Human foosball in Butterfield park!

In the spirit of scaled up games, anyone who is interested is welcome to join in for a game of human foosball for charity on Wednesday!

Details here: http://www.myocad.com/humanfoosball/

Comeeko lets you tell your story.

Hey,

Here's a great FREE resource called Comeeko for people like me who are probably going to use photos for their storyboarding. Heard about it from a friend! Sounds addictive!

Denise

Storyboards

While on the subject of storyboards (as we discussed in class), for those of you who want to get a head start on learning to storyboard effectively, without good training, there are many sites that can teach you the basics.

here is an example of the one:

http://www.dicomics.com/storyboardschool/eng/course.htm

Enjoy!

A

50 Coolest Websites

Hey all,

Back in 2005, Time Magazine did the "50 Coolest Websites of 2005". So, I am giving you the link so that you can check them out and tell me if you agree.

http://www.time.com/time/business/article/0,8599,1073316,00.html


ENJOY

A

Digital Representation vs. Symbolization

NewyorkexitNewyork by Priam GIVORD and Martin LENCLOS (2001 I think)

http://www.newyorkexitnewyork.com/

Multi Touch Applied

Hey all,
remember that thing we saw in class today about the multi-touch display. If you can believe it, there is another video that takes place on a screen that is about 8ft wide...I know.

Here is the link, check it out.


http://link.brightcove.com/services/player/bcpid533361602?bctid=422563006

Regards,


A

Another Site

This is a site for an Ad agency...I find it absolutely hilarious. I also thought that the content, considering the authors, was an interesting choice of interaction.

http://www.mindflood.com/

A

Sorry, I know this is a lot of posts....

I was surfing and came upon this site. It is a really innovative way around creating a totally new interactive experience online.

Check it out, and make sure you have a head-set and mic.

www.lynxblow.com

Cya,


Anth

Fun to surf...when it works!

Well whoswestudios, original website for which there is a link on thier current website in the bottom right corner, is just plain fun. It goes through in detail everything, about the company and the owrk that they do. All the while using the most fantastic pre-rendered 3D interface.


check it out,

www.whoswestudios.com

Anth

Try this one out...

Hey guys and gals,

I came across this site and thought it might be interesting to think of the pros and cons of the interaction with it. On the one side, it is a cool interface...On the other, it is extremely nauseating and an overall terrible web experience...at least that is how I feel. My classmates are gingerly enjoying the full range of it...

You decide for yourselves.


Anth

http://www.phong.com/

Cool Site

I was searching the web for something interesting when I came upon this site. I think it would be interesting to take a look at the practicality of some of the things that are on this page. Let me know what you guys think. Are any of these things interesting to you, in your present space?

Because I live in residence at Queens with my wife (who runs it) we are not allowed to have a grill...we have a little gas one, and we have to use it outside, but not in the winter. In the winter the gas usage is higher in the building, so there is a steady flow of it from the pressure release point outside our front door...TALK ABOUT BAD DESIGN...AND THERE IS WORSE. However; since the gas does leak into the area, you could see the dangers of trying to start a grill outside...it is just not something you want to risk with life ahead of you.

At any rate, do to this fact, the idea of an indoor grill becomes mildly appealing...if, and only if, it can replicate the smell and taste of a real grill.

Cya on Tuesday,


Anth

Design the Audience

Remember that the twist on the assignment is that you will be evaluated not just on the service concept but also on the creativity and insight you show in defining and describing the audience. Mat is hoping for you to come up with an audience that is interesting, unique and ultimately surprises him - based upon your understanding of the untapped feelings, sentiments, obsessions or behaviours of people.

For example:
Last night, Al Gore gave his "An Inconvenient Truth" presentation at UofT. We might reason that this presentation has gained a lot of public attention because it responds to a shared belief that we need to rethink relationship with the environment. We should also recognize that some people feel guilty about their current actions (eg. driving an SUV when you believe in the danger of CO emissions).

The obvious audience here could be loosely characterized as 'people who feel compelled to learn more about their environmental footprint and want to learn what they can do to help reduce their impact.' This audience is obvious, exists and is already understood (to the tune of $23,727,472 in box office, $7,270,000 in rentals.) For this assignment we want you to use your personal insights to uncover a unifying motivation that will collect a less obvious group.

