Forms Homework - Bad

This form fails in 2 main categories.  It is hard to follow /complete and its appearance does not build trust nor maintain branding.

Branding:  Overall the entire site needs help in this category. Specifically with this form it tries to group the fields into multiple categories with a yellow bar and horizontal line. This yellow color does not appear anywhere else on the site, in addition they could have used a font that went more with the look of the rest of the site.

Although that gradient bar is hideous, they could have tied it in with the submit button.

Appearance: It is very hard to read the white on yellow text. Visually if you squint the entire thing kind of looks like a double stuffed vanilla golden oreo:

The main thing is that this form does not look trustworthy.  The main thing that stands out to me is that if I click submit I will be charge $75, this is not inviting nor does it create trust.

The worst part is the address section:

 

You can't tell what text box goes with what label. Also the 3 boxes for City/State/Province should not be on the same line.

Final Project Personas

Personas
 

Ben is 24 years old and has a background in film and television. As a teenager he had always been very interested in developing his own stories and bringing them to life in video.

He got his first taste of being in front of the camera at a very young age when his parents had him audition for several TV commercials. This later lead to a few small part in some feature length films where he played the roles like "the friend next door" and "the main timeshift actor (the younger version of the main actor)".

Since graduating from Highschool Ben, went on to study writing for screen and tv video.  He is primarily interested in visual story telling but having earned himself a SAG card Ben does a few acting jobs from time to time.  While waiting around on set, Ben is constantly using his iphone.

He has a new imac at home that he uses to complete his school projects. When the iphone G4 was released Ben wanted to be one of the first to have one so he waited in line all day, he is accustomed to waiting around.
A story developer app would be perfect for Ben because he often gets his ideas for stories from real encounters with the people he meets.

One of his biggest fears is forgetting a concept or idea however he hates having to transfer his hand written notes to his personal computer.  When he gets an idea he wants to copy /record it quickly.


Eliza is 37 years old and lives in Portland, Oregon.  She has lived in Portland for 9 years and considers it home.  She and her husband moved to Portland from the Bay Area.  They bought their first home in Portland and moved there to start a family.
They were attracted to area because of it's affordability compared to California and because it has one of the largest bookstores, Powell's books. Eliza and her husband were also attracted to the art scene that at the time of their arrival was just emerging.
Eliza maintains a blog that mostly features posts on the local art and book events.  She has an iphone 3G and an older macbook. She is planning on buying the new iphone 4G and giving her 3G to her husband. She recently discovered how to upload posts to her blog directly from her iphone.
She and her husband have an interest in young-adult fantasy and science fiction novels. They have both been interested in writing their own stories but have little experience.  Eliza's husband works full time for a graphic design firm. She curates and coordinates events for the Oregon College of Arts and Crafts.  Since she recently discovered how to use her phone for blogging she is curious if there are any apps that will allow her to keep track of her many projects and artistic ideas.


Tony is 34 years old and has a background in 3d modeling for video games.  However, Tony recently left the industry to pursue an  advanced degree in Illustration.  While working for the video game company he was able to save up a lot of money, so he is able to attend school without having to depend heavily on loans.  He does work part time as a figure/life drawing instructor at a small local gallery that holds open workshops.

Besides wanting to obtain a higher level degree, Tony also wanted a break from the video game industry because he disliked having to take orders from some of his art directors whom he often found to be confusing and lacking in any "real" art skills themselves. 

He is interested in developing his own projects but he is not sure exactly what form these projects will take.  He believes that having the higher degree give him some more opportunities.

He is a frequent player of online video games and owns a high performance PC, that he customized himself and a small mac laptop.  His parents bought him an iphone 3GS, he is on a shared phone plan with them. In addition to the normal texting and phone options he uses his phone to listen to podcasts and check his email.  He also has several apps related to some online, role-playing, and standard board games.

Concepts fr Final

Renee Rose-Perry
MM2201

Public Transit App
Gives you the information you need to successfully navigate and use your public transit.
- Schedules
- Fares
- Alarm (so you can sleep and not miss your stop)
- Updates (tracks the vehicle)
- Purchase tickets in advance

Grocery Maid
This tool will help you get your shopping done faster and gives you ideas of what to cook based off your inventory. Save time you time when it comes to shopping and cooking.
- Updating grocery lists, the lists can be shared. (This lets the entire family know what needs to be purchased) (List can be divided up when shopping to make things faster)
- Quickly add items from your list into your pantry.
- Based off what you have in your pantry recipes are suggested.
- Save your favorite recipes to create new shopping lists
- Scan-able coupons are given for your items.


