2022 Journal by Cal Poly TAGA

California Polytechnic State University Technical Association of the Graphic Arts Volume 39

Copyright 2022 California Polytechnic State University, San Luis Obispo Technical Association of the Graphic Arts Student Chapter Published in the United States of America By Cal Poly, San Luis Obispo TAGA Student Chapter 1 Grand Avenue San Luis Obispo, CA 93407-0381 USA

Scan to see illustration come to life Scan to view speaker introduce the article Seven Angel Cellars Phoenix Challenge

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III

Cal Poly TAGA 2022

Contents President’s Letter

The Long Road Ahead

Articles Seven Angels Cellars: Phoenix Challenge

UDX Report: UniLink Evaluation and Redesign

Comparison of ∆E00 of Brand Spot Colors with Digimarc Enhancement for Recycling

WhenToWork App Redesign – A Better User Experience

Amazon Digital Sales Optimization Client: Exsens Personal Body Care

103

Credits Meet the Team

125

Acknowledgments 131 Colophon

132

President’s Letter Dear Reader, I would like to welcome you to embark on a journey with us as I present to you our submission for the Helmut Kipphan Student Chapter Competition from California Polytechnic State University, San Luis Obispo. In the Fall of 2021, the newly elected members of Cal Poly’s TAGA chapter were able to meet in person for the first time. Eighteen months prior, the school year was interrupted as the entire world shifted to a new, virtual format. To fast-forward two academic years in school and pick up where we left off was shocking. It seemed as though nothing had changed, yet everything had. The importance of human connection and face-to-face interactions revealed itself during that time. Upon returning to a world we left behind, our team was inspired to highlight experiences we had missed the most in our journal. We took advantage of the opportunity to submit a physical, printed journal and enhanced the in-person experience of unboxing our journal. The content of the illustrations designed by chapter general members portrays the retro, pre-pandemic moments in time. Despite the excitement of experiencing live music again, hugging loved ones, simply sitting in a lecture, or walking to

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class, we recognize the struggles accompanying the return to a life we previously partook in through a computer screen. As our title implies, although the world has come so far in reintegrating to semi-normalcy, we still have a Long Road Ahead. This process revealed parallels between the struggles of returning to an in-person world and the struggles of the design, execution, and production of our project. We learned the importance of perseverance, dedication, and holding on to hope in times that seem hopeless. After many of our recent laboratory classes were adapted to a virtual format, we exemplified Cal Poly’s “Learn by Doing” philosophy by learning to use many of our department’s machinery for the first time. We completed this journal only with the help of our incredible TAGA Chapter Advisor, Dr. Rachel Ma and the financial support of our sponsors. We would also like to thank the Graphic Communication Department faculty and staff for all their advice with our journal and the skills they equipped us with. I am so proud of the team I had the privilege of working with and getting to know this year. We thank you, our reader, for joining us on this journey, and hope you enjoy our journal. Sincerely,

Isabella Walker

President’s Letter

VII

VIII Cal Poly TAGA 2022

Amazon.com

15¢

The Long Road Ahead

The Long Road Ahead Fremont Theater

Visit t he

Sa n Luis Obispo Fa rm er ’s M ar ke t Fi nd de licio us food loca lly

Recycling Center

Cal Poly, GrC Dept.

Downtown, San Luis Obispo

Cal Poly TAGA 2022

Seven Angel Cellars Phoenix Challenge

Meet the Client Who are they? Seven Angels Cellars is a family owned winery based in Templeton, CA. The two owners, Greg and Pamela Martin, began making wine in 2009. Since then the winery has grown, and currently produces 3,000 cases annually. Greg and Pamela have a shared passion for wine which initially inspired the couple to start Seven Angels Cellars. The name “Seven Angels” is an homage to the couple’s seven children in their blended family. Their approach to wine making is the “less is best” philosophy, using more natural methods when crafting their wine. This methodology has proven to be successful, as several of their wines have been recognized with ratings in the 90’s. Why Seven Angels Cellars? Because Seven Angels Cellars is a family-owned and run winery, they would benefit greatly from a packaging redesign. They have strong brand values and customer relationships and represent the Central Coast wine dream. The wine industry is also a significant part of the Central Coast culture and we felt that collaborating with a winery would give us great industry experience.

Market Research Demographic Research National Demographics Dr. Liz Thach, wine writer, educator and consultant, reports that the total wine volume sales in the US market for 2020 was 431.6 million 9-liter cases resulting in $67.3 billion in total revenue. Those who drink wine in the US are 48.3% male and 51.7% female with the majority of 20.7% older than 65 years of age, according to MRI Mediamark. The largest household income sector for wine consumers ranges $75,000-$149,000. Local Demographics We conducted a survey to determine local demographics of wine consumers on the Central Coast. From this research we found that 74.1% are male and 25.9% are female with the largest age group being 56-75 years old. Of those respondents, 44.4% drink 6-8 glasses of wine per week. The wine brand attributes and overall brand reputation are most influential on consumer’s purchasing decisions. 74.1% of respondents agree that the majority of wines are most often discovered by tasting at wineries in their tasting room. Customer Demographics We also conducted a survey specifically for Seven Angels Cellars customers and found that 58.5% are female and 41.5% are male. 66.2% of customers are 56-75 years old. The majority of customers discovered Seven Angels Cellars

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through word of mouth reach and personal relationships with the owners. 53.1% of respondents have been a member of Seven Angels Cellars for 3 or more years, making them loyal customers to the brand. Seven Angels Cellars is characterized as a friendly and welcoming winery for people of all ages to enjoy. Target Market Research With our label redesign and packaging solutions, we aim to target Gen Z individuals, while still aiming to maintain Seven Angels Cellars current customer base. Seven Angels Cellars has a great opportunity to expand its current customer demographic by appealing to younger wine consumers and welcoming them to the wine industry. Especially in a city like San Luis Obispo, marketing to Gen Z individuals will increase brand awareness and recognition. The Gen Z generation is larger than the Millennial generation, representing $143 billion in buying power, according to Wine Business Institute. Dr. Liz Thach and Wine Business Institute collaborated to collect data on the 20 million Gen Zers who have reached legal drinking age since 2016. Gen Z is characterized as responsible, determined, curious, open-minded, entrepreneurial and multi-cultural, all of which would give them buying power in the wine industry. They are also reliant on technology as 80% of Gen Zers report they will research a product online or on social media pages before purchasing. All of this information is beneficial for our client as they currently meet these requirements. As a small family owned

Seven Angel Cellars

winery with entrepreneurial qualities and a strong sense of community, they are the ideal winery for Gen Zers who are just being introduced to the wine industry. Industry Research According to Intrado GlobeNewswire, the global market for wine is estimated at $326.6 billion in the year 2020 and projected to reach $434 billion growing at a CAGR of 4.2%. The US market alone is estimated at $88 billion and projected to reach $93.5 billion by 2027. In a national survey of 1,191 American wine consumers, conducted by Wine Business Institute, the average customer will pay $11-14.99 for a bottle of wine, however, 46% reported they had paid $50-99 for special occasion bottles. 80% of respondents reported that price has the largest effect and 69% report that the brand has the largest effect when making a decision on which wine to buy. This corroborates our research, showing the diverse customer base in the wine industry who care greatly about which wine they are purchasing. 27% of the 1,191 participants in the Wine Business Institute’s survey reported that they purchased wine online. Although they purchase other products online 3 times as frequently, this still supports our decision to target Gen Z individuals who rely on technology and social media for purchasing decisions.

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Breadth/Depth of Research The research conducted for Seven Angels Cellars included analysis on the current Central Coast wine industry, demographic research on Seven Angels customers, interviews with experts in the industry, and a collection of quantitative data in the wine industry. Surveys were released to a wide variety of wine consumers through Facebook and email marketing, which resulted in over 100 total responses. The research gathered from these surveys helped our team to develop two different customer demographics, one specific to Seven Angels Cellars and one on a national level in terms of typical wine consumers. One unique resource we used was MRI-Simmons, which is the leading provider of insights on the American consumer. This source provided us with national, local, print, and focus studies on the alcoholic beverage industry. With this, we had access to consumer behavior and media usage to uncover the most crucial buying habits of the average customer.

Industry Resources/Consults Dina Vees Cal Poly GrC Assistant Professor of Consumer Packaging To take advantage of our industry resources, our team consulted Dina Vees on her expertise in design, marketing, and the wine industry. Professor Vees works as a Cal Poly Graphic Communication Professor of Consumer Packaging and part-time at a local high-end winery. Her experience

Seven Angel Cellars

combining design and marketing with her expertise in the typical wine consumer helped us better understand how to reach our target market. Professor Vees advised us to market the benefits and family-owned aspect of Seven Angels Cellars to make the wine club feel like a family. This will make customers feel valued and important and in turn loyal customers. Adrienne Lindsay Ferrera Cal Poly Wine Brand Manager We interviewed Adrienne Ferrera, Cal Poly Wine Brand Manager and part-time professor. Professor Ferrera studied marketing while simultaneously holding positions as Wine Brand Managers at several wineries in Northern California. She also owns a specialty Italian-based winery in Templeton with her husband. She has past experience as a marketing director for Laetitia Vineyard and Winery where she did rebranding, packaging redesign, direct work with distributors, and direct-to-consumer relations. She described the typical customer as 35-65 years old. Her experience at Cal Poly taught her that young customers are treated as “non-spenders” which in turn makes them feel less valuable. Because of this experience, she advised us to drive new traffic to the tasting room and make all customers feel welcome. At that point, the packaging is a bonus to the overall experience at Seven Angels Cellars.

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Thomas Reiss Creative Director at Kraftwerk Design We also reached out to industry experts to diversify our knowledge in the wine industry. Thomas Reiss is the Creative Director and Owner at Kraftwerk Design here in San Luis Obispo. He was born and raised in Germany, which allowed him to work in the wine industry early on. Kraftwerk Design focuses on new print launches, print redesign, basic tasting room materials, business cards, national sales materials, websites, and ecommerce. They work with clients who are just starting their winery to clients who produce thousands of cases to wineries that need help standing out against competitors. Thomas focuses primarily on wine label designs, which provided us with great insight when designing our label. He advised us to pay close attention to each detail in typography. Whether it is font choice, letter spacing, or artwork, they all play a crucial role in the overall effect of the label. He also informed us that price point and location of sales changes the importance of the label design. If the product is on a busy retail shelf, then it needs to stand out next to other bottles. If the bottle is sold primarily in tasting rooms the focus should be on the overall experience. Thomas also informed us that it is important to find what makes Seven Angels Cellars unique in the industry. This marketing component will help make Seven Angels Cellars a well-rounded winery amongst other competitors.

Seven Angel Cellars

Koushik Saha Cal Poly Industrial Technology and Packaging Professor We utilized the Industrial Technology and Packaging department at Cal Poly to determine whether our packaging design was sufficient as a two bottle carrier. Koushik Saha is a professor in the ITP Department and has previous experience working on the shelf life of frozen and non-frozen food products. He informed us that e-flute, the material we used to create our package, would not be strong enough for transportation purposes. However, as a two bottle carrier meant for customers to use, it would work great and provide high-quality printed products. He suggested that we reinforce the bottom interlocking portion of the package design and make the handle more circular for customer comfortability. Stacie Jacob Chief Strategist at Solterra Strategies We also reached out to Stacie Jacob, Chief Strategist at Solterra Strategies, to learn more about the most important marketing and design components of wine labels. Stacie previously worked at a global PR agency and learned about reputation management, internal change management, and other communication practices. She was the first PR Director for the Washington Wine Commission and went on to lead the Paso Robles Wine Country Alliance. She informed us that the most important design component is creating a label that tells a story and fits the brand. Stacie advised us to focus on a compelling story when creating our labels. By combining this compelling story with a strong brand, we can create an

Cal Poly TAGA 2022

experience that drives sales and creates a loyal customer base. These customers will then become brand ambassadors and increase brand awareness through word of mouth reach.