In this case, we might could recognize that some of the people initially collected by Gore's presentation are getting sick of feeling guilty about things that are "too big" or "beyond their control". So to pull these people into an audience, we might design a web-based mobile service that personally congratulates or even rewards people (perhaps in a humourous way) for their environmentally destructive behaviour - when and where they do it.

(unfortunately the domain name www.fucktheenvironment.com already exists.)

Not a very socially consious example - but I hope it helps.

Procrastination

I am not sure if it can be used in anyway in our class, but nonetheless, I thought it was a very interesting presentation of studied data.

Enjoy,




Anth

http://webapps2.ucalgary.ca/~steel/Procrastinus/theories.php

Kim Goodwin's : Persona Archetype

Hi all, a great overview and reference on persona creation by Kim Goodwin of Cooper Interaction Design.

"A persona is a user archetype you can use to help guide decisions about product features, navigation, interactions, and even visual design. By designing for the archetype—whose goals and behavior patterns are well understood—you can satisfy the broader group of people represented by that archetype. In most cases, personas are synthesized from a series of ethnographic interviews with real people, then captured in 1-2 page descriptions that include behavior patterns, goals, skills, attitudes, and environment, with a few fictional personal details to bring the persona to life. For each product, or sometimes for each set of tools within a product, there is a small set of personas, one of whom is the primary focus for the design."

Read the full article here: http://www.cooper.com/newsletters/2001_07/perfecting_your_personas.htm

WoW...Just WOW

I, regrettably, have not had too much free time available to me to play my new World of Warcraft expansion...don't worry this is not for me to complain. However, I was thinking about he interactivity of the whole game, and I was judging it as an experience...and...well...I thought there is one element missing from this game, guidance. All of the experience factors and transitions are fulfilled in this game but in the engagement, some are lost because they quite literally get lost. That is when, for no reason but boredom, did I stumble upon this site...let's just call it by what it is...

Google Azeroth (Azeroth is the main world in the game)
http://mapwow.com/

Interesting job post

Hey guys I was surfing and I came across this.

Interesting verification of the skills we are currently learning.

http://www.google.com/support/jobs/bin/answer.py?answer=46698

anyone interested should apply.

- Graham

Future of Sound: Compelling Sound Experiences

Hi all an interresting site i found dealing with compelling sound experiences have a look. Also the artists involved have their own sites and projects which are worth taking a look at.

"What is Future of Sound?

Conceived and presented by Martyn Ware of Illustrious Company, Future of Sound provides a forum for the discussion of new and convergent art forms. By creating immersive experiences using state-of-the-art sound technology Future of Sound showcases leading practitioners in the fields of music and audio design."

http://www.futureofsound.org/index1.htm

For Next Week...

For anybody who missed the last class (Jan 16th), this is what you will be expected to present in class on Jan 3oth:

For each stage of the experience (attraction, entry, engagement, exit and extension - as you define them) observe and record the objective sensory elements that influence your subjective response. The chart divides these elements not by type (signage, furniture, lighting, etc.) but by sensory input - what you see, what you hear, what you smell, etc.

Be objective in listing these elements, for example you would record "faux-wood panelling - peeling" not "ugly walls". This part of the assignment will be evaluated for objectivity and depth (how much you notice).

The last column will represent your (reflected) overall subjective response to each stage. You will show this by plotting a point on an Emotional State Map (the two-axis map) and then using descriptors that reflect your position - some examples are given in the presentation on MyCourses.

For this stage, try to consider both axes independently:
1. how pleasant was the experience stage?
2. how interesting was the experience stage?

To be clear - for each stage you will include an emotional state map with descriptors. This stage will be evaluated for your ability to recognize, evaluate and communicate your emotional response.

In the next stage of the assignment (due Feb. 13th) you will be creating a profile of yourself that links/explains the relationship stimulous to the response and then using that profile you will remap/edit the experience to create an "Ideal Experience" - but we will detail this stage in class after the presentations.

