Jasminef's Blog

powerpoint design adjusted

jasminef — Mon, 01 Jun 2009 08:40:57 +0000

I have changed slides 3 and 8.

The design needed to be less dull so I changed some of the imagery to create more impact on the audience and perhaps more emotional value within slide 8.

Websites of different credibilities

jasminef — Mon, 01 Jun 2009 07:29:03 +0000

videos.antville.org – This site is based on different opinions by different people of no expertise. (Presumed)

Witheridge – This site is recommended by web site awards and won an award from them. (Reputed)

beyond blue – This site looks proffesionaly designed.(Surface)

BBC News – This site has consistently provided accurate information over past years. (Earned)

Website credibility

jasminef — Mon, 01 Jun 2009 07:15:02 +0000

Q1 It is important to determine the credibility when using websites for we are wanting to use the correct information given to us. Trustworthiness means “…well intentioned, truthful, unbiased and so on. The trustworthiness dimension of credibility captures the percieved goodness or morality of the source” ( Enhancing Web Site Credibility, 2009). Expertise can mean “…knowledgeable, experienced, competent and so on. The expertise dimension of credibility captures the percieved knowledge and skill of the source” (Enhancing Web Site Credibility, 2009). Credibility is evaluated by both trustworthiness and expertise, and without both factors, we cannot assume high credibility. A website may be seen as trustworthy if it is created by a friend or family member, but if they are not an expert in the field they are displaying information about, then it is not credible. This works the other way round too. A web site designer may have years of experience and knowledge in their field of work, however they may be decietful and use their expertise to gain money by a scam or hoax. Students such as myself need to recognise website credibility for we research for assignments all the time. The information we use in essays and reports must be correct to recieve a mark and also so that we are learning the right information.

Q2 Wikipedia is a online encyclopedia and source for any topic you can think of, however although it is a non profit organisation, the website is not completly credible. Any person can edit and update any of the pages at any time without even having to set up the free account. ” The tampering proof is often on an article’s history page. On Nov 15, President Bush’s profile logged miore than 100 changes by 11:30 am” (Cuslidge, 2005).

Users may use the sites less frequently
Users may not buy products and services
Users not wanting to advertise any of their own products online
Users not trusting any sites such as banking sites

References

Fogg, B.J. (2003). Persuasive Technology: using computers to change what we think and do. Amsterdam: Morgan Kaufmann Publishers.

Treadwell, D & Treadwell, J. (2005). Public Relations Writing: principals in practice. Thousand Oakes, California: SAGE Publications.

Stanford University. (2009). WebWatch: Web Credibility. Stanford, California. Retrieved May 31, from, http://www.consumerwebwatch.org/dynamic/web-credibility-reports-evaluate-abstract.cfm

Enhancing Web Site Credibility. (2009). Retrieved May 31, 2009, from, http://www.texttrust.com/about/Articles/2006-02-23-enhancingwebsitecredibility.html

Cuslidge, T. (2005). Wikipedia May Not Be Best Source. Retrieved May 31, 2009, from http://www.recordnet.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20051118/ENT/511180306/1002

assignment 2- powerpoint presentation

jasminef — Mon, 01 Jun 2009 05:35:23 +0000

assignment 1- creative report

jasminef — Sun, 31 May 2009 17:06:02 +0000

The Six Aptitudes of Design

jasminef — Sun, 31 May 2009 16:36:03 +0000

Q1 DESIGN- Design is often seen as just the icing we spread on a cake. “It’s nice, but not mission critical” (Reynolds, 2008). When preparing a power point presentation, we should think of the design before we even organise the slides. Colour and typography are essential in the design process.

STORY- It is very easy to present information and repeat data or statistics in a logical and analytical way. To present well we should apply narrative and emotional value in order to engage the audience.

SYMPHONY- Being able to see in a conceptual way and forming relationships between ideas that we would not usually see has become an important and effective aptitude. Instead of spitting out facts and forming logic from that, it is sometimes better to create an image of the bigger picture from analysing other related ideas. We need to learn to “recognise the patterns” (Reynolds, 2008).

EMPATHY- When presenting, we need to be able to position ourselves as the audience or customer, the user and the presenter. It is important to recognise the emotions of the other person in order to understand what they are thinking and if they understand yourself, which then enables you to make adjustments in the presentation.

PLAY- A presentation that is very serious and dull is also boring and unmemorable. Involving laughter by humour goes a long way for both the audience and presenter.

MEANING- If you are passionate about what you do, then sharing a story or experience should be very fulfilling for the audience. We should not only teach, but try to teach someone something new, share each other’s feelings and create a connection.