6-8 glasses per week

44.4%

18.5%

14.8% 22.2%

3-5 glasses per week

more than 8 glasses per week

2 or fewer glasses per week

Seven Angel Cellars

40 29

28 21 15

th He al

g rin Pa i d

Fo o

Sa m

pl es Fe st iv al

or e M

Browsing groccery store shelves/resturant menu

Ev en ts

g in Pr e bl Af fo rd a

So c

ha pr oa c Ap

ed ia

ty bi li

io n ca t Ed u

g/ in ka g Pa c

lin

Ad ve r

tis in

De si gn

14.8% (4)

Print Marketing

11.1% (3)

Purchase different varietal of known winery

11.1% (3) 25.9% (7)

Recommendation of server/employee Social Media

33.3% (9)

Wine Club Announcements

14.8% (4)

Wine tasting at wineries

74.1% (20)

Word of Mouth

63% (17)

I typically stick to the same purchases 0% (0)

Desire to try new wines

3.7% (1)

Reviews by national publications

3.7% (1)

Cal Poly TAGA 2022

Male

48.3%

51.7% Female

Male

74.1%

25.9%

Female

Seven Angel Cellars

Alcohol Level

3.7% (1)

Brand/Winery Reputation

70.4% (19)

Packaging/Label Design

7.4% (2) 51.9% (14)

Price Rating

37% (10)

Region/Appellation

59.3% (16)

Wine Label Information 0% (0) Varietal and Production Process

3.7% (1)

Taste

3.7% (1)

Quality

3.7% (1)

Price

80%

Brand

69%

Varietal

33%

Country

33%

Rating

23%

Region (Appellation)

23% 20%

Label

19%

State Vintage

17%

Alcohol Level

17%

Medals Organic Wines

Cal Poly TAGA 2022

9% 7%

Concept Pain Points Lack of unique and attention grabbing label designs Need for wine carriers for guests who buy multiple bottles of wine at the tasting room Need for well branded keepsake wine carriers to act as marketing collateral for the business

Seven Angel Cellars

Brainstorming Our clients had a desire for unique packaging designs that would act as marketing for their business. Wine labels play an important role in the purchasing of wine brands. Having a label that stands out on the shelf is important especially for a small brand. Similarly the keepsake nature of a branded wine carrier will serve as marketing to attract locals to the tasting room. Initial Ideas Clear wine label, see through the light colored wine Foil label Labels featuring art 2 bottle wine carrier 4 bottle wine carrier Charcuterie board container Stickers for bags and containers

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S.W.O.T. Graph Strengths

Weaknesses

⟫Family atmosphere ⟫Focus on inclusion ⟫Wide range in customer base

⟫Labels could be more eye catching ⟫Lack of branding on current wine carriers

Opportunities

Threats

⟫Update current logo and branding ⟫Introduce branding to wine carriers ⟫Keepsake wine carrier to bring in more traffic to tasting room ⟫Photo worthy packaging to reach customers social networks

⟫Good designs of similar local wineries ⟫Wines from bigger labels taking market share

Small-Scale Winery

Not Selective

Highly Selective

Large-Scale Winery

Seven Angel Cellars

Perceptual Map Graph Market Trends COVID-19 had a huge impact on wine sales as wineries were closed However, the current environment provides opportunities for the wine industry to regain customer attention as people purchase wine to enjoy with meals at home The wine market is driven by increasing demand for premiumization of wine coupled with innovation in flavor and wider distribution Development of new flavored fortified wines to continuously cater to consumer preferences Cannabis-infused wines The consumer is changing and focusing on health, wellness, and sustainability

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Product Trends According to Toptal, a finance expert marketplace, sparkling wine, rosé, and natural/organic wines are segments in the wine industry that are expected to see the most growth (https://www.toptal.com/ finance/market-sizing/wine-industry) In order to compete with hard seltzers, wine canned sales continue to rise exponentially because it is convenient, alternative packaging Sales of canned wines have reached about $125 million making up 1% of wine sales Technical and Environmental Considerations Technical considerations for the wine carrier included package material, the design used for the bottom of the package, flute direction, and production of intricate design cuts on the carrier. E-flute corrugated board was selected to provide padding to protect the glass wine bottles, associated with corrugated materials while also having the benefit of clean folds and cuts seen in thinner substrates. To ensure the package’s ability to carry two full wine glasses we chose to use an auto locking bottom, reinforced with adhesive. This design can be stored and shipped flat with easy assembly for the customer. To provide strength in the direction of force from the wine bottles a vertical flute direction was chosen. Vertical flute orientation also allows for clean folds in the vertical direction and stronger folds along the bottom of

Seven Angel Cellars

the container. The fluted material causes some issues when produced using Esko i-cut for production. To avoid buckling the top layer of liner board, cut paths were divided and directed to cut away from peaks to avoid dragging material. Cutting speeds were also slowed to ensure clean cuts. Considerations for the wine label included FDA regulation and adhesives for label application. The wine labels required designs to be made to specific legal requirements including type sizes, legibility, required text, and warnings. For our purposes these labels have not yet been approved for sales but are ready to be reviewed for approval. Label materials and adhesives were also considered. Label adhesives should withstand moisture and provide lasting adhesion to the glass. Environmental concerns included material recyclability and usage. The wine carrier uses an unbleached, non laminated E-flute corrugate. Not using a laminated material allows the corrugate to be recycled and unbleached material has longer cellulose fibers and will produce a better material upon recycling. Through iterations of the carrier dieline dimensions were decreased to remove excess material and better protect the glass bottles. For production on a larger scale we would rotate the dieline in order to produce two carriers from the sheets to minimize waste material. For the wine labels the removal of all adhesive on the bottle after its use is important to the recyclability of the glass.

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Innovation of Final Solution The innovation of the clear label is meant to create an eye-catching wine label to set apart the 7 Angels Cellars’ brand from their competitors. The use of a clear label to create a viewing experience through the light wine adds dimension to the front label. By laying down opaque white ink, our team was able to create the effect of a two sided label allowing 7 Angels Cellars to include necessary legal information to their labels without sacrificing the experience created by the clear labels. The innovation of the metallic label is meant to fulfill the 7 Angels Cellars’ desire for an ethereal feel in their labels. The use of metallic substrate allowed for the shine that could be created through more expensive techniques such as foil stamping. The use of yellow ink allowed the silver metallic substrate to display the metallic gold color desired by the customer. The wine carrier brings in designs from both wine labels to create cohesive branding between products. The wine carrier can hold two wine bottles, a common number bought by customers at the 7 Angels Cellars’ tasting room. By customizing the packaging, the customer will be more likely to keep and reuse the carrier, and will act as a travelling advertisement for 7 Angels Cellars.

Seven Angel Cellars

Design Graphic Design and Development The Original Brand Seven Angels Cellars has a consistent brand, with a great logo, but it had not been refreshed in some time. The owners had dipped their toes into a refresh with their latest wine release “Retirement Rose” which took a lighter and more fun approach to their label. In order to maintain brand continuity the client wanted to incorporate their classic “7A” logo in the refreshed design. An area that they also mentioned they would be interested in making more robust was their wine carriers. The carriers that they had previously purchased were generic corrugated kraft board without their branding. Seeing that the majority of their sales come directly from their tasting room, and their customers often leave with several bottles of wine, we felt it important to add their branding to this product. Branding Effectiveness Because of the client’s commitment to their history, the original 7A logo did not change too much. That being said, the wings that surround the type were updated, and simplified, which made it easier to integrate the logo into other aspects of the packaging build-out (namely the wine carrier angel wing die cut). In the 2018 Chardonnay label, we wanted to retain the feel of the familiar black, gold, and red that Seven Angels Cellars customers have come to expect, but to update it with a fun, and intriguing illustration of a starry

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sky. This label pays homage to the cool Mediterranean microclimate of California’s central coast. For the Retirement Rose, we wanted to invite a younger audience in with a classy, but intriguing label. We kept the color palette simple so that the beautiful color of the rose could take the spotlight, and so that our reverse printed label would shine through to the front. The goal of this label was to give the younger consumers a “glimpse at the retired life”. Legal/FDA Details In designing the wine labels, we followed the guidelines from the Alcohol and Tobacco Tax and Trade Bureau (also known as: TTB). Required elements for wine labels include: government warning, name and address of the wine bottler, alcohol content, declaration of sulfites, and net contents (in mL). Managing Color Due to the current COVID pandemic, the team was limited in access to on-campus resources for printing. Had there been sufficient time to perform ink testing, press calibration, proof calibration and ICC profiling, the team would have scheduled time to execute these measures. The Chardonnay label was designed as a gold label using a silver foil substrate; a test to measure the most accurate screen of yellow ink to achieve a true gold would have been performed given the time and capabilities. When making plates, several variations of the yellow plate were created–including a 70% dot and 50% dot– in order to adapt to the printed results.

Seven Angel Cellars

Prepress Rich Black & Trapping When preparing the files for print, designers took several steps to ensure high print quality. First, bearer bars were placed in the design files so the press could accurately register ink and the die. The files were checked for any areas of rich black and converted to 100% black. On the Chardonnay label, the ‘Seven Angels Cellars’ and the 7A logo were trapped. Blacks were overprinted. FIRST Specifications A 1/16 of bleed was applied to both designs. Serif fonts were used at larger sizes at least 8pt. Strokes are 1pt or larger. Accounting for pinch on reversed Chardonnay labels. White layer was reversed trapped by 0.72pt. Barcodes were orientated along machine direction. Label Design The design choices made directly correlated to the feedback from the client. The client’s expressed their desire to stay on brand with the rest of their company branding, but also wanted a refreshed and whimsical design. Keeping on brand with the colors of their current label, designers utilized colors to highlight key components such as the 7A logo on the Chardonnay, as well as allowing the color of the wine to shine with a black and white label for the Rose. In addition, typefaces and logo components were updated but remained close to the established design of the brand.

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Execution Product

Dot Shape

Resolution

Angles

Clear Label

Circular Euclidean

133 lpi

Process Black - 7.5º Process White - 22.5º Process Black- 37.5º

133 lpi

ProcessWhite - 45º Pantone 109 - 7.5º Pantone 7420 - 37.5º Process Black - 67.5º

Metallic Label

Circular Euclidean

Seven Angel Cellars

Substrate

Fasson pressure sensitive 2 mil clear BOPP

Substrate

2.0M PTC Bright Silver MET BOPP 40# Liner

Die

Plates

Process Black Harper 600 Vol = 2.24 Process White Harper 360 Vol = 6.94 Process Black Harper 600 Vol = 2.24

Rotometrics Magnetic Dies

Cyrel FAST DFR 0.067” thickness, 0.023” relief 3M 1815 sticky back tape 4,000 dpi RIP

Anilox

Die

Plates

Pantone 7420 Harper 600 cpi Vol = 2.24

Rotometrics Magnetic Dies

Cyrel FAST DFR 0.067” thickness, 0.023” relief 3M 1015 sticky back tape 4,000 dpi RIP

Anilox

Pantone 109 Harper 1200 Vol = 1.77 Process Black Harper 600 Vol =2.24 Process White Harper 360 Vol = 6.95

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Ink

INX Process Black V = 30 sec pH = 9.15 Process White V = 32 sec pH = 9.20 Process Black V = 30 sec pH = 9.15

Ink

INX Pantone 7420 V = 28 sec pH = 9.24

Pantone 109 V = 27 sec pH = 9.37 Process Black V = 30 sec pH = 9.15 Process White V = 32 sec pH = 9.20

Meet the Authors

Trent Krammer Team Lead

Emma Steward Concept/Execution

Lisa Teufel Research

Jessica Dong Concept/Execution

Seven Angel Cellars

Michelle Kang Designer

Sarah Holm Designer

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Ashley Rose Rubens Shadow

Seven Angel Cellars

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UDX Report: UniLink Evaluation and Redesign Kayla Yim

Introduction With college courses returning to in-person classes, my team and I created the app, UniLink, which allows college students to connect with one another, create study groups, and participate in a mentor/mentee system. Since this app was created in a short amount of time, there may be usability issues and room for improvement. The goal of this project is to evaluate the usability of the app by conducting user observations and follow-up interviews. With the data obtained from these usability methods, the app will be redesigned to fix any usability errors addressed in the evaluations to further improve the user experience. Based on the data received from both methods, we identified common issues and focused on improving two UX principles in regard to the app. The two principles we focused on improving were minimizing user memory load and utilizing simple and natural dialogue. These improvements would benefit its users by making the app easier to use and navigate through. It will be their first time using the app so it is important that the user does not experience any frustrations when trying to use the app’s features.

