Interaction DESIGN

In this article, readers gain insight to Bill Verplank’s method of using interaction design. His strategy of drawing diagrams and pictures at the same time he is speaking, reinforces everything that he is communicating to his audience. Verplank stresses the huge emphasis of how you act, how you feel, and how you understand. This article went into detail about his three “how do you” questions of doing, feeling, and knowing. He asks the reader how one specifically affects the world---and challenges us to take into consideration that we as designers are creating and designing the way people act. This article put into perspective that it is the responsibility of the designer to produce a map for all users of our design to follow.  

the retest.

We refined our first prototype model by getting the frame rebuilt---so a switch from a cardboard frame to a wooden frame. Then, we went about redoing and refining the graphics to fit within the environment more than the rough mockups of before. In my opinion, this model looks great, and it is easily seen with the interaction of the visitors. We also went ahead and put the bugs leading the pathway to the bug exhibit--which you can also see went over quite well with some of our younger generations!

prototype in the environment

For our first prototype, we constructed an 8ft tall by 27in wide, four sided rectangular tower to install in the Natural History Museum. By placing the (very rough draft) first prototype in the environment we were trying to recreate/redesign through wayfinding, it proved to be a successful trial run, with much learned from the first observational experiment. We observed that by placing the tower in the main entryway, visitors immediately flocked to it for directional usage--which was very good! (success!) ..However, we did witness that the tower seemed a tad too large--especially with the younger children. Their gaze never met the top of the tower, thus making what lied on the top floors of the museum less noticed than on the main floors. To fix this, in our final model we plan to scale the model down, and provide more kid friendly, simplistic graphics in our design.

the city image & its elements

{a few thoughts}

Just a few ideas and thoughts of the tower/kiosk to insert in the entryway of the Natural History Museum.

ON LOCATION.

{wayfinding} in short, is how one gets from one place to another. 

This is the overall task of our next project to come--and here is the start of it. Myself, along with my 4 other group members--Savannah, Tina, Henna, & Randa, are challenging ourselves to create a better navigational system around the Natural History Museum here on our KU campus. The main issue we've seen thus far in the process is simply that one walks in and there is no direction in sight, the floor map is located through a staircase off of the main entrance, and is seemingly small for such an important part of information of navigating the space. Our mission is to tackle this issue to provide the museum goer for a simpler, more refined way of wayfinding his or herself through the space of the Natural History Museum.

{the final post}

okay--so now that my light has made its debut in class, I can now reveal it on my blog. I absolutely love how it turned out, and is definitely the newest & coolest accessory in my little office. I have had such a wonderful semester in this class--such a great group of people lead by an awesome professor {snaps for Austin!} it makes me sad it is over! until next semester, see you people laterrr.