wireframe

I have decided to do my 'Retail Space Website' on this chocolate shop called Chocolate Utopia in Nottingham. There are the wireframes I've created for the website.




The design is very simple and hopefully easy to use. I think I will basically stick with its original website for the content.

Illusions

As we were talking about senses in the seminar yesterday, it reminded me the TV program called "Horizon" I was watching on Monday on BBC 2.

Is Seeing Believing? Interactive Experience

I found it interesting when I think about how our senses work after watching this program. Our senses work separately yet together to enable us to define information we receive. The ways we think, reason and act can be changed by different senses. And I think this could be applied to our multimedia field too. I believe in the future time, there will be more 3D devices within our lives, products like 3D computers and mobiles, and maybe 3D glasses are no longer needed for seeing 3D images or movies. Maybe even 4D products is coming, with our senses like smelling food from a movie? 

Illusion quiz

Because our senses work together, although visual design is the most important element in web design, sound effect plays an major part too. If the right sound/music is playing, they can add effective impact to the audience while they are looking through a website. It keeps the audience's attention on the site and maybe concentration too. 

Since scientists are working on developing a new sense on human body, I believe there are a lot more interactivity will be developed with the multimedia industry in the future as well.

We Think

Charles Leadbeater - We Think



I think this is indeed true. I agree with what its saying in the video.

"Information is everywhere", and to me, the web is like a massive brain which stores information from everyone (who's willing to share their information of course) and everywhere.

"New ideas usually come through conversations" and because "More ideas being shared by more people than ever", it leads to mass innovation.

"Mass innovation comes from communities"
"It's like building a bird's nest, where everyone leaves their piece", just like people from different communities sharing/leaving information and ideas on the web which motivate innovation and creativity.

"That should be good for - Democracy because more people will have a voice; -equality because knowledge can be set free to help people who need it"

Yet country like China who has approx. 298 million people have internet access do not have the right to speak even on the web. They have lots of online media restrictions and many of those famed media sites such as Youtube and Facebook are blocked from the government.

Also,
"How do we protect what is private?"
"Are we always safe sharing?"
"How do we earn a living when everyone is freely sharing their ideas?"

So, What do We Think. What do You Think?

20 images about (salo)me

website reviews

1) Roth Aniko - http://www.rothaniko.hu/



This is a website of an artist called Roth Aniko from Hungary. Her illustrated-style is strongly presented within the website. I like that she combines her own face with the illustration on the front page, it makes people remember who she is. And along with the colour and the font, it makes people feel looking at this website is going to be interesting and joyful.



The layout is quite clear when you go in to the website, I could say it's user-friendly in terms of the interaction design. I really like the 'ship-carriage' and the balloons and even the fish because it flee when you click it. I also think the way that you can pick at the thumbnail of her works is effective as a work display, and when you enlarge it, there are 2 'angels' on the top which make the whole display more elegant.
I don't really like the font when I was looking at the info bit, as some of the words were not very clear because of the font. But overall I found the font and the website's style matches really well.


2) The Egg Republic - http://www.theeggrepublic.com/



The Egg Republic is an agency which specialized in 3D animation, branding and interactive works based in New York. The website itself is very computer game alike. The little robot is like controlling the screen and I like it acts like a human too. There is a little helicopter flying in the home page and when you poke it, it disappear like it had been shot by guns which I found it quite interesting.



You can pick on the works they produced and also pick the ones at the back like a pile of folder, the way that the information presented was like in a computer game too, where it appears like typing in the computer. It's also really cool that the links are all connected like a runway and I think it represented the meaning of transporting information well. The whole website is very 3D based, you can tilt around the works, which is fascinated but I found it hard to handle after times as it keeps moving when I tried to read the text.


3) Earth Pilgrim - http://www.sachabiyan.com/

This is a website of a photographer called Sacha Biyan. This website is very simple and clear, very easy to use and very understandable. No fancy fonts or designs. The website is based on grey and brown which echoes with his works really well as most of his photos are black and white. And so is the calming background music.



I think the layout of the website looks like a book which makes his journal and photos even more professional and serious. Also in contrast of the clean design, his works look appealing and fascinated. This simple design gives people an image of a composed person which I think suits Biyan as he had travel around the earth and has a lot of different and precious experiences. It's kind of a reflection on his website and works.

Summary of Complete Beginners Guide To Interaction Design

"Interaction Design bridges the gap between man and machine"

http://www.uxbooth.com/blog/complete-beginners-guide-to-interaction-design/


This article basically tells you the basic info of interaction design and a few things interaction designers should be aware of and what they should do while designing.
Interactive design hasn't got a long history and it's all about the interaction between users and machines.

5 concepts of IxD

• Goal-Driven Design - It is essential to know what the users' goals are before designing. And this is the constraints designers have, which need to be considered in order to meet the users' needs.
• "Interface As Magic" - The best interaction designs should be simple, easy and unnoticeable, because users don't necessarily think of the interfaces when using the website.
• Usability - Should be easy to use and understand in order to give users to get what they want easily.
• Affordances - The functionality behind a website or service gives the best interaction designs. It should look like what it is.
• Learnability - Familiar components are important for a usable interface, and interaction designers should make interface learnable.

Interaction Designers do...

• From/inform a design strategy - Designers need to know who she's designing for and what their goals are in order to design a usable interaction.
  
• Identify and wireframe key interactions - Design and sketch out the interactions wanted.
  
• Prototype interactions - might include XHTML/CSS, prototypes, and paper prototypes.
  
• Stay current - Keep explore new interactions from the web. Be aware of the industry.
  

My portrait

This is the first time I play this game, and it's actually fun:)



We can play it online and send it to other friends, see if it come out as an interesting monster:P
http://www.drawandfoldover.com/

And this is actually a very good flash website itself too.

useful websites

One of the good points of using twitter is I got to know some interesting and useful websites from other people from the industry

Here are some I looked at recently:

• 17 Websites that all web designers and developers should know
http://veryinspirational.com/blog/web-design-blog/2010/10/06/17-websites-that-all-web-designers-and-developers-should-know/

• 50+ Beautiful Flash Websites for Your Inspiration
http://www.hongkiat.com/blog/beautiful-flash-websites-for-your-inspiration/

• 40 Must See Cool Short Animation Websites
http://dzineblog.com/2010/09/40-must-see-cool-short-animation-websites.html