References

Vallero, D.A. (2008). Sustainable Design: The Science of Sustainability and Green Engineering. Hoboken, New Jersey: John Wiley & Sons, Inc.

Reynolds, G. (2008). Presentation Zen :Simple Ideas on Presentation Design and Delivery. Berkeley, California: New Riders Pub.

(n.d.).Rethinking the Design of Presentation Slides: The Assertion Evidence Structure. Retrieved May 30, 2009, from http://www.writing.engr.psu.edu/slides.html

(n.d.).Presentation Helper. Retrieved May 30, 2009, from http://www.presentationhelper.co.uk/presentation_design.htm

Q2 DESIGN- I wanted my presentation to be simple and easy to understand so I made each slide brief and not cluttered so that there is no confusion. I used the same colour palette throughout the slides and also the same type face for good flow.

STORY- I did not add any story or emotional value to any of the slides. I could have included some of the emotions and feelings that take place when communicating through a design.

SMPHONY- I feel that I made use of the relationships between communication in design and the design principals, however I could have looked at the bigger picture a bit more.

Performance Load

jasminef — Sun, 31 May 2009 14:51:31 +0000

Q1 When completing a task we use both mental and physical energy, and weather or not we complete it successfully, may be determined by the performance load. If there is a high performance load, the chance of completing the task successfully is decreased and if there is a low performance load, the task may be more successfull. There are two types of performance loads, cognitive and kinematic. The first being the mental activity needed to use such as perception and memory, and the later being the physical activity used such as movement and force. As the performance load becomes higher, the less concisely we will perform and more errors arise. It is therefore important to create design with the least amount of performance load as possible.

References

Kaluga,S. (2008). Managing Cognitive Load in Adaptive Multimedia Learning. Hershey, P.A: Idea Group Inc.

Corno,L & Winne, P.H. (2003). Educational Psychologist. Mahwah, New Jersy: Lawerence ErlbaumAssociates.

Tuovinen,J. (n.d.). Cognitive Load and Discovery Learning. Retrieved May 31, from, http://www.aare.edu.au/97pap/tuovj113.htm

Cooper, G. (1998). Research into Cognitive Load and Theory and Instructional Design at UNSW. Retrieved May 31, from, http://education.arts.unsw.edu.au/staff/sweller/clt/

Q2 CHUNKING- When we “chunk” information we group bits of information together to make it easier for us to remember. When we are presented with a long list of numbers for example, we find it easier to remember if we group the numbers into groups of three or four. My mobile number is 0423239529 however, I memorise it as 0423-239-529. This can also apply to a shopping list. If we have a long list of random products, we would find it much easier to group them according to fruit/veg, bakery, toiletries and meat. Grouping information by simple meaning is easier to remember. ”Chunking does not need to be based upon any underlying meaning or logic that can be identified within the elements of the to-be-learned information. However, if an underlying meaning or logic can be indentified and is used to define the chunks, then remembering is greatly enhanced” (Cooper, 1998).

Q3 It is important to understand psychology in order to create a design that works well and is effective. When creating a product there must be research put into the type of people who are going to use it, for a person from Russia will have different perspectives and meanings than a person from Japan. The psychology of colour is also impotant as again, different colours symbolise different meanings across all the cultures. The functionality of a design involves psychology too. Knowing how much performance load the audience can handle or desires is another factor.

Water bottle-

The bottle is clear so that we can immediatley see inside what the liquid is without having to unscrew the lid.
The material is also a light plastic so that it is not too heavy to carry around.

Kettle-

There is a handle, making it easier to pour.
There is a measure line telling you how full the kettle is.

Study chair-

The chair is on wheels enabling the person to wheel around short distances in the room without having to get up.
The chair swivels around enabling the person to turn around easier.

water bottle

kettle

study chair

Aesthetics- Usability and Effect

jasminef — Sun, 31 May 2009 11:00:49 +0000

Q1 The article “Aesthetic-Usability Effect” discusses why a product of a visually pleasing and attractive appearance can work better than an unpleasing designed product and how beauty and functionality must be developed together to create a product of balanced harmony. It also discusses the factors that influence our emotions and responses to different objects. There is a need for understanding “of the powerful role aesthetics play in shaping how we come to know, feel and respond” (Anderson, 2009).