Process Explication Simple and Natural Dialogue Simple and natural dialogue involves designing the interface to be as simple as possible and exclude irrelevant information which in turn results in a system that is easier to navigate through (Abulfaraj & Steele, 2020). A website’s interface should focus on simplicity as too much additional information or features can increase the chance of a misunderstanding occurring, leading to one more thing that the user has to learn (Nielson, 1993). Having an organized system prevents the user from having to waste time trying to figure out which elements are related to each other and what the interface structure is (Abulfaraj & Steele, 2020). Airbnb’s website is a strong example of applying the simple and natural dialogue principle properly to create a user experience that surpasses other similar services. The flow of the page is comfortable for the users as they can easily go from point A to point B without unnecessary friction. The website’s landing page does not overload the user with information or visuals and displays a simple search box that asks for destination, time frames, and the number of guests. This is effective because the website excludes excess information to its user interface which would have the potential to distract the user from the main details (Nielson, 1993). This landing page section is the interaction focal point because there are no visual elements that take attention away from it and

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the user is provided with a clear interaction path. After the user inputs their information, they are led to recommended listings shown in a picture with minimal information describing it. Airbnb’s website breaks down relevant information into palatable pieces so that users are led to the right option for them through a process that is easily understood. By utilizing simple and natural dialogue, the website provides a seamless booking experience for its users. Another website that follows simple and natural dialogue is the homepage of Apple’s website. The homepage truly exemplifies the fundamental “less is more” concept by designing its interface to contain white space and simple images of its products. Paired with these images would be the name of the product with a short detail of it. This type of simplicity follows one of Nielsen’s main points, as he explained that too many visual effects or graphics on the screen can cause viewers to feel overwhelmed (Nielson, 1993). Apple shows a strong understanding of this and utilizes little to no animated elements because although animated elements on a website have the potential to capture the user’s attention, it can also distract the user from their task due to their attention being misled. Nielsen also discussed the effectiveness of a single screen design that holds all important information and delegates less important details into separate sections to prevent cramming of information (Nielson, 1993). Apple adheres to this concept by providing a view more information option on products in the form of a hyperlink that leads the user to the product page which is filled with more specific details. This enables users to discover more information if needed without causing

UDX Report: UniLink Evaluation and Redesign

information overload. Having this simple design allows the user to navigate the website easier and complete the task at hand while still providing what Nielsen would consider to be an aesthetic and minimalist design. One that keeps the content and visual design focused on the essentials (Nielsen, 2020). Minimize User Memory Load The user memory load principle states, users should be given assistance through aids to remember aspects of a site rather than rely on only their memory (Abulfaraj & Steele, 2020). Within the user memory load principle are two sub-heuristics; availability and suggestions. Availability represents the visual availability that the user is presented within an interface that leads them towards the information required for them to accomplish their goal (Abulfaraj & Steele, 2020). Suggestions represent the suggested assistance provided to users through an interface when they only partially know or understand what they are looking for in an app (Abulfaraj & Steele, 2020). One way that a site can minimize user memory load is by describing the expected or required format through an example, such as the different ways in which to enter a date (Nielson, 1993). One website that exemplifies this aspect of minimizing user memory load is Canva. Canva does this well on its “Create your account” page, as each line that requires user information input has examples shown in each input box to guide the user on how to correctly input their information in the required format. This simplifies the user’s task by lessening the thought process required to input the information.

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Another website that exemplifies this principle is Amazon. Due to the nature of the site, Amazon must excel at utilizing the subheuristic principle of suggestions. Amazon utilizes this subheuristic by suggesting items for the viewer to purchase based on either their purchase history, the current items they may be viewing, or by reminding them of items they may have been considering purchasing in the past. By recognizing the needs of their users, Amazon lessens their required memory recall by providing them with suggestions, rather than having them recall the information on their own (Abulfaraj & Steele, 2020). After users are suggested these options, their follow-through is known as the see-andpoint concept discussed by Nielson. A concept where users only need to recognize their needs rather than having to remember and search for them (Nielson, 1994). UX Method For the app to be considered usable, it has to follow the heuristic principles which we can evaluate through a variety of UX methods. After careful consideration of the goal of the project, it was determined that two methods of study would be needed to collect the appropriate information to improve the app. These two methods of study were user observation and in-depth interviews. User observation consists of observing the user navigating through the application to discover its level of usability (Nielson, 1993). We wanted to observe how first-time users were able to navigate throughout our app and identify any tension points that required remedy. User observation is the simplest qualitative research

UDX Report: UniLink Evaluation and Redesign

method and requires a minimum of 3 participants, this study included 14 participants. The time it took to conduct this UX method depended on the amount of time it took for the participant to complete their given tasks. Equipment used for these testing methods included a laptop with a functioning webcam, the capability to record and screen-share, and a program that allows the user to access the prototype from their computer. User observation did not cost anything due to all participants volunteering for the study. During the observation portion of the study, the moderator instructed the participant on 9 different tasks to complete (see Appendix A). While the participant completed these tasks, the observer timed how long it took for them to complete each task and recorded any notable actions. During these observations, both the moderator and observer ensured to not make any comments or intrude on what the user was doing during the observation to ensure unbiased data. Before conducting the test, my partner and I would have to set an objective to ensure that our test is focused on a specific area of concern, which will streamline our process of correction by focusing our attention on specific pieces of information received. Along with the voluntary participants, there will be a moderator and observer (Gomoll & Nicol, 1990). The moderator will state the same instructions to each participant as to what tasks they need to complete. The moderator will also time how long it takes for the participant to complete each task. While the participant is completing a task, an observer will be taking notes on any noticeable interactions (Nielson, 1993). The participant will not be given

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any help or tips on how to complete their task in order to minimize bias on the app’s usability. After the tasks have been completed, my partner and I will interview the participants to ask them if there were any areas of the app that were hard to navigate through and if they have any suggestions for improvement (Nielson, 1993). The advantage to a user observation is that we can learn how users actually behave rather than basing it off their own report on their behavior (Herendy, 2020). We will be able to see the most natural behavior in participants in a natural setting. This can lead to meaningful insights through both objective and subjective information that could have been undetected if a different research method was used. Thus, user observation is effective in gathering qualitative details that help map out specific details regarding attitude and behavior (Herendy, 2020). A disadvantage to this method of study is that it can create a complex analysis process because users perform tasks differently if they know they are being observed, which can make it difficult to interpret the data collected (Think Design, 2020). Another disadvantage may be when attempting to organize appointment times for participants, as the appointment times revolve around the participants’ schedules which could result in a lower participant count (Nielson, 1993). The issue with reliability when it comes to user observation is that we may not receive consistent results due to a variety of reasons. Our participants can range from novice users, expert users, or those who have watched the participants before them complete the tasks so that they already know what to do, thus we won’t receive the

UDX Report: UniLink Evaluation and Redesign

same results every time (Nielson, 1993). The validity of the UX method depends on whether or not we have an established objective, as this objective would allow us to formulate the right questions and tasks for our participants (Nielson, 1993). If we ensure objective-centered questions and tasks then we can receive valid data to use in our project. User observation provided us with valuable information that was used in making changes to the app. However, some of the data received could be inaccurate due to the disadvantages that user observation poses. These disadvantages were combatted by incorporating our second method of study, in-depth interviews. Interviews are an important qualitative research method during which a researcher will collect data directly from participants to reveal their opinions and experiences during a study (Showkat & Parvee, 2017). All interviews were conducted after the observation and included predetermined questions, making it a structured interview (Showkat & Parvee, 2017). The interview portion included 5 questions (see Appendix B), all of which were asked without any incorporated time limit for user answers. Utilizing this method allowed us to incorporate more qualitative data which revealed specific details as to the methodology of user experiences. User observation did not allow any experimenter control which left questions in regards to user experience and depth of knowledge when using the app, conducting interviews combatted this disadvantage.

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Design Issues After analyzing our results, it was concluded that all of the issues presented by our app stemmed from navigating through the app. These problems were identified using an understanding of heuristic principles such as minimizing user memory load and using simple and natural dialogue. Finding the Mentor/Mentee Survey After conducting both methods of study we discovered a plethora of problems. The first problem encountered was that users had a difficult time finding the mentor/mentee survey. Based on the data received, on average, it took users 23.37 seconds to complete this task (see Appendix C). This average time was noticeably high and it was determined to be the result of users attempting to find this survey on the homepage or switching to other incorrect pages before finding the survey. This problem arose due to our app not following the minimize user memory load principle. Our app design did not follow this because the survey was on the third page instead of the homepage, which violated the availability subheuristic of minimizing user memory load (Figure 1). Our users were not presented the information that they needed directly in front of them and they were not presented the information required to reach the mentor/mentee survey on all other pages as well, leading them to struggle when trying to find the correct page (Abulfaraj & Steele, 2020).

UDX Report: UniLink Evaluation and Redesign

This issue presented to our users could also be described as one that goes against simple and natural dialogue. Our homepage was filled with unnecessary information that was not relevant to the user’s task, such as campus updates, resources, and class schedules (Figure 2). In order to combat this while abiding by the simple and natural dialogue principle, we could redesign the interface using something similar to a dashboard pattern (Neil, 2014). This would allow the user to get the most relevant information while streamlining their experience to avoid getting lost while searching through other pages (Neil, 2014). Navigating to User’s Profile Page During the observation, users had a difficult time navigating to the profile page. When given this task, it took users an average of 9.49 seconds (see Appendix C). This issue stemmed from the interface not having an interactable profile icon. Instead, users were required to click on the menu icon and find the profile page through the settings page (Figure 3). However, due to users not being familiar with finding the user profile through the menu icon, they were met with confusion. This is due to the profile function being misrepresented by the menu icon (Neil, 2014). Irrelevant Information on Homepage Based on the user’s experience during the observation phase of the study, they suggested that the main features of the app be on the homepage. According to the simple and natural dialogue principle, having less is more (Nielson, 1993). In this

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case, the homepage should have fewer features that provide the user with only the most important information, in comparison to having too many features that are irrelevant to the user’s needs. When completing any task, users found too many features on the homepage which distracted them from the information that was most pertinent to them (Abulfaraj & Steele, 2020). Users had a difficult time completing tasks that involved navigation through the homepage due to it being cluttered with too much information. This led to users wasting their time reading through the options that were irrelevant to the task. These tasks included finding others in their major and finding the mentor survey (see Appendix C). Revisions Homepage Redesign After further analyzing the issues posed by our homepage, we realized that users were getting confused about the placement of each option presented on the homepage. Based on this issue we reevaluated the priorities of our app and our user’s motivations. The goal of this app is to provide users the option to connect with other students at their school, so central features such as this one should not be placed on the third page, but rather on the homepage. Thus, we must emphasize these options more efficiently and with our app’s goal in mind. In our redesign, we relocated all of the important features to the homepage in order to follow the simple and natural dialogue principle (Figure 4). Another improvement that was made was that the font size of the options shown on the homepage was increased (Figure 4).

