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The Dribbblisation of Design

I was initially off put by the title of the first section, “Looks Awesome!” How the Dribbble Community Rewards Superficial Work.” I am a huge advocate for networks like Dribbble, Instagram and Pinterest. I think they give visual designers an avenue for displaying their work that removes some of the classism that comes with being a designer. Anyone can display their work on these networks, you don’t have to find a recruiter to get your work out there. So, initially, I came into the article with my arms crossed.  The author goes on in this portion of the article to criticize a majority of designers for being so focused on visuals that they don’t actually address ‘business issues.’ Again, arms folded. This is a response that lacks any nuance or real analysis. Alas, I read on. 

I was left feeling the same way about the second sections title, “The Most Important Product Design is Usually the Ugliest.” The title, right out of the gate, disagrees with a lot of my philosophy. Just like a visual designer can’t put out something pretty with no purpose and call it good, a UX designer can’t put out something ugly and because of it’s experiential design call it good. I can agree with the author’s perspective to a degree in this section. When applying for a design job, it is important to show process. Your employer should know that your decisions are calculated and thought out. With that being said, your user may find little value in knowing these things, good design feels like no design at all. It should be effortless. The goal of products like Dribbble is to give people an outlet to showcase their work so that employers can ask questions about their process.

In continuing reading, there were a lot of parts of the article I agreed with. I just was so turned off by the introduction that it was difficult for me to continue reading with no apprehensions.

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High Resolution - Gentry Underwood

In this episode of High Resolution, Gentry Underwood talks about design methodologies, productivity and mindfulness.

Underwood argues that a large part of design methodology is understanding the problem you are looking to solve. This is something that I have found to be integral to my own practice, not just with this project but with design in general. Often times clients come to me with an idea to resolve the problem they are having, but after spending time talking, we both realize the resolution doesn’t actually get at the real problem. With this voting project, we spent the first three days of work time just trying to define the actual problem. Once we determined the problem, it took us another three days to actually understand it.

Underwood also discusses design as a ‘we’ rather than an ‘I’ practice. I have been spending a lot of time thinking about this and have had to be really critical of myself in doing so. For the longest time I was against group work. Really what I was against was carrying the weight for an entire group. What I have realized recently is that I would rather create an amazing and effective piece of work with a group of people than try to create a failure on my own.

Also, this whole devil’s advocate thing they talk about is so true. It’s Reese. Reese does that in our group. This is good and important in a lot of ways, but only really makes sense if there is a solution offered. We all had to have a conversation last week about not just shooting down ideas, but offering solutions along with them. Critique only really works when it comes along with a mission or a goal. Underwood’s mantra about coal and diamonds is a really helpful way to think of things in this situation.

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Service Design 101 - Voting

Initially I was struck by reading the description of what service design is. In our project one of the things we have been discussing is recreating the voters pamphlets. While this may be important to rethinking the act of voting, we are recreating the service and this does not have to result the development of a tangible product. I also think that we need to spend some time researching the service employee and looking into the behind the scenes aspect of voting, taking into consideration how things function for the people who carry out voting practices as well.

Some of the major differences between service design and other types of design come up when one considers the different parts of the equation. Service design involves making things easier for multiple parties, the different services employees and the consumer. The author also notes that unlike most products, the same service can be purchased more than once. I think we are in a unique position because voting isn’t something that people purchase, but is a citizen’s right. Looking at the service cycle, I am wondering if we have a duty to ‘entice’ citizens to vote. We really need to spend some time thinking about what it is we can do to make voting seem more enticing. This may come in the form of making it more accessible, easier or more exciting.

The piece also talks about touch points. These are different the points at which the user can receive a service. The author addresses choreographed interactions and the way that every touchpoint should be choreographed. I’m curious as to what the human interactions are that we will come across with voting, if any. How will we choreograph these interactions?

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Simple and Useable - Response Two

Near the end of the reading the author addresses some key organizational themes within user experience. One of the modes of organization he talks about is organization based on behavior. I think this form of organization is something Reese and I are attempting to work into our app. It has required us to do a lot of pondering on how exactly a user would use our app. What situation are they in when they are using it? What is their reason for using it? Reading the ways in which the author works through this problem of organization really gave me some guidance on how we can do the same for our product.