When we look at a design, we automatically create a response of understanding and emotion weather it is positive or negative, which in turn influences our behaviour towards it. The aesthetics of a design can let us know its functionality, influence how we feel and therefore change our behaviour. If we looked at a washing machine for example that had too many buttons and was confusing to read, we would become frustrated and dislike the product. If there was another washing machine with few, easy guide buttons then our response to this one, opposite of frustration would be enjoyment. The second washing machine obviously looks better visually without the confusion of cluttered buttons and research has shown us that when we associate ourselves with something more pleasant, our brains “are more flexible and more likely to find workarounds to difficult problems” (Anderson, 2009). So even if both washing machines had a cluster of buttons and lights but, one was a dull sickly green colour and the other was a fresh white, it is suggested that the white machine would work better, for its appealing colour creates a positive response from us which in turn relaxes our mind, enabling our brain to think creatively, calmly and out-of-the-box. Thinking like this makes us work around any problems. The unattractive design or colour of the other machine however, works in the opposite way. The negativity we respond with from the ugly colour makes us think in a “result needed now” way, concentrating and focusing on any problems with so called tunnel vision and becoming tenser. We therefore need to think about both functionality and visual design when creating a product and remember that its aesthetics should not over ride functionality, but be of equal value.

Q2 Handbag- This bag I bought in Sydney meets the aesthetic-usability effect. I chose it because of its visually pleasing design of white leather, gold chains and studs and small handles. After responding emotionally positive, I analysed the functionality and found that it’s large size, small handles and numerous inside pockets suited my needs and its purpose. A few weeks later I soon realised that the white colour was not suitable for the bag would get dirty quite easily however, because I liked the design so much this was not a problem for me and I did not mind cleaning the bag every so often.

Mobile phone- My phone is a new Sony Ericsson. It has many features and looks modern and sleek. Its functionality and aesthetics are both balanced quite well.

Computer speakers- The speakers look modern and although they are not super loud, they are the perfect size for my small study desk.

Sony Ericsson

: Computer Speakers

References

Kelly, M. (1998). Encyclopedia of Aesthetics. New York: Oxford University Press.

E. Cooper, D. (1995). A Comparison to Aesthetics. Oxford, UK: Wiley-Blackwell.

Levinson, J. (2005). The Oxford Handbook of Aesthetics. Oxford, UK: Oxford University Press.

Lamarque, P & Olsen, S.H. (2004). Aesthetics and the Philosophy of Art. Malden, M.A: Wiley-Blackwell.

Norman, D.A. (2002). Emotion & Design: Attractive Things Work Better. Retrieved May 29, 2009, from http://www.jnd.org/dn.mss/emotion_design.html

Anderson, S.P. (2009). In Defence of Eye Candy. Retrieved May 29, 2009, from http://www.alistapart.com/articles/independenceofeyecandy/

Tractinsky, N. (n.d.). Aesthetics and Apparent Usability: Empirically Assessing Cultural and Methodological Issues. Retrieved May 29, 2009, from http://www.sigchi.org/chi97/proceedings/paper/nt.htm

King, J.D. (2009). Aesthetics Over Usability. Retrieved May 29, 2009, from http://kingdesk.com/articles/aesthetics-over-usability/

Useful Tips

jasminef — Tue, 12 May 2009 09:13:10 +0000

Creating and managing blogs is easy to do, especially with the help of Word Press!

Choose a theme and edit it carefully by modifying the look and style.
Create a list of categories for organising content.
Change the size of the post box to suit your length of post.

learning portfolio introduction

jasminef — Tue, 12 May 2009 09:01:04 +0000

Learning Portfoios help students to keep track of ideas and activities generated throughout the course. They are also great for reflection and assessment. ” Its unusal power derives from the fact that it simultaneously integrates and promotes all three of the main components of instructional design: significant learning goals, active learning activities, and educative feedback and assessment”.(Fink, 2003, p.118) A learning portfolio should contain weekly writings, designs or research on the topic covered for that week. Doing weekly activities also helps the student to reflect on how well they are performing.

References:

Zubizarreta, J. (2004). The learning portfolio: Reflective practice for Improving Student Learning, Bolton, Masachusetts: John Wiley & Sons.

Belgood, S., Burke, K., Fogarty, R. (2008). The Portfolio Connection: Student Work Linked to Standards. Thousand Oakes, California: Pubby Corwin Press.

Fink, L.Dee. (2003). Creating Significant Learning Experiences: An Intergrated Approach To Designing College Courses. San Francisco, Jossey-Bass: John Wiley & Sons.

Cass, J. (2007). Strategies and Tools for Corporate Blogging. Boston, Amsterdam: Butterworth-Heinemann.

Nacht, R. (2006). Reality Blogging: build your brand and out smart your competition. New York: McGraw-Hill Professional.

Walsh, B.(2007). Clear blogging: how people blogging are changing the world and how you can join them. Berkeley, CA: Apress; New York.