One note: the way that you present the information is up to you - you do not have to use a matrix/grid layout - but we will be looking and evaluating all of the information - so make sure it's all there and visible.

Have fun and see you on Tuesday.

Hey !

Hey all, I'm Teresa, a 4th year Graphic Design student. I'm looking forward to get a different experience and perspective from this course.

Hello... finally :S

Hey,
I'm looking forward to hearing more about everyone's restaurant experiences. In spite of my waitress being a bit snobby, my evening at Everest was great. The project definately opened my eyes to things I would never have otherwise noticed.
~Lindsay

Today's presentation was uploaded to MyCourses

Title says it all.

One word of clarification - the discussion in class about user profiling and personae was for the next stage of the assignment - not for this deliverable (Jan. 30)

And again, questions can be asked here or just drop by room 600 (right in front of express elevators).

Have fun and see you in two weeks.

Great Site, Good Bite!

Hi guys,

May name is Graham and im 3rd year ID. this site is pretty popular so many of you might already go here, but for those who have not... enjoy.

http://www.geekologie.com/

A great site for discussion on new designs and technology. But mostly really interesting and wacky stuff.

I went to "Good Bite" just north of Eglinton on Yonge. Great place to go if your in the area.

- Graham

Hi all,

Hi, my name is Michelle Ip, 3rd year ID student. The first part of the assignment sounds pretty interesting, I've decided to choose Spring Roll for my resturant.

1 small step for people...1 Small apple for people?

Hey all,

I was scanning the internet for interesting things the other day, and talking to Matt, and here is something interesting that was viewed...brace yourselves...it is long, but you will not, relevant to the course.

So, once again, Enjoy!
http://events.apple.com.edgesuite.net/j47d52oo/event/


Anthony

Hi all

Hey, my name is Cammy Fung. I'm a 3rd year advertising student. I figured this course will be useful for me because a compelling user experience is important in branding, and creating strategy for a company. Jack Astors is one of my favorite restaraunt. I love the food, drinks, service, atmosphere and last but not least, the paper and crayon that I can draw with. So I think I'm going to focus this assignment on the As* =)

Course Syllabus and Assignment Schedule

I have posted the syllabus on your MyCourses page.

We will detail the Assignment schedule in class next week - including a discussion of the class project.

If there are any pressing questions about the schedule, please post them here or email Mat or I (addresses are on the first page of the syllabus).

* Have fun with the first assignment - and take notes.

To be clear: For Next week, be prepared to present (informally) a detailed description of the full dining experience (entry to exit) including the reason for your choice of restaurant.

Slow Down

Hello,

It’s Denise (4^th year ID).

I’m here because I want my work to be relevant and meaningful for the largest number of people possible.

The first assignment sounds great. I’m leaning towards Baton Rouge, so hopefully that doesn’t step on any toes!

Our conversation in class today was reminding me of the ‘Slow Food’ movement. The following is an excerpt of an excerpt from one of my favourite experience design blogs, Putting People First (updated by a company in Italy called Experientia), that talks about this approach:

“...it is not possible to produce and appreciate quality if we do not allow ourselves the time to do so, in other words, if we do not activate some kind of slowdown… It means cultivating quality: linking products and their producers to their places of production and to their end-users who, by taking part in the production chain in different ways, become themselves co-producers.”

I think it's interesting that in a high-speed, constant, breathless culture, this movement is demonstrating that most people really just want to slow down.

Cheers,

Another Interesting Interaction

Hey all,

Here is another site. This one is more about the interaction...enjoy!
http://www.neostream.com/

Best Wishes,



Anthony

Some interesting articles...

Hey all,

This is Anthony again, here are some sites I stumbled upon that I thought were interesting:
User Experience Research from HP:
http://www.hpl.hp.com/news/2004/july_sept/experience.html

UX Matters: Designing a Mobile User Experience
http://www.uxmatters.com/MT/archives/000129.php

Introduction

Hey all,

this is Anthony C. I am a 4th year GD student in my final semester at OCAD. My design interests are wide and varied range; this concentrates mainly in the area of interactive design and publication design.

My work is based off strong communication principles, which is both my intention and the critique that I receive from my audience.

Best Wishes,


Anthony