The author introduces this section by talking about the idea of a bank having ‘pots’ in addition to normal accounts. The pots would be sections of your account that are labeled with what that money is to be spended on. My bank account app has a similar feature, and much like the author argued, it’s too complicated for me to really put effort into. The solution the author presents is simply to give the user the option to open another account. I don’t know that this is a perfect solution but it is something I would be willing to do. I think this is because opening a bank account is a process I am already very familiar with, so I really wouldn’t have to learn anything new. I have actually desired a third account separate from my checking and my savings as an ‘emergency’ or ‘vacation’ fund.

One of the major components that the author discusses in this section is the idea of decisions. Often as designers we are very focused on giving the user extreme customizability. Decisions quickly become bothersome when you are asked to make too many. Usability should be highly simple. People are making decisions every day, anything that they have out of excess (an app, a microwave, etc.) should only make things easier, otherwise they may as well go without. Apple has done a great job of creating products that limit the users need to make decisions. With that being said, some people will always prefer Microsoft products because the way that Microsoft allows for more decisions and therefore more customization. This leads me to believe that some people take great enjoyment and pride in knowing a product and being able to take advantage of it’s customizability.

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Simple and Useable - Response One

The author gave a list of places that one should go to test usability. This list was a great concrete way to establish some methods of usability testing. I saved the list and will definitely be looking at it when we start testing our app. I was particularly fascinated by the discussion about the three types of users one might encounter. These being the experts, the willing adopters and the mainstreamers. I think maybe with our app we have been too focused on the willing adopters and the mainstreamers. It would be beneficial for us to find a balance between those groups and the experts. Overall I gained a lot from this reading and can see how this text is very applicable to the project I am currently working on.

The author introduces us to the concepts he will be addressing through an anecdote about a printer that he attempted to set up a number of years ago. He concludes this story by asking why technological advancements aren’t always simple and effective. This really resonated with me. Sometimes I am confused as to how our world is flooded with designers, yet we still have toothbrushes that aren’t biodegradable and ATMs that hardly process transactions. The author continues on to talk about the Flip camera and how it’s simplicity had a huge impact on the market because it was a departure from the increasingly complicated traditional video camera. This made me think of spotify and the way in which users today like things that are highly customizable, but don’t require them to put in a large amount of extra effort to get maximum results.

The author also addresses the idea of ‘fake simplicity.’ This being when something seems simple, but in reality just isn’t all that functional. Some of the ideas Reese and I have for our weather app would make the app much easier for users to interact with but would require the implementation of complex algorithms in order to function properly. The author also mentioned that simple tasks often need to occur in complicated situations. In our research we found that many weather app users only spend about thirty seconds checking the weather. Perhaps someone is trying to check the weather as they are running late to work. They don’t have time to shuffle through their app to find the answer they are looking for. They need to know immediately if they should bring a jacket or not.

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Project One - Interview One

It’s really only often here in Washington when there is snow or sun. How do you, personally, check the weather?

Sometimes I use my phone but if I want an accurate report I will check Weather Underground. I do this because that is a commonly used site for laborers and construction workers.

Do you find that you get accurate results?

Sometimes, but it is Washington. Those updates don’t come in fast enough for the rapid weather changes that happen here.

When you check the weather, what are you testing for?

Generally if I’m checking the weather I am checking for good weather because I want to go out and do something, OR I’m checking for snow reports to cross reference with my friends and with the news. Sometimes it says that there is snow in Federal Way, but there is none in Milton.

How often do you find that nearby areas have vastly different weather?

It’s really only often here in Washington when there is snow or sun.

Do you plan your outfits according to the weather?

Me personally, no. I will usually bring something to cover my head if it is raining, like a jacket or a hat.

Do you plan your day according to the weather?

No, not usually. Only recreationally.

What do you mean by recreationally?

Like if I wake up on the weekend and it’s super sunny, the weather says it will be sunny all day, then I will see if my friends want to go swimming or disc golfing, things like that.

At what point in your day do you usually check the weather?

Generally in the morning for sunny or rainy weather, and then at night for snow.

You seem to be really interested in snow.

It’s not like you are going to be like ‘oh it’s raining, i better check the weather to see if it’s going to not be raining.’ It’s Washington, it rains all the time.

Would you be interested in some sort of notification system that lets you know when it is going to snow?

Absolutely! If it was going to be accurate. I would probably check it regularly hoping for snow.

Would you want to be notified about any other weather conditions?

Probably just snow, but that’s just me. Once again, we live in Washington. You aren’t planning for weather really anyway because weather is so unpredictable here. It always rains and it always changes.

What part of your life is most affected by the weather (i.e. transportation, work, hobbies)?