UDX Report: UniLink Evaluation and Redesign

Increasing the font size would help our app follow the simple and natural dialogue principle by focusing users’ attention on the most important elements on the homepage (Nielson, 1993). A search bar was added to the homepage to provide users a more direct way of navigating through the app (Figure 4) Profile Page Redesign Previously, users were required to navigate through the settings page to access their profile page. This unfamiliar mapping was uncommon and went against the principle of simple and natural dialogue. We violated this principle because the sequence of operations originally in place to help users access their profile did not match the sequence of objects and operations they were familiar with to complete the same task (Nielsen, 1993). We enforced a sequence that users were unfamiliar with and this was vocalized in interviews (see Appendix B). To fix this issue we changed the sequence of accessing the settings page through the user’s profile page rather than having that sequence reversed like the original design (Figure 6). It was through the realization that the profile page should be placed in an area that the user is familiar with, rather than hidden away in the settings (Figure 3). Info Page Redesign Based on answers received from user interviews, users struggled to find important features of the app (see Appendix B). Some features were present on the homepage, but weren’t very pertinent, while other more important features were found on pages that are commonly considered as less

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important and noticeable. The redesign included moving all important features from the third icon to the homepage and all the information from the old homepage being moved to where the mentor/mentee survey and connecting with classmates features were originally found (Figure 5). We also reordered the information displayed so that the “My Schedule” option was first, followed by the “Campus Map”, and lastly, “Campus Resources” (Figure 5). The purpose of this redesign was to have these informative options sequenced to follow the hierarchy of importance. During the information page redesign, we also removed the gradient from the box containing “Campus Resources” and designed it to have an outline (Figure 5). This follows Nielson’s guideline of not overdoing our interface design because the green gradient was diverting the user’s attention from the information within the box (Nielsen, 1993). Icon Redesign During the interviews, participants stated that some of the icons on the menu bar could have been more intuitive (see Appendix B). For example, users were confused about the purpose of the magnifying glass icon and how it related to the features on that page (see Appendix B). To remedy this issue, we replaced the magnifying glass icon with an actual search bar at the top of the homepage (Figure 4). The magnifying glass icon was then replaced with a newspaper icon as a means to lead users towards campus updates or news. Another issue presented by users involving the app’s icons involved the lack of an icon that represented the user’s

UDX Report: UniLink Evaluation and Redesign

profile. User’s originally had to navigate through the menu icon before finding their profile. To fix this issue, we created an interactable profile icon to match the purpose of the expected task (Figure 6). The confusion created by these mismatched icons stemmed from a lack of understanding of iconography. Iconography discusses the importance of having your users understand the ideas and actions represented by each icon in a specific space of your app (Fling, 2009). Using this information, we replaced and revamped the icons found on the homepage to ensure that the meaning of the icons was clear to our users (Figure 4).

Conclusion Despite the revisions my partner and I made to our app based on the data retrieved from observations and interviews, there is still room for improvement. To further optimize our app, we can conduct A/B testing, which consists of providing and measuring different variations of your app to reveal which one is most effective (Siroker & Koomen 2013). A/B testing can help detect tension points where the user experience is lacking and also if elements such as graphics or layouts need redesigning. This method also allows us to develop a better understanding of the user’s behavior. Even though we were able to redesign the most problematic sections of our app, there are still elements that we weren’t able to address due to time constraints. This includes expanding the click-box for chat as many of our participants tried to click the name of the person they were trying to message instead of the chat

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icon (see Appendix A). As my partner and I further develop the app, it would be important to flesh out the app’s accessibility to ensure that it is inclusive of all users. Once the app has gone through more revisions, we can convert the prototype into a fully functional app that college students can use.

UDX Report: UniLink Evaluation and Redesign

References Abulfaraj A., Steele A. (2020) Detailed Usability Heuristics: A Breakdown of Usability Heuristics to Enhance Comprehension for Novice Evaluators. In: Stephanidis C., Marcus A., Rosenzweig E., Rau PL.P., Moallem A., Rauterberg M. (eds) HCI International 2020 - Late Breaking Papers: User Experience Design and Case Studies. HCII 2020. Lecture Notes in Computer Science, vol 12423. Springer, Cham: https://doi-org. ezproxy.lib.calpoly.edu/10.1007/978-3-030-60114-0_1 Fling, B. (2009). Mobile design and development: Practical concepts and techniques for creating mobile sites and Web apps. “ O’Reilly Media, Inc.”. Herendy C. (2020) Using Traditional Research Methods in Contemporary UX Surveying. In: Stephanidis C., Marcus A., Rosenzweig E., Rau PL.P., Moallem A., Rauterberg M. (eds) HCI International 2020 - Late Breaking Papers: User Experience Design and Case Studies. HCII 2020. Lecture Notes in Computer Science, vol 12423. Springer, Cham: https://doi-org. ezproxy.lib.calpoly.edu/10.1007/978-3-030-60114-0_8 Neil, T. (2014). Mobile design pattern gallery: UI patterns for smartphone apps. “ O’Reilly Media, Inc.” Nielsen, J. (1993). Usability Engineering (1st). CA: Morgan Kaufmann Publishers Inc.

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Nielsen, J. (1994, April). Enhancing the explanatory power of usability heuristics. In Proceedings of the SIGCHI conference on Human Factors in Computing Systems (pp. 152-158): https://doi.org/10.1145/191666.191729 Shadowing in User Research. Think Design. (2020, January 9): https://think.design/user-design-research/shadowing/. Showkat, N., & Parveen, H. (2017). In-depth interview. Quadrant-I (e-Text): http://www.uop.edu.pk/ocontents/Lecture%20 4%20indepth%20interview.pdf Siroker, D., & Koomen, P. (2013). A/B testing: The most powerful way to turn clicks into customers. John Wiley & Sons. Appendix A UDX Observation & Interview Recordings: https://drive. google.com/drive/folders/1ZWJ_1eHnmfiL0Cu39epKeFJg8qRbqG-D?usp=sharing Appendix B UDX Interview Notes: https://drive.google.com/file/d/1xhxbT8Ec3jTD8YYLk77qKzpF5ok3UDc9/view?usp=sharing Appendix C User Observation Tasks and Results: https://drive.google.com/ file/d/1u6VvgLxPcTVcpty_zgVlRtiX0yS079tq/view?usp=sharing

UDX Report: UniLink Evaluation and Redesign

Figure 1 Old Search Page

Note. All of the app’s important features were located on the search page instead of the homepage which made it difficult for users to find them.

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Figure 2 Old Homepage

Note. The original homepage contained campus updates, a class schedule, campus resources, and a campus map.

UDX Report: UniLink Evaluation and Redesign

Figure 3 Old and Redesigned Settings Page

Note. In the redesign, we added the settings page to the profile page and removed the “Profile” option from the list of pages. To be consistent, the settings text was changed to match the text style of the other page titles.

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Figure 4 Home Page Redesign Homepage Redesign

Note. The redesigned homepage now contains the important features of the app that were previously on the search page. The icons on the menu bar have also been redesigned.

UDX Report: UniLink Evaluation and Redesign

Figure 5 Info Page Redesign

Note. We changed the search page into the new info page which includes information from the old homepage that was reordered by the level of importance.

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Figure 6 Old and Redesigned Profile Page

Note. Replaced the old hamburger icon with a profile icon to allow users to have direct access to their profile without having to go through the settings page. We also added a settings button to the profile page.

UDX Report: UniLink Evaluation and Redesign

About the Author

Kayla Yim Kayla Yim (she/hers) is from San Jose, CA and a senior Graphic Communication major concentrating in User Experience/User Interface. She is a Marketing Manager at University Graphic Systems, a student-operated commercial printing, and digital imaging enterprise within the Department. Her team created an app, UniLink, that helps college students connect with one another as everyone goes back to in-person classes. Despite creating a working prototype for the app, there were still areas that could be improved. Kayla and her team wanted to use this as an opportunity to apply everything they learned in the class to redesigning their app and they were able to improve UniLink’s usability and deliver a seamless user experience.

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UDX Report: UniLink Evaluation and Redesign

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Comparison of ∆E00 of Brand Spot Colors with Digimarc Enhancement for Recycling Alice Ish

Introduction The amount of waste we generate as a nation is one of the largest issues we face in ensuring the health and enjoyment of future generations. Sustainable practices remain a critical focus for both flexographic printers and Consumer Packaged Goods (CPG) companies. Multi-tiered sustainability approaches are embraced by CPGs for improving sustainability including reducing and light-weighting current packaging materials, looking for alternate compostable materials, as well as improving the recycling of existing materials. To combat current waste volumes, we need a more efficient recycling system so that more material can be recovered, sorted and recycled. Procter & Gamble (P&G) founded, and now is a leading participant of the HolyGrail 2.0 Project which aims to implement a new auto-identification system for package recycling. This technology makes it so that different plastic materials can be sorted based on composition, at higher and faster rates. The Flexographic industry in the United States produces the vast majority of single-use plastic packaging. With such a large market share, the industry needs to be forward-looking to keep up with current and future sustainability practices.

The flexographic industry has a huge opportunity to transform the end-of-life of single use plastics. This project aims to show how flexographic printing can be used to implement this new auto-identification system with optimum techniques for brand color management. Many recyclable plastics are sent to a landfill because they cannot be sorted by Materials Recovery Facilities cost efficiently. HolyGrail 2.0 addresses this by encoding labels, packages, films and containers with Digimarc Barcode to identify the core material and its product use case, thus making it machine readable and sortable, optimizing the recycling process. This project investigates challenges CPGs face to minimize the color difference (CIE ∆E00) on brand spot colors when integrating Digimarc Barcode enhancements. By exploring how different enhancement techniques affect the ∆E00 of common brand spot colors, it can be shown how this technology can be best implemented into CPG’s existing workflow. There have already been a variety of studies published on the effective creation of Digimarc barcodes or watermarks. One such study titled, ‚“Using watermark visibility measurements to select an optimized pair of spot colors for use in a binary watermark” (Reed, Kitanovski, Falkenstern, Digimarc Corporation, Norwegian University of Science and Technology), explores the selection of a complementary spot color to print within another spot color to optimize scanning. This selection is important because the complementary spot color should be imperceptible at viewing distance but scannable by a Point of Sale (POS) barcode scanner used in retail grocery stores.

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POS scanners typically use red illumination at a wavelength of 670nm. Specifically, green and black spot colors reflect very little red light. This creates the challenge in creating a watermark with low visibility for some spot colors. The findings of this study were a method in which a complementary fill color can be chosen for a binary watermark of a base color with low reflectivity at 670 nm. This is dependent upon whether or not the spot color has low reflectivity at 670nm, therefore it will not interfere with the watermark signal. Another study titled, “Selecting Best Ink Color for Sparse Watermark” (Reed , Falkenstern , Hattenberger, Digimarc Corporation, USA X-Rite Incorporated). This study is also involved in the ink color selection for the creation of a robust watermark. Specifically, this study looks at a binary watermark that is encoded into a single ink color. The findings of this study were that a color could be accurately predicted for best use in a binary watermark in white areas of a design. While the thousands of POS scanners in use in grocery stores are deeply rooted in red-light scanning, newer scanners developed for recycling are not limited to 670nm. Recycling scanners are typically considered white-light scanners. The studies discussed above point to the differences between white light scanning and POS red light scanning, as well as how to create a robust watermark based on a brand’s specific spot color pallet. A white light scanner has three strobing colors of light, red, blue and green, at three unique wavelengths. This means that the barcodes created for this project need to be robust using this type of scanner.

Comparison of ∆E00 of Brand Spot Colors with Digimarc Enhancement for Recycling

Robustness is a measurement of how scannable a barcode is. This number is calculated from two readings: linear grid strength and the message strength. The linear grid strength is how the barcode is recognized and scaled, and the message strength is the payload of the barcode. While the ∆E00 value is the primary data to be analyzed, the robustness of each target printed was also examined to inform how these barcodes will work for the needs of a recycling system. A recycling system requires a barcode to be robust enough to be read at high speeds and from a package that may be damaged. The robustness will also be used to inform on future projects to see how these targets can be further improved specifically for the recycling application.

