorials, UI, Curiosity Gap:
http://www.gamasutra.com/view/feature/132715/first_five_minutes_how_tutorials_.php?print=1

User story to user interaction:
http://www.agileproductdesign.com/downloads/patton_user_story_to_ui_handouts.pdf

Agile user interface design:
http://www.romanpichler.com/blog/agile-user-interface-design/

UI design in games:
http://www.gamasutra.com/blogs/AnthonyStonehouse/20140227/211823/User_interface_design_in_video_games.php

Oculus Rift (Mobile, PC, Console, Dev Kits):
https://www.oculus.com/

Mobile virtual reality
http://www.technologyreview.com/news/532351/virtual-reality-aims-for-the-mobile-phone/

Next-generation digital book:
http://www.ted.com/talks/mike_matas?language=en#t-9166

Interactive books:
http://www.bestinteractiveebooks.com/

Usability and interactive design books:
http://www.smashingmagazine.com/2008/01/24/usability-and-interface-design-books/

UI and UX books:
http://blog.templatemonster.com/2013/01/04/top-10-user-interface-books/

Week 6 Classmate Feedback: Project 2

Ralph - Character based tutorial. Use the characters to show how to use the menu. Perhaps and overarching brand character for VWS.

Gavin - "I thought the arrow was signifying help. I ignored it because I wanted to get a feeling for the book first." Also, simplify other aspects of the art during tutorial?

Consider flow and how the assortment of steps can affect the viewer. For example, opening hints first may cause the consumer to open the hints before opening the menu.

Project 3 Proposal

Amos the Astronaut Interactive Book

Background: 

Van Winkle Studio's mission is to deliver fun, quality, and wholesome entertainment for the whole family. Their interactive stories are more than just digital books, they engage the reader with artwork, story, animations, and games. Amos the Astronaut follows an astronaut who seeks adventure, finds trouble, overcomes it, and makes new friends.

Goals:

Create storyboard and sketches for each page of the book. Completely design the aesthetic of the book (art style, color palettes, animation style, etc.) by demoing 3 finished pages. Final deliverables by the end of the project will consist of a story, storyboard, sketches, 3 final pages including artwork and animation.

Timeline: 

WEEK 7: Storyboard, direction, and current sketches
WEEK 8: Finalize sketches
WEEK 9: Finalize at least one page and begin style guide/pdf
WEEK 10: Mockup final pages for presentation
WEEK 11: Finals due

Unit 5: How People Focus Their Attention

100 Things Every Designer Needs to Know About People (Voices That Matter) by Susan Weinschenk, Ph.D.

Chapter 5: How People Focus Their Attention

Selective attention causes viewers to focus on specific attributes versus others. Bold type, for example, can break the attention of repetition and create a new line of focus. This is especially key to publication design, web design, and, really, design in general.

Selective attention in design: http://www.creativebloq.com/art/art-negative-space-8133765

Repetition and practice in a skill causes the user to not require conscious attention. Music is an excellent example of this. Practice may not make perfect, but rather, create a subconscious attention toward that subject.

Example of repetition improving a skill: https://www.behance.net/gallery/15538619/Sketchbook-March-2014

Frequency and the amount of times you see something can affect ones attention. When encountering repetition with what one sees, one can expect to see more, and be oblivious to something new.

The reading goes on to say that sustained attention lasts about ten minutes. I'm curious to know if this time is accurate the majority of the time. If so, I automatically start to question the length of panel presentation. How long will I actually hold someones attention during panel? How can I make it more interesting to sustain the attention of the viewers?

A "salient cue" is a term that defines an over-arching attribute to an object or thing. These cues are significant when considering the other details that people miss about an object. I find this to occur frequently in games. Parts of what makes them function become unnoticed by the average viewer and they become immersed in its design and function.

A list of what grabs the most attention:

1. Anything that moves
2. Pictures of human faces
3. Pictures of food, sex, or danger
4. Stories
5. Loud noises

Holding viewer attention for web: http://conversionxl.com/how-to-grab-and-hold-attention/

The reading continues to cover possibly the most important aspect to the chapter. The theory is that our brains are separated into three parts, the new brain, the mid brain, and the old brain. The new brain is the logical brain that we know, the mid brain is the emotional processing brain, and the old brain is essential to our survival. The old brain asks questions like: Can I eat it? Can I have sex with it? Will it kill me?

Contest Options

Communication Arts Typography Competition:
http://www.commarts.com/competitions/typography

Comm Arts charges for submissions, but offers student discounts. Calligraphy category.