Bird Watching App
Discover and identify birds in your area. Maintain your own photo album and checklists.
- Gives a list of birds in your area with identifying marks
- Bird Identifier
- Build your album, create multiple albums
- Take pictures of the bird you find
- Attach voice memos or notes to your images
- Share your album
- Check in become and be ranked as an Expert for your area. (Top ornithologist, like mayor on Four Square)
- Interactive with National Parks: specific field guides
Disneyland Parks App
-Schedules
Park Hours, showtimes,
- Map and Visitor Guide
Toggle on/off what you want to see on the map.
Bathrooms, Vending (like popcorn), Fast pass, Baby Care areas, Show/Parade viewing areas
-Character Names and Bios
Pictures of characters and where you can find them
-Ride Information
Heights, weight times, Fast Pass
-Stores
General list of items
-Food
Restaurants
** Planner

Mail App
-Gives postal rates
-Lists postal offices and hours
-Compare prices of USPS, UPS, and Fedex

Bar app Cocktail Waitress
-take your groups order and show it to the bartender, (so you don’t have to yell)
-bump the information if that bar has the app
-give references of drinks
- make photo album of your experience
-set up a tab

Web Analytic
Visually see the traffic to your website in real-time from your phone.
Instead of just a list of stats, you will get a screen-saver like info graphic that shows what is happening with your website, blog, or eBay store.
-user defined events
- see when someone is on your site
-shows visually what users are doing on your site
-how much time is spent on each page
-where is the most / least activity

Photo Scavenger Hunt
-Create your own picture based scavenger hunts
- Share your scavenger hunts to your friends or other users
- You can add a timer to the scanvenger hunts.
-Businesses can use this for their guests and give them rewards as they find objects.
(so for example at Disneyland or in Las Vegas, guests can participate in the search and earn rewards)

Pet Medic (kinda like webmd for your pet)
Help you take care of your pet when a vet is unavailable
- First aid advice for your pet.

Example of Good and Bad Forms

Forms

Good: Chadwicks https://www.chadwicks.com/account/acct_createprofile.aspx

BAD Snow removal: https://tahoesnowremoval.com/service_request.asp


Snow Removal: http://www.snopro.org/contract.html
Rug Cleaner: http://rent.rugdoctor.com/cost-calculator.html
ChemDry: https://hdus.centah.com/web/get_quote.php
Petsmart: https://www.petsmart.com/checkout/index.jsp?process=login

USPS Calculate Shipping: http://postcalc.usps.gov/
Fedex Calculate Shipping: http://www.fedex.com/ratefinder/home?cc=US&language=en&locId=express
UPS Calculate Shipping: https://wwwapps.ups.com/ctc/request?loc=en_US&WT.svl=PNRO_L1

Homework 1 - (2) Interface

COMPLEX
A Can of Soda

The Goal:
A single use container for a beverage that can be easily transported.

The Affordances:
The over all shape and size looks like it should fit into your hand. The tab on the top somewhat suggests that it should be pulled. The lip or rim of the can is curve shaped to put your lips onto it. It feels like there is liquid inside.

The Solution:
1. Pick up the can
Figure out what side is the top, the images and script might give an indication of what is the top. The fact that it rolls away when laid on it's side gives the indication that the round flat part is the bottom.

2. Open the Can
To get the liquid out one must pull the tab. This part is not so straight forward but the pull tab has the affordance of being "finger sized". You stick your finger under the tab. Because the can is made of aluminium, the tab is flexible but requires some strength to actually bend all the way. As the user initially bends the tab a sound might be heard if the beverage is carbonated. If the user stopped half-way and didn't really pull the tab far enough they would see a tiny opening near the tab. If they pull all the way at some point you can not pull anymore.

3. Bending Back the Tab
Potentially the tab might still be sticking up so when the user tries to pour the beverage or lifts it to their mouth it might poke them. After being poked they might figure out that they should bend it back.

4. Drinking the Beverage
Because of the shape of the rim of the can, the user can put their lips to the container. Initially the can is really full so that it doesn't need to be tilted too much before the liquid comes out.


Downside:
It can be refilled but not resealed.
----------------------------------------------------------
SIMPLE
Soup Spoon

The Goal:
A re-usuable utensil for consumption of non-solid food.

The Affordances:
The object can easily be held in one hand. The narrow end fits into your fingers and is grooved to fit your thumb. The wider end is roughly the size of your mouth. The wider end is deep and looks like it should hold liquid.

The Solution:
1. Pick up the spoon
It is easier to pick it up by the small end. The larger end is more awkward to hold.

2. Put the spoon into the food/liquid.
The liquid will naturally go into the bowl shape.


3. Bring the spoon to your mouth
Lift the spoon from the food and bring it to your lips. The food will naturally stay inside the wider end of the spoon because the "bowl" is graduated- it gets narrower at the bottom so it doesn't spill out everywhere.
Affordances: This spoon in particular is wider than a normal spoon so you can get more food in one pass.

4. Consuming the Liquid
Put your lips on the spoon and pour the liquid/food inside.
Delicious!