Process Design of Experiment Six inks were chosen to represent common brand spot colors. Then, based upon the qualities of each spot color a variety of enhancement methods were chosen. These techniques were chosen in consultation with Digimarc color scientist with the expectation of producing the least variation in ∆E00 values. Pantone 123, Pantone 185, Pantone 286 and Pantone Orange were enhanced by a Black Overprint, Spot Direct and a Positive Binary Overprint. While Pantone Green and Pantone Black were enhanced with Spot Direct and a Negative Binary Overprint. This difference in techniques is due to the difference in how much light Green and Black reflect back to the scanner.

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Each method of enhancement works differently but accomplishes the same goal of making the printed area responsive to a scanner. First, the Spot Direct technique modulates pixels within the file and thus does not add any additional ink colors. This creates a change in value that is mostly imperceptible to the eye but can be picked up by a white light scanner. This method does not require additional inks to be used on press but it does require additional file set-up and depending on the color, does not always produce robust codes. Second, the Black Overprint is an added separation consisting of different strength dots dependent upon the spot color being printed. This requires an additional black plate to be used on press. Third, the Positive Binary method is where an additional non-black ink is printed on top of the spot color. In this study, Pantone 9520 and Pantone 9120, both pastels, were used. This is much like the Black Overprint in that it requires an additional separation and ink to be used. The fourth method chosen was Negative Binary. This is similar to Positive Binary in that it calls for an additional ink color, however; this ink is to be printed as a flood behind the spot color. “Holes” are poked in the spot color separation so that the flood behind can be seen through those areas and scanned. The additional inks used for this were Pantone 2747 and Pantone 7467.

Comparison of ∆E00 of Brand Spot Colors with Digimarc Enhancement for Recycling

Upon evaluation of the enhancement methods being used, four hypotheses were formed: Hypothesis One: Each test target will produce a ∆E00 within 3 Hypothesis Two: The Spot Direct Digimarc technique will produce a lower ∆E00 value than the Positive Binary and Negative Binary Digimarc techniques Hypothesis Three: The Black Overprint Digimarc technique will produce a lower ∆E00 value than the Positive Binary and Negative Binary Digimarc technique Hypothesis Four: All enhancements methods will produce a robustness score above 60 A test target was created to be put on press. The components required for the test target were a 25% dot density patch, a 50% dot density patch, a 75% dot density patch, a 100% dot density patch, bearer bars and examples of a variety of applications. These examples were a logo, a photo and an illustration. These components make it so the ∆E00 can be measured at different densities to see how the Digimarc method preforms, as well as show how the barcode method would look in different instances. Upon completion of these test target files, 11 unique plates were made to be used in the press run. The plates used were LUX ITP60 067 with a 133 lpi. The test targets for each spot color were printed on white polypropylene substrate. In total 8 test targets, each comprised of 3-4 encoding methods were printed for evaluation. Each test target also included a control, which served as the standard for measuring ∆E00. A

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sample set was printed for each of the six spot colors, with two additional sets printed for black with different anilox rolls. This allowed us to see how the change in Black ink density affects the ∆E00 of the Negative Binary enhancement.

Analysis, Findings and Takeaways With all samples printed, the ∆E00 for each target was measured. The ∆E00 value was measured using a Techkon SpectroDens. Four readings were taken from each section (for each enhancement) of the test target per each spot color. The readings were taken from the 100% patch, 75% patch, 50% patch and 25% patch in comparison to the corresponding patch on the control section of the test target. This determined the effectiveness of the treatment overall by allowing the comparison of how the ∆E00 value changes as patch density decreases. See Data tables 1-8 for L*a*b* and the resulting ∆E00 of each Digimarc enhancement. The test targets were also sent to Digimarc to be analyzed for robustness. As can be seen in table 9 each enhancement per spot color was given a robustness score that was calculated using Verify Report. The robustness calculations use a Digimarc proprietary calculation but incorporate both linear grid strength and message strength discuss above. A higher number is better. Table 9 also shows how many barcodes in that target area could be seen and how many inches of scannable area was found. Fewer barcodes is not necessarily worse in this situation since some encoding methods cannot be used in all types of graphics.

Comparison of ∆E00 of Brand Spot Colors with Digimarc Enhancement for Recycling

Table 1 ∆E00 Values Red, Orange, Yellow, Blue 100% Patch Control L*a*b*

K-tint

Spot Positive Direct Binary

PANTONE 185 C

56.09

68.53

23.13

2.02

1.16

0.9

PANTONE Orange C

68.33

56.14

73.58

3.31

0.21

0.62

PANTONE 123 C

86.45

7.16

69.81

3.2

0.1

0.71

PANTONE 286 C

39.06

3.5

-64.73

1.4

0.94

0.87

Table 2 ∆E00 Values Green and Black 100% Patch Spot Negative Direct Binary

Control L*a*b* PANTONE Black C 60l0/2.24

26.87

1.39

2.65

0.25

19.13

PANTONE Black C 1200/1.94

39.68

1.64

3.89

1.71

25.72

PANTONE Black C 800/1.65

34.58

1.58

3.47

1.53

23.03

PANTONE Green C

69.83

-62.95

-1.92

0.24

8.51

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Table 3 ∆E00 Values Red, Orange, Yellow, Blue 75% Patch Control L*a*b*

K-tint

Spot Positive Direct Binary

PANTONE 185 C

60.95

52.8

12.89

2.17

0.71

0.65

PANTONE Orange C

69.98

46.8

55.53

3.49

1.21

1.16

PANTONE 123 C

85.51

4.02

55.29

3.47

1.28

0.83

PANTONE 286 C

42.17

0.61

-57.69

1.05

0.90

2.79

Table 4 ∆E00 Values Green and Black 75% Patch Spot Direct

Control L*a*b* PANTONE Black C 600/2.24

32.73

0.8

1.66

1.11

PANTONE Black C 1200/1.94

46.28

0.74

2.27

1.14

PANTONE Black C 800/1.65

41.58

0.75

1.17

71.11

-51.09

-2.07

1.01

PANTONE Green C

Comparison of ∆E00 of Brand Spot Colors with Digimarc Enhancement for Recycling

Table 5 ∆E00 Values Red, Orange, Yellow, Blue 50% Patch Control L*a*b*

K-tint

Spot Positive Direct Binary

PANTONE 185 C

66.47

41.39

9.56

2.21

0.77

1.38

PANTONE Orange C

73.84

37.25

36.16

3.55

1.1

1.25

PANTONE 123 C

85.95

3.91

41.76

3.41

0.99

1.13

PANTONE 286 C

56.87

-0.12

-37.46

2.72

0.31

0.65

Table 6 ∆E00 Values Green and Black 50% Patch Spot Direct

Control L*a*b* PANTONE Black C 600/2.24

67.5

-0.66

-0.82

0.11

PANTONE Black C 1200/1.94

72.91

-0.58

-0.39

0.76

PANTONE Black C 800/1.65

71.36

-0.51

-0.55

0.34

PANTONE Green C

81.94

-20.36

-1.51

0.69

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Table 7 ∆E00 Values Red, Orange, Yellow, Blue 25% Patch Control L*a*b*

K-tint

Spot Positive Direct Binary

PANTONE 185 C

78.83

21.76

3.93

3.91

1.37

1.74

PANTONE Orange C

80.69

20.19

16.36

3.1

1.18

0.5

PANTONE 123 C

88.05

1.73

23.28

5.65

0.92

0.98

PANTONE 286 C

71.92

-0.62

-20.51

2.43

0.4

1.55

Table 8 ∆E00 Values Green and Black 25% Patch Spot Direct

Control L*a*b* PANTONE Black C 600/2.24

48.7

-0.25

-0.2

1.66

PANTONE Black C 1200/1.94

60.29

-0.05

0.6

0.39

PANTONE Black C 800/1.65

55.88

-0.06

0.45

1.37

74.51

-37.54

-1.92

0.11

PANTONE Green C

Comparison of ∆E00 of Brand Spot Colors with Digimarc Enhancement for Recycling

Table 9 Robustness POS Color PANTONE Orange C

Recycling

Technique Barcodes Inches

Score Barcodes Inches Score

Spot Direct

8.3

PANTONE Orange C Positive Binary

3.9

Black Tint

16.6

16.8

PANTONE 185 C

Spot Direct

5.8

37.3

PANTONE 185 C

Positive Binary

2.8

PANTONE 185 C

Black Tint

15.4

15.7

PANTONE 123 C

Spot Direct

4.8

30.9

PANTONE 123 C

Positive Binary

7.9

PANTONE 123 C

Black Tint

15.9

16.4

PANTONE Green C

Spot Direct

8.1

52.2

8.1

PANTONE Green C

Negative Binary

9.7

10.2

PANTONE Black (600/2.24)

Spot Direct

6.4

9.8

PANTONE Black (600/2.24)

Negative Binary

5.6

11.6

PANTONE Black (800/1.65)

Spot Direct

5.3

PANTONE Black (800/1.65)

Negative Binary

4.1

10.8

PANTONE Black (1200/1.94)

Spot Direct

4.1

8.6

PANTONE Black (1200/1.94)

Negative Binary

10.4

PANTONE 286 C

Spot Direct

7.8

PANTONE 286 C

Positive Binary

13.9

PANTONE 286 C

Black Tint

3.5

17.1

PANTONE Orange C

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Figure 1 ∆E00 measurement for 100% density patch

Figure 2 Pantone 185 ∆E00 measurement as patch density decreases

Comparison of ∆E00 of Brand Spot Colors with Digimarc Enhancement for Recycling

Figure 3 Pantone 123 ∆E00 measurement as patch density decreases

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Figure 4 Pantone 286 ∆E00 measurement as patch density decreases

Comparison of ∆E00 of Brand Spot Colors with Digimarc Enhancement for Recycling

Figure 5 Verify Report Pantone 185 Positive Binary Enhancement

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Figure 6 Verify Report Pantone 185 Black Overprint Enhancement

Comparison of ∆E00 of Brand Spot Colors with Digimarc Enhancement for Recycling

Figure 7 Verify Report Pantone 185 Spot Direct Enhancement

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Discussion/ Conclusion and Future Projects Based on the collected results, one can see that from a ∆E00 value perspective some of the enhancement methods were much more effective than others. As for the robustness there is room for improvement across all spot colors before these enhancements can be practically applied for recycling scanning. Hypothesis One First, Hypothesis One was rejected because not all recorded ∆E00 values were within the range 0-3. This ideal range was set because this amount of variation is generally accepted by CPG’s. Looking at Figure 1, one can see that the Spot Direct and Positive Binary measurements fell within the accepted range; however, the Black Overprint and Negative Binary did not. The range of ∆E00 values for the Black Overprint for the 100% patch for all spot colors except for Black and Green, which did not receive the encoding treatment, was 1.4-3.31. With these values falling partially in the accepted range, it’s probable that with some alterations of dot size and ink density this enhancement could produce more acceptable ∆E00 values. However, it should be noted that this enhancement becomes much more visible when screens of the spot color are used. This trend can be seen in Figures 2,3 and 4, the ∆E00 value is within or close to the target range at 100% solid but as the patch reaches a 25% screen, the ∆E00 values move out of acceptable range. Figure 4 demonstrates how a darker color can decrease the impact of a lower value screen on the Black Overprint enhancement. The Negative Binary enhancement was the least successful treatment

Comparison of ∆E00 of Brand Spot Colors with Digimarc Enhancement for Recycling

based on the resulting ∆E00 values. The range of values produced was 8.51-25.72. Producing ∆E00 values far from the acceptable range makes this enhancement an impractical choice as it was done in this study. Hypothesis Two Second, Hypothesis Two was accepted as the Spot Direct technique produced a lower ∆E00 value than the Positive Binary and Negative Binary techniques. As can be seen in Table 1 The range of ∆E00 values produced by the Spot Direct enhancement were 0.1-1.93 for the solid patch. With a calculated average value of 0.60, these values are very acceptable. From Table 1 it can also be seen that the range of values produced by the Positive Binary enhancement were 0.62-0.9 or for an average value of 0.76. These data points show that while the Spot Direct enhancement produced a lower average value, the difference in range was minimal making these enhancements comparable. As stated previously, the Negative Binary ∆E00 values were not within an acceptable range. When looking at the change in ∆E00 values for the Spot Direct and Positive Binary techniques in Figures 2,3 and 4, one can see that the values for both stayed within range across the four screen values. Interestingly, in the darkest color, Pantone 286 C, the Spot Direct saw a downward trend in ∆E00. This means that it produced less color difference from the L*a*b* values as the spot color was printed with a lighter screen.