Just work. And maybe outdoor hobbies. There is some stuff that if it’s raining, it can be a bummer. Like putting on siding, it can really ruin your job and make it take a lot longer if it’s raining. Some places are also not accessible if it rains for too long. Sometimes you can’t do your job because of the weather.

You seem pretty focused on rain.

You fucking live here you know how it is.

Would you prefer to have your seven day forecast next to your single day forecast or on its own page?

I think it would be cool if it was like maybe a graph that had all seven days and you could zoom in on days and then within that zoom in on hours. But it would scale accordingly. Obviously I don’t want it to look like trash. I think one thing all weather media should include is that if there is something they are unsure about they should let you know their level of certainty about it.

What do you like about your current weather app?

I don’t like it. I use the iphone one and it’s garbage.

What don’t you like about your current weather app?

It’s rarely accurate. It doesn’t seem like it’s ever updated. I’ve had it say ‘cloudy with partial sun’ and it will have been snowing all day.

Would you be interested in receiving alerts from a weather app?

I don’t feel like a lot of apps do push notifications correctly. It’s one thing when you get them for like messages, it’s another when you get constant updates about things you don’t care about. A good balance would be appropriate. I would like to be able to request what notifications I want.

When is the last time you really spent a while looking into the weather?

Mmmm probably early February when it snowed a whole bunch.

Would you be interested in learning about the weather?

No, not really. It could be interesting if on this app there was like a ‘fun fact of the day’ (i.e. funnel clouds). BUT NOT A PUSH NOTIFICATION. Nothing in your face that lessens your accessibility to the app.

Interview Conducted on 04.03.17

Interviewee - Tyler McDonald, Age 24, Milton WA

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Project One - Research

Project Brief: Forecasting the weather in our region is difficult. Communicating the level of certainty and locality is even more difficult. Find a way to clearly communicate this nuance and better integrate the information into our plans and outdoor activities.

The Problem: Users do not have a weather app that gives them thoughtful and effective information that will help them make decisions regarding their daily activities. Current weather applications either provide too much information that isn’t helpful to the user or they do not provide enough.

Competitors:

Weather Underground

A very vertical user experience, lots of scrolling

Offers some interesting features like the ability to remove certain facets of the weather report and the option to create custom weather conditions based on the user's lifestyle

Known for it’s accuracy and tactility

Easily modified and customized to fit the user

Lacking in thoughtful layouts and defaults and can be hard to navigate or understand for the average user

User reviews (taken from google play, posted within the last six months)

“Great app except the weather never updats based on my location. I drive 25 miles to work with Waze on (therefore GPS is activated the entire time), and the app keeps showing me the weather at home. Status bar is set to current location in settings which doesn't work, it should really say "show weather from the last location you opened this app in." Even after 10 hours away from home the app still wont update.” - Gerardo Lopez

“I like it. One of the main parts I use is the radar widget. The systems interface is incredibly accurate. Shows storms rolling in and you can look up in the sky and see the same storm. This weather group has come a long ways and are one of the top ones out there now. Started using their softwares because of the flexibility and accuracy across operating systems and platforms. From Windows or Linux (api) at home to Android while mobile to the personal weather station hardwares. These guys are the best.” - Roi’ikka Ta

“This is the best weather app I have ever used. It is by far the most accurate. Even better, it's well designed and organized. The alerts are relevant and timely. I love that it tells me approx. when storms are due and will be over. I really can't say enough good things about Weather Underground. I recommend it to all my friends. Never going to use the, ahem, default android weather app again” - Megan M.

Authentic Weather

Tongue and cheek approach to weather alerts

Not very family friendly, uses phrases like, ‘it’s fucking raining outside.’

Minimalist design, thoughtful layouts and iconography

Doesn’t have a lot of information or interesting features going for it other than the trendy and funny design it incorporates

User reviews (taken from google play, posted within the last six months)

“Gets repetetive quickly... Looks nice, was funny the first 3 months... now its just repetetive. The lines arent as funny and feel like they are rushed. Any chance we can see new insults or fresh weather descriptions? Feels like there is about 5 different messages and thats it. :(“ - Vinny Totorella

“Needs an option to set how often it refreshes. Drains 35% of my battery in six hours, trying to poll data from the server, and most of the time the widget just says "Something went wrong :(". Seriously annoying. Also, text on widget needs outlines or shadows to improve readability. When it's 100% transparent, it's sometimes hard to read on some of the 900+ wallpapers I have rotating. And for those complaining about the widget size, most custom launchers allow you to resize widgets. Just long-tap on the widget and adjust accordingly. I think even the Google Now Launcher has this feature.” - Andrew Kender