Communication Arts Interactive Competition:
http://www.commarts.com/competitions/interactive

Submit the project: Adventures of Pete and Mike. Interactive book/game for the student category.

ADAA Adobe:
http://d1l3faf09m4fwu.cloudfront.net/files/ADAA_competition_rules-prizes.pdf?1423740239&promoid=KRQVK

Student submission for motion graphics or animation or game design.

Thesis Options

1. Story Development and Planning for User Interaction

How writing/designing a story affects user interaction. Can be applied to many aspects of design, including branding, but most applicable to interactive projects like apps, etc.

2. UX and User Interaction for Interactive Books and Games

How designing UX can make or break an app/game. Teaching a user in a way that is intuitive, but subliminal. Learning through experience. Discuss how games teach players how to play their game.

3. The Development of Calligraphic Styles and Present Applications

What makes calligraphy legible. Styles that have progressed and fallen off. How is calligraphy/hand-lettering present in the design world today. Discuss branding, sign painting (authenticity), etc.

Unit 4: How People Think

100 Things Every Designer Needs to Know About People (Voices That Matter) by Susan Weinschenk, Ph.D.

 Chapter 4: How People Think

People consciously process information in small amounts. As a designer, we need to understand that viewers are limited to how much information they can process at once. There are three basic types of mental processes: Cognitive (thinking/ remembers), Visual (looking), and Motor (physical). To increase or decrease the load for each of these categories, a designer can improve products based on intention. Normally, decreasing the load is the obvious choice, but for cases where the designer wants the viewers attention, increasing the load is acceptable. "People process information best in story form." Yes! I'm all about it. I love stories, how a user can interact with it, and the values behind them. The reading describes how stories are a necessity for communication.

Apparently, there are four ways to be creative. Deliberate and cognitive, Deliberate and emotional, spontaneous and cognitive, and spontaneous and emotional. Each, I believe, has its place. Something that also has a place, especially in most of my designs, is the understanding of a flow state. A flow state is when someone gets completely engrossed in an activity. This can be really beneficial when working with interactive elements and story.

Goal-gradient effect: People increase productivity, speed, purchasing, etc. the closer they are to a reward.

Operant conditioning: A method of learning through rewards and punishments.

Thesis Response 4

Kinetic Typography: Implementing Narrative by Corina Rivera

Corina covers the topic of typography in motion graphics and how the designer can implement mood, story, and emotion. As the title portrays, the narrative of a typographic movie title can be related to the underlying definition of what makes a good narrative: Establishing a setting, character(s), and an agent of conflict. How can character be applied to typography in a motion graphic? Corina continues and relates the aesthetics animation can create to relate to real human physics. The best example being the squash and stretch technique. In addition, the combination of an emotionally driven animation and a typographic persona further evokes a mood.

Overall, I think the thesis is good and has a lot of good information. However, I would argue that the flow of the thesis is backwards. Instead of talking about elements of narrative to animation to typographic personas, I think it would make more sense to construct the thesis in a similar way to how you would design for a typographic motion piece. Start with the design (typography, aesthetic, mood) and then enhance that aesthetic with motion and animation. Regardless, good information and a fun topic.

Thesis Response 3

Contemporary Rebranding of Traditional Markets by Ryan Fisher

Ryan begins his topic by discussing what a brand is and its importance. Continuing, he lists the necessities required for a rebrand. The list includes things like the readiness to change, defining the mission, researching competition, and so on. The most prominent point made involves the change between the criteria between a successful rebrand, and now. Brands are becoming more of an experience than simply a selling point. In terms of content, I think Ryan's thesis was well constructed an had very good supporting information. In terms of visuals, I had a hard time reading such giant blocks of text in a bold font.

Unit 3: How People Remember

100 Things Every Designer Needs to Know About People (Voices That Matter) by Susan Weinschenk, Ph.D.

Chapter 3: How People Remember

Memory takes a lot of mental resources. It is said that people receive 40 billion sensory inputs every second, and yet we are only aware of 40 at one time. The most important thing as a designer is to understand how people remember new information. If there is something you want your view/user to remember longer than their working memory, connect with something they already know. Because we probably don't have the luxury of repetition, this is the best option.

The reading continues to discuss how memories change over time, how memories change due to outsider input, and how our vivid memories are the most flawed. I was initially defensive when I read the topic titled: The Most Vivid Memories are Wrong. How can one tell me that my memories are wrong? I understand there are tests supporting the idea, but to say that all vivid memories are wrong seems like a stretch.