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Hypothesis Three Third, Hypothesis Three that the Black Overprint Digimarc technique will produce a lower ∆E00 value than the Positive Binary and Negative Binary Digimarc techniques was rejected. The Black Overprint produced lower values than the Negative Binary enhancement but not lower than the Positive Binary enhancement. The average ∆E00 value for the 100% solid patch for the Black Overprint was 3.31. In comparison, the average ∆E00 value for the 100% density patch for the Positive Binary was 0.76. The translucency for the Pantone 9120 and the Pantone 9520 dots had much less effect on the ∆E00 value than the addition of Black dots on top of the spot color. It should be noted that both the Black Overprint and Positive Binary are not applicable in darker spot colors like the Pantone Black and Pantone Green used in this study. This will affect what applications these techniques can be used in. Lastly, the Figures 2, 3 and 4 show that the Positive Binary enhancement stayed consistently lower that the Black Overprint across the four patch densities, except for Pantone 286 which saw more variation between the two. Hypothesis Four Fourth, Hypothesis Four that all enhancements methods will produce a robustness score above 60 was rejected. From examining the data, it can be concluded that most of these enhancements need additional research to improve robustness, particularly in spot direct and positive binary. Below, I will address next steps to improve robustness.

Comparison of ∆E00 of Brand Spot Colors with Digimarc Enhancement for Recycling

The most robust enhancement was the Black Overprint with a range or scores 79-85 as can be seen in Table 9. These scores are very promising and make the Black Overprint enhancement the only treatment with sufficient robustness to be applied to recycling scanning immediately. However, the Black Overprint was visually visible and did not produce the lowest ∆E00 values. The average robustness scores for the other techniques are as follows: Positive Binary — 37.5, Spot Direct — 39.9, and Negative Binary — 52.75. Figures 5,6 and 7 show how many barcodes the scanner was able to pick up for Pantone 185. The greater the barcodes being recognized the darker the blue color of the graphic. One can see that in comparison, many more barcodes were able to be seen on the Black Overprint target than either the Spot Direct or the Positive Binary targets. For future applications the robustness of the Spot Direct and Positive Binary techniques needs to be improved. The ink color selected in positive binary was likely too light. The next step for research is to add additional pigment to the Pantone 2747 and Pantone 7467 inks to increase contrast. Since the ∆E00 impact for positive binary had sufficient room to increase contrast without going over the 3.0 target. Overall, looking only at the ∆E00 values produced during this study the Spot direct enhancement produced the most promising results across all spot colors and screen tints. Another positive about this enhancement is that it was able to be used on all spot colors and does not require an additional ink on press, making it the least complex to integrate

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into existing CPG workflows. The Positive Binary enhancement also produced promising results for not affecting the spot color visually. This enhancement does require an additional ink and cannot be applied to dark spot colors such as Pantone Black and Pantone Green. If these techniques were being evaluated solely on robustness the most effective technique would be the Black Overprint Enhancement. Future iterations of this project should focus on making robust for recycling barcodes while balancing the effect this will have on the resulting ∆E00 value. As the most robust technique the Black Overprint should be altered to produce lower ∆E00 values. This could be done by making the Black ink being overprinted less pigmented and therefore less visible. The Positive Binary Technique produced low ∆E00 values but was not robust enough for recycling. This could be remedied by increasing the pigmentation in the ink being overprinted. The challenge of future projects will be increasing robustness without producing ∆E00 values outside of the acceptable range as a result.

Comparison of ∆E00 of Brand Spot Colors with Digimarc Enhancement for Recycling

Acknowledgments This project could not have been completed without the support of the Cal Poly Graphic Communication Department, Digimarc Incorporated and MacDermid Graphics Solutions. My advisor, Malcolm Keif, devoted countless hours helping me to prepare files and operate the Mark Andy Press. Digimarc lent not only their technology but also services in helping to select Digimarc Enhancement techniques, the encoding that needed to go into making the files and expertise in understanding wavelength reflection of different ink colors. I’d like to give a special thanks to Jay Sperry and Kristyn Falkenstern. MacDermid lent their services in platemaking, for this I’d like to give thanks to Becky Bunch. I’d also like to thank Multiplastics for donating a roll of film and Inx for formulating the needed spot colors to help this project happen. Other thanks are extended to Mark Andy, Harper and Techkon. Everyone involved in supporting this project helped to make it possible and have given me an invaluable learning experience.

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References Reed, A., Falkenstern, K., & Hattenberger, E. (2017). Selecting Best Ink Color for Sparse Watermark. Society for Imaging Science and Technology, 130-136: doi:https://doi.org/10.2352/ ISSN.2470-1173.2017.18.COLOR-045 Reed, A., Kitanovski, V., Falkenstern, K., & Pederson, M. (2022). Using watermark visibility measurements to select an optimized pair of spot colors for use in a binary watermark. Society for Imaging Science and Technology, 197-1-1976: doi:https://doi.org/10.2352/ISSN.2470-1173.2020.15. COLOR-197

Comparison of ∆E00 of Brand Spot Colors with Digimarc Enhancement for Recycling

About the Author

Alice Ish Alice Ish is a recent graduate at California Polytechnic State University, San Luis Obispo. She received a Graphic Communication B.S. with a concentration in Design Reproduction Technology and a minor in Packaging. She is originally from Seattle, Washington, but came to Cal Poly for their amazing hands on learning program. She has enjoyed her time getting to work with presses as an offset lab assistant and through her Rossini Research project. After graduation she relocated to San Jose, CA and is enjoying her new job as a Print Operations Specialist with Canva.

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Comparison of ∆ E00 of Brand Spot Colors with Digimarc Enhancement for Recycling

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WhenToWork App Redesign — A Better User Experience Kelly Tse

Introduction My final project is titled WhenToWork App Redesign — A Better User Experience. I have redesigned a total of three screens for the app that focuses on content issues, organization issues, usability issues, and visual design issues that the original app did not have. With the UX principles, “speaking the user’s language” and “consistency”, I want to go over why my redesign is better than the original version and how my redesigned app will make it easier for users to use. (Neilson, 1993) The theory that is used to back up why my redesign is better is from two surveys. This will be explained in the paragraphs below. About the Project First, “speaking the user’s language”. (Neilson, 1993) For the first survey that was made, there was a total of eight participants. In this first survey, participants were asked about general questions and icons. The main purpose of this survey was to ask users what they think specific icons mean. With all the icons that were gathered from the app, participants were asked to write what they thought a specific icon meant. There was a total of eleven icon questions. Based on the results

everyone who took the survey got either three or four icons correct according to the app. That means that the users that participated in my survey, if they were to use the app, would not understand what the remaining seven or eight icons mean. Furthermore, in this survey, there was a total of three participants that has used the app WhenToWork before, yet when they were asked: when they first look at these icons what do they think of, they thought of the universal meaning. They did not think of the icons truly meant according to the app even if they have used the app multiple times before. These results are exactly what causes confusion to users. WhenToWork are using icons incorrectly and it is causing confusion to users. Original Results

Original Results

In bold is WhenToWork’s meaning of the icons and the bullets points are what users think what the icons actually mean. As you can see there are more than half of the icons that participants did not understand according to the app.

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Looking at the Data In a second survey that has been sent out, there were fifteen participants. I have asked the participants what specific icons mean but this time it is referring to the redesigned app. There was a total of eight icons and most participants were able to understand six out of eight. For the two remaining icons that they did not guess entirely correct, for the most part or for what they have guessed, the meaning was pretty similar. Users were still able to understand the general meaning of the icons. Users are able to correlate what that the icon actually means in conjunction with the common world or what they are used to seeing.

Redesigned Results

In bold is redesigned app’s meaning of the icon and the bullets points are what some users think the icons actually mean. Although there are some icons that participants that had a hard time with, they were still able to get the general meaning.

WhenToWork App Redesign — A Better User Experience

Second, I wanted to touch on the principle “consistency”. (Neilson, 1993) In the second survey that was sent out, participants were asked about consistency throughout the app. I had seven participants who have used the app before. They were asked to look at the app and tell me if they were able to see the same information on different screens. This part of the survey was mainly focused on the navigation bar on the app. Based on the survey results most of the users were able to see the same information on either two or three screens and this was out of the four screens I have told them to look at.

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Analysis 6

Chart 1: Consistency

Multiple Ways See Schedule

Repetitive Information

3 2 1 0 Strongly Agree

Agree

Neutral

Disagree

Strongly Disagree

In chart 1, it shows the participants answers in whether they strongly agree, agree, neutral, disagree, or strongly disagree in weather the original app had multiple ways to log in and if there was repetitive information about their schedule. As you can see, many participants answered agree. The purpose of these two questions was to ask participants the same question in multiple ways so I can get a definite answer. As you can see, users think that by having multiple ways to see their schedule, it can be repetitive.

WhenToWork App Redesign — A Better User Experience

Chart 8 2: Work Schedule Screens 100% 7 6 71% 5 57% 4 3 2 1 0

Upcoming

Dashboard

In chart 2, participants were asked to click through the navigation bar on the original app and choose which screens allowed them to look at their work schedule. As you can see, the participants found multiple ways to see their work schedule. Many were able to see their schedule in three out of four options on the navigation bar. All participants surveyed were able to see their schedule on the upcoming screen. Fifty seven percent of them were able to see their schedule on the dashboard, seventy one percent of participants were able to see their schedule on the menu screen, and no participants were able to see their seclude on the more screen. This is not consistent, and it confuses users as there is multiple options to see the same result.

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In reality, as shown in the picture above, you are able to see the user’s schedule in three out of the four screens. Because users may not be used to looking at the variety of options that the app has to offer, some might have gone over it without even noticing. As stated above and in Chart 1 shown, there was a question in the survey that asks if users thought that their schedule is repetitive. Many participants were neutral, however, the rest of the participants agreed or strongly agreed with that statement. There are way too many screens that showed a user’s schedule which is not consistent, and it is also confusing. In the second survey, I have also asked participants to let me know which designs they preferred more. I asked both WhenToWork users and UX students/professionals. In the survey, there was a photo of two screens – the original on the left and redesigned on the right (this can be seen in the

WhenToWork App Redesign — A Better User Experience

appendix). First, the participants who have used the app. I wanted to get opinions of users who use the app frequently. I have asked participants to choose their own preference and explain why they choose it. All participants agreed that the redesigned looked better because it was simple, clear, easy to understand, easy to find, appealing, able to see schedule easier, colors, and has more relevant information. Chart 3: UX Students/Professionals Preference

8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1 0

100% 83%

83%

17%

17% Screen 1

Screen 2

Screen 3

In chart 3, shows screen 1 being the log in screen, screen 2 being the schedule screen, and screen 3 being the staff screen. These screens are shown in the appendix. As mentioned, I have also asked UX students and professionals for their preference. They were also asked a similar question, which shows the principles, “speaking the users language”

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and “consistency” better? (Neilson, 1993) As you can see out of seven participants, most thought that the redesigned screen was better. For “speaking the users language”, the icons were easier to understand and the icons correlate to what the actual meaning is. (Neilson, 1993) For “consistency”, participants thought that the screens were familiar as it follows and take after other websites and apps. (Neilson, 1993) For the participants that liked the original design more, one thought that the log in screen had a universal look, and for the other participant, they thought that favorites part of the third screen was not necessary for a scheduling app. Overall, most and almost all UX students/professionals preferred the redesigned screens more. This redesigned app was made so that users have a better experience with something they use frequently. It is important that we have an evaluation as we can create something that users want. (Peng, 2018) Through the surveys that I have done, I have evaluated the problems of the original app and I wanted to explain through principles on why the redesigned app does a way better job in giving users the best experience. One of the principles, “speaking the user’s language”, is something that was largely focused on. (Neilson, 1993) Nielson (1993) states that we should use concepts that are familiar to users rather than those that have nonstandard meanings. Before, with the original app, many users did not know what the icons actual meaning were. This causes confusion as the concepts are not consistent. With the newly designed app, all participants in my survey were able to

WhenToWork App Redesign — A Better User Experience

understand the icons used throughout the app. I did this by using metaphors – there are already a lot of metaphors that are used in the digital world. By using all these metaphors that we are familiar with, users will definitely know what the icons mean since it is universal. Compared to the original app, this is a great milestone. If users have trouble correlating the icon with what it actually means on the app, this will confuse the users. Users should be able to recognize or understand what you are talking about without having to navigate a maze in order to find what you’re wanting them to see. Users anticipate information that is personalized and is expected to see them through graphics, text, and/or speech. (Isard, 2003) The second survey results show that the redesigned app allows all participants, both people who use the app and people who have never used the app to understand what all the icons mean. This is great because users who do use the app will not have any trouble. The other principle that this project focusses on is “consistency”. (Neilson, 1993) Users should never doubt what something does or mean; they should never have to think about whether or not the steps you take lead to the same result. (Neilson, 1993) In the original app, there were multiple screens that show the same or very similar information. This causes confusing because the app should remain as consistent as possible so users will have no problem using it the next time. There is no need for a user to see the same information on three different screens. Not only is it not needed, it can waste a user’s time. Users using your app or website want to finish their task quickly; if the task takes longer than

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it is supposed to, it is inefficient. (Raia, 2017) The original app is not consistent as a user is doing clicking things but end up with the same result. A good way to see if a user has a nice experience is through efficiency – users should be able to use the app efficiently to get their work done. (Brade, 2017) Before with the original app, there were three different screens where you can see the same information. With the redesigned app, all three screens are combined into one so that means users are able to see their schedule in just one screen. Instead of having three icons on the navigation bar that lead to the same result, there is now only one. Furthermore, I have designed the screens of the app to look very similar to something that users are used to. This shows consistency because I am using the “standard” that everyone already knows of. Users are able to recognize this in an instant. With the redesigned app, content is put so that users can easily navigate through the app. As the second survey results show, almost all users that use the app and UX students/professionals prefer the redesigned app as it shows more consistency. Based on the first survey that has been conducted for the presentation, I was able to tell that users were really confused especially for the icons used throughout the app. With that, I was able to expect that the redesigned app to be a lot more understandable. The redesigned app should make the experience easier for users as it speaks the user’s language, and it is consistent.

WhenToWork App Redesign — A Better User Experience

With the second survey sent out and with more participants, I was able to gather more data on icons used in the redesigned app and consistency throughout the app. In terms of “speaking the users language”, the redesigned app met the expected results. (Neilson, 1993) Users are now able to understand all icons on the app without a problem. The only suggestion that would be considered is with the more “difficult” icons that they have encountered. Maybe we can change the icon, however, because participants were still able to understand the general meaning and if they were to have more context (such as looking at the actual screen or if they were rto be using the app), I believe that users will be able to figure out the icon’s meaning. Overall, “speaking the users language” met the expected results. (Neilson, 1993)

Conclusion In terms of “consistency”, most participants in the survey (both WhenToWork users and UX students/professionals) agreed that the redesigned screens were much better than the original app. (Neilson, 1993) For WhenToWork users, if three screens were reduced to one, they would not have a hard thinking about which screen they should use. Instead, because of this consistency, they are able to use everyday without thinking of weather clicking on one screen would mean the same thing. There were not many suggestions for consistency as I went with the majority voting. Overall, the principle “consistency” has met the expected results as well. (Neilson, 1993)

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If there was more time and resources, another UX method that could support different aspects of suggestions is doing an interview. An interview is a great UX method as it allows me to ask people in depth questions about the app. This would be a great way to go in specifically and ask users what they like or might not like about the app. Furthermore, if this redesigned app has a prototype, I believe the UX method, observation, would also be a great and awesome way to see how users would navigate through the app. It would be very nice to ask users to get to specific locations in both original and redesigned app to see which one has a better experience.

WhenToWork App Redesign — A Better User Experience

Appendix

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WhenToWork App Redesign — A Better User Experience

Sources Brade, J., Lorenz, M., Busch, M., Hammer, N., Tscheligi, M., & Klimant, P. (2017). Being there again – Presence in real and virtual environments and its relation to usability and user experience using a mobile navigation task. International Journal of Human-Computer Studies, 101, 76–87: https://doi. org/10.1016/j.ijhcs.2017.01.004 Isard, A, Oberlander, J, Matheson, C, & Androutsopoulos, I. (2003). Speaking the users’ languages. IEEE Intelligent Systems, 18(1), 40–45: https://doi.org/10.1109/ MIS.2003.1179192 Nielson, J. (1993). Usability Engineering (1st). CA: Morgan Kaufmann Publishers Inc: https://dl.acm.org/doi/ pdf/10.5555/2821575 Peng, Q., Martens, J. B., Tian, X., Marcus, A., & Wang, W. (2018). Improving value-awareness through storytelling in user experience design. Lecture Notes in Computer Science, 141–152: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-91797-9_11 Raia, Mike. (2017). Providing a better digital experience for employees. Strategic HR Review, 16(2), 71–75: https://doi. org/10.1108/SHR-01-2017-0004

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Renzi, Adriano Bernardo. (2017). UX Heuristics for Cross-Channel Interactive Scenarios. Design, User Experience, and Usability: Theory, Methodology, and Management, 481–491. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-58634-2_35 Survey Data https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/11zb8TGJM243ILe_ RRyekRPIeZ0nyImuPLVWakE1SF 74/edit?usp=sharing

WhenToWork App Redesign — A Better User Experience

About the Author

Kelly Tse Kelly Tse grew up in Oakland, California and recently graduated from California Polytechnic State University, San Luis Obispo with a degree in Graphic Communication concentrating in User Experience/User Interface. Kelly hopes to create meaningful products that provides users a positive and good experience. Not too long ago, She had helped a nonprofit organization, 92130 Cares (an organization that was made to connect families in need due to the pandemic), design a brand book, flyers, and a website. Kelly was really excited about this opportunity because was able to apply all the skills she has learned during my her three years of college as well as learn new skills that are similar to those at a workplace.

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101

15¢

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San Luis Obispo Farmer’s Market Find delicious food locally

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Amazon Digital Sales Optimization Client: Exsens Personal Body Care Jillian Brandon

Proposal Abstract Many companies struggle to manage their e-commerce, digital sales, websites on their own and lack a strong appearance in other marketplaces. With Amazon dominating the online marketplaces, it’s vital for companies to get their products on Amazon to compete with other leading products in their industry. However, Amazon is a very competitive environment to enter alone. My company serves as a helping hand to guide companies through Amazon Seller Central so their listings have a competitive edge over their industry leaders. My job is to analyze a company’s line of products and evaluate its digital sales presence on Amazon. I, then, complete a comprehensive overview of the key components needed to optimize Amazon listings and increase sales. Through content creation, I’ll deliver unique marketing collateral specific to each product line all while speaking directly to the brand story. The individual client will have well-rounded, visually engaging Amazon listings of their products as well as a complete Amazon brand store that showcases all products in one

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place. The client will then join me in reviewing monthly sales and managing marketing strategies to continuously improve customer experience. According to Forbes, brand storytelling is the future of marketing. Businesses enter digital marketplaces in hopes to expand their sales, when in reality, these companies are entering a highly competitive auction to sell products. Every competitor in the same industry has similar messaging in its marketing content and the Internet, as well as Amazon, has made it difficult for quality brands to shine (Costa, 2019). This is where my senior project plays a huge part in the field of graphic communication. Every product has competition, whether they think it or not, and the best way to differentiate is through a compelling brand story. It’s vital for companies to have an internal or external department that builds powerful, creative content. Especially with the pandemic, e-commerce has grown exponentially due to the fact that people have been not allowed, as well as avoiding to, shop in person. In order for companies to financially recover from the hit they took from COVID, businesses were forced to adapt to the digital times. We don’t know if we’ll ever return back to a normal shopping experience, however, seeing a multi-billion-dollar digital industry should inspire brands to make the transition to e-commerce. In the first half of these ten weeks, I will complete client/ product research, an Amazon competitive analysis, and graphics for listing content. Once the creative content is approved for submission, I’ll move to optimizing the bullet

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points to improve search engine optimization. As soon as the listing is complete with images, bullets, A+ content, pricing, and categorization, I’ll launch the listing and prepare for evaluation.

Literature Review Amazon digital sales optimization is a concise way of describing an integrated marketing approach to increase sales. Integrated marketing communications theory suggests that a comprehensive approach to marketing carries more advantages than traditional marketing. Presenting a consistent image, messaging, and brand story to a consumer will initiate a relationship between the buyer and the brand. There are three components to an integrated marketing campaign in order to ensure success. All aspects of a brand’s relationship with a consumer should be considered, messages should be conceptually consistent across all the marketing content elements, and IMC should consist of an ongoing dialogue between customers and marketers, (McGrath, 2010). Consumer focus is the first element and is extremely important because finding grounds for a customer/brand relationship is the basis of an integrated marketing campaign. It’s about asking the brand, what can it do for its customers? We need to extract every detail and benefit of a product or service and figure out the best way to deliver this message to the customer. A ‘Communication-Based Relationship Marketing’ model in which communication, rather than persuasion, is the foundation of customer-focused marketing efforts, (PORCU,

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2012). This emphasis on the consumer is one of the main benefits of an integrated marketing communication campaign. It’s a paradigm shift from traditional marketing whereas the brand pointed out the main differential elements of its product or service. This difference of consumer-focused marketing allows for a more detailed approach to selling a product. Before executing an integrated marketing communications campaign, weeks of analysis and data mining must be enacted in order to find the correct messaging to the target audience. The second concept revolves all around brand consistency. It requires extreme detail about customers, competitors, marketplaces, prices, and ultimate selling points to win the auction of a buyer. Messages should be conceptually consistent across all marketing content elements to strengthen the brand presence and build a foundation for the customer to begin a mental relationship with the brand. This process of consistent messaging builds brand equity. Brand equity can be described as the differential effect of brand knowledge on consumer response to the marketing of a brand, (Anantachart, 2004). Brand equity has a huge part in the customer relationship because recognition and credibility can lead to transaction based data, (Von Freymann, 2010). Therefore, with consistent messaging and a basis for a consumer/brand relationship, the third concept of an integrated marketing communications campaign is continuing the conversation with a customer after they’ve seen it once. The third concept is really focused on the continuous exposure to customers and larger entities. This means

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delivering marketing content through paid advertising in a push/pull strategy. In order to demonstrate a powerful marketing strategy, we need to focus on customer buying behavior and track how many times a consumer will view a product and how long they will stay on the web page. By building a repertoire of tactics for targeting buyers, we learn about the decision making process and how a brand can influence purchases through a continued conversation (Nadler, 2018). This is also where consistency seamlessly integrates with the integrated marketing communication theory. By maintaining consistent messaging around a product or service, we create a paradigm effect within the consumer’s brain. Habitual thinking leads to continuous purchasing which is the ultimate effect of the integrated marketing communication theory (Simon, 2018).

Synthesis/Thesis The integrated marketing communication theory relates to my senior project because the three main elements of consumer focus, consistency, and brand exposure are vital to a successful, digital execution. All aspects of the brand needs to be highlighted in the digital listing on Amazon. By designing the digital artwork to reflect the brand story directly, I was able to incorporate stock images that my audience could relate to. Using images of women who look similar to the customer base allows me to create a feeling of connection between the buyer and the product. I demonstrated consistency by following a standard format across all product lines that we are selling on

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Amazon. If the buyer is clicking between products, they are able to associate one line to another line due to the consistent graphic work as well as similar verbiage in the bullet points. Lastly, the third element, brand exposure, of the integrated marketing communications theory states that a successful campaign requires continuous conversation between the brand and the customer. Through Amazon Posts, an Instagram like platform for Amazon, I have scheduled posts to go live twice a week as promotional content. Along with Amazon Posts, we have Amazon display ads to help our ratings across the personal wellness market. This type of brand optimization would not be successful without the use of an integrated marketing communication campaign. Within these last couple weeks, I will be conducting sales reports to finalize my senior project and adequately evaluate the use of an integrated marketing approach.

Results To properly evaluate an integrated marketing communications campaign, it requires weeks to months of data analysis. Rather than choosing a client that started a contract in January, the beginning of this quarter, I chose to conduct my senior project on a client that we signed in September to provide more detailed data for a comprehensive result summary. The three methods I chose to evaluate my Amazon Digital Sales Optimization senior project are by reviewing a monthly sales recap, analyzing insights from the Amazon brand store, and measuring key performance indicators from Amazon Posts.

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Method One The first method of evaluation is by reviewing Exsens Amazon sales from the past five months. One of the trickiest aspects to selling on Amazon, is reviewing your product’s pages everyday to make sure the listings are live. By live, I mean the listing is viewable and shoppable from a customer’s perspective. Amazon is a huge corporation and arguably one of the most powerful companies in the world. Oftentimes, listings will be flagged, inappropriately categorized, or unsearchable due to Amazon constantly auditing listings. This can negatively affect our sales because customers wouldn’t be able to find our brand. Therefore, keeping an eye on all new listings for the first 6-9 months is extremely important for monthly sales meetings with our clients. Around year two with a client is when our listings should see a huge increase in sales. A consistent brand story showcased across all product lines of a company generates a loyal customer base, product reviews, brand recognition, and word-of-mouth advertising at no cost. EXSENS January Recap (02.11.21) Sep

Oct

Nov

Total Sales

$2,349

$4,933

$7,500

Total Units

112

245

378

YTD

+/— LM

% +/— LM

$12,041 $15,409 $42,232

$3,368

28%

179

30%

Dec Jan ‘21

597

776

2,108

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Warming Massage Oils

Sep

Total Sales

$2,272

Dec Jan ‘21

YTD

+/— LM

% +/— LM

$4,010 $6,658 $10,262 $12,969

$36,171

$2,707

26%

Oct

Nov

Total Units

107

201

335

507

630

1,780

123

24%

Cocunut Total Sames

$85

$140

$180

$660

$500

$1,565

—$160

—24%

Cocunut Total Units

—8

—24%

Hot Vanilla Total Sales

$106

$100

$540

$980

$1,259

$2,985

$279

28%

Hot Vanilla Total Units

149

29%

Mint Mojito Total Sales

$531

$1,419

$1,567

$1,559

$1,479

$6,555

—$80

—5%

Mint Mojito Total Units

327

—4

—5%

Strawberry Total Sales

$1,524

$2,252

$3,095

$4,312

$4,138

$15,321

—$174

—4%

Strawberry Total Units

114

157

216

205

764

—11

—5%

White Peach Total Units

$26

$99

$314

$712

$1,035

$2,186

$323

45%

White Peach Total Units

34%

Sex on the Beach Total Sales

$810

$1,419

$3,558

$5,787

$2,139

151%

Sex on the Beach Total Units

176

289

105

148%

Pina Colada Total Sales

$152

$620

$1,000

$1,772

$380

61%

Pina Colada Total Units

55%

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The graphic on the left shows monthly sales from one product line of Amazon listings since Exsens signed with us in September 2020. Highlighted in pink is the most popular Warming Massage Oil flavor, Strawberry. With 72 units of this flavor sold in September and 205 units sold in January, we have an approximate 290% increase in sales over four months. Though this is the largest increase in sales across all flavors, I expect to see strong results within the next couple months assuming brand recognition and customer reviews will grow as well. Method Two The second method of evaluation is by analyzing insights from the Amazon brand store. An Amazon brand store is a brand’s mini website built on Amazon’s platform. I used all of the same content that I created for the listings and the enhanced brand content to build the brand store. The store has a home page featuring key products as well as a tab for each product line. Customers are able to access a brand store through a link on any Exsens product listing page. One goal to increase sales is by optimizing a brand store so the customer can view the entirety of Exsens, add products to cart, and make purchases without ever having to leave the brand store. This optimization consists of adding a ‚ “Back to Home Page” link at the bottom of every product line tab, including a‚ “Add to Cart” option for every product featured, and cross-marketing different lines to encourage customers to buy more. Below is a screenshot of the Exsens Amazon brand store dashboard insights.

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This data set is from the last 5 months that we’ve had brand ownership. The first metric with a pink outline around it is the estimated total sales generated by store visitors within 14 days of their last visit. Taking a look at the two metrics to the right of total sales generated, the numbers say the store has produced 112 units sold across 80 orders. Thus, the Amazon brand store provided $2,130.03 of sales across a minimum amount of orders, meaning the cross-marketing tactics throughout the store are working. Furthermore, the homepage of the Amazon brand store has generated over 60% of sales compared to the other pages. The homepage has every single product listed in an easily shoppable format which explains the success and profitability of the page. Method Three The third and final method of evaluation is by measuring key performance indicators from Amazon Posts. Amazon Posts is an Instagram-like platform where brands can post a shoppable picture with a caption to increase brand awareness. This content is then featured at the very bottom of a listing page on a mobile device. Since Amazon Posts is a newer feature for brands to use, the engagement rates are much less popular than social media applications like Instagram or Facebook. However, we’ve been very successful on Amazon Posts.

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Exons Amazon Post Dashboard In the dashboard featuring metrics from the past 30 days above, this brand has done exceptionally well on Amazon Posts. With absolutely no advertising or promotional content, the Amazon Posts account has gained 68 followers with

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over 21,000 viewable impressions. Though we cannot track sales correlating to the social feed, the element of brand awareness is elevated in this integrated marketing communications campaign.

Conclusion Reviewing the entirety of my senior project, I think I successfully executed a comprehensive integrated marketing communications campaign that correctly reflects the brand’s story and the client’s needs. Across seventeen different products, I published unique graphic content that details the specific ingredients, benefits, uses, and personality of each product. After publishing the listing content, I built the Amazon brand

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store where customers can view all Exsens products in one place without having to navigate different landing pages. Exsens has another successful marketplace to increase its sales numbers and ramp up another revenue source. My Amazon digital sales optimization project included three key elements from the integrated marketing communications theory. The consumer focus element is highlighted across the stock images that I used. I dove into Exsen’s customer base by looking through its Instagram followers, reading online product reviews, and exploring the brand’s corporate social responsibility efforts. This gave me more insight on individual buyers and what they value in the products they purchase. I continued to highlight the element of consistency by mimicking the same visual format across all listings. Incorporating a design structure throughout the brand allows customers to form a sense of brand identity. This consistency gives the Amazon listings credibility throughout the entire product catalog. Lastly, I executed brand exposure through the social media-like platform, Amazon Posts, to create an ongoing conversation with pictures, captions, comments, and likes. This continuous communication is also reflected in the advertising that are featured at the top of intimate body care categories. Therefore, when shoppers are viewing products similar to Exsens, ads will be featured next to its competitors to showcase the brand. All three elements of the integrated marketing communications theory are implemented throughout the campaign and have proven significant, positive results.

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Reflection I was fortunate to avoid difficulties during the project creation process. Conducting competitor analysis, understanding the brand identity, and creating content for the Amazon listings all went pretty smoothly. I think the main obstacle occurred after publishing all the content to Amazon. As I’ve mentioned earlier in the introduction, Amazon is a giant company that has extreme power to make all calls. Many of our browse nodes, otherwise known as categories that the products fall under, were incorrect. It took us a couple weeks and multiple-hour-phone calls to file complaints in order to place the products in their correct browse nodes. With over 350 millions products sitewide, Amazon is bound to make errors and they don’t make it easy to fix. Though this obstacle wasn’t part of my senior project plan, it’s important to highlight difficulties so I can make adjustments for future clients. For future development of this project, we committed to bringing on four more of their products since sales are going so well. In the next couple of weeks, I’ll be creating new content following the same integrated marketing communications campaign strategy. This increases the credibility of the brand and will generate a larger audience base due to the extended product catalog featured on Amazon. By the end of this year, I hope to have the entire Exsens catalog sold on Amazon.

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Links to Complete Project Amazon Brand Store: https://www.amazon.com/stores/ node/19145583011?_encoing=UTF8&field-lbr_brands_brows e-bin=EXSENS&ref_=bl_dp_s_web_19145583011 Warming Massage Oil Variation Listing: https://www.amazon. com/Strawberry-Warming-Gourmet-Massage-EXSENS/dp/ B00N6KVIQ6? ref_=ast_sto_dp Intimate Foam Cleanser: https://www.amazon.com/Intime-Intimate-Cleansing-EXSENS-Organic/dp/B01N8UJQ6O?ref_= ast_sto_dp Amazon Posts Exsens: https://www.amazon.com/posts/brand/ EXSENSIntimateBodyCare References Anantachart, S. (2004). Integrated Marketing Communications and Market Planning: Their Implications to Brand Equity Building. Journal of Promotion Management, 11(1), 101–125: https://doi-org.ezproxy.lib.calpoly.edu/10.1300/J057v11n01Ã±07 Costa, C. D. (2019, February 2). 3 Reasons Why Brand Storytelling Is The Future Of Marketing: https://www.forbes.com/sites/ celinn-dacosta/2019/01/31/3-reasons-why-brand-storytelling-isthe-future-of-marketing/?sh=3912d02655ff.

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e-Commerce Market Outlook 2020-2030: COVID-19 Implications and Growth ResearchAndMarkets.com. Business Wire. (2020, June 15): https://www.businesswire.com/news/ home/20200615005360/en/e-Commerce-Market-Ou tlook2020-2030-COVID-19-Implications-and-Growth---ResearchAndMarkets.com. Ipaki, B., Movahedi, Y., & Amirkhizi, P. J. (2018). A research on the use of metaphor design in promoting brand identity. Journal of Graphic Engineering & Design (JGED), 9(2), 17–20: https://doi-org.ezproxy.lib.calpoly.edu/10.24867/JGED-2018-2017 Jiang, H., & Ma, J. (2018). Effects of Internet Sales Promotion on a Differential Advertising Model. Discrete Dynamics in Nature & Society, 1–11: https://doi-org.ezproxy.lib.calpoly. edu/10.1155/2018/8618146 Kaila, S. (2020). How can Businesses Leverage Data Analytics to Influence Consumer Purchase Journey at Various Digital Touchpoints? Journal of Psychosocial Research, 15(2), 699—714: https://doi-org.ezproxy.lib.calpoly.edu/10.32381/ JPR.2020.15.02.30 Keller, K. L. (2020). Consumer Research Insights on Brands and Branding: A JCR Curation. Journal of Consumer Research, 46(5), 995–1001: https://doi-org.ezproxy.lib.calpoly. edu/10.1093/jcr/ucz058

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McGrath, J. (2010). Using Means-End Analysis to Test Integrated Marketing Communications Effects. Journal of Promotion Management, 16(4), 361–387: https://doi-org.ezproxy.lib.calpoly. edu/10.1080/10496491003595437 Nadler, A., & McGuigan, L. (2018). An impulse to exploit: the behavioral turn in data-driven marketing. Critical Studies in Media Communication, 35(2), 151–165: https://doi-org.ezproxy. lib.calpoly.edu/10.1080/15295036.2017.1387279 PORCU, L., DEL BARRIO-GARC√çA, S., & KITCHEN, P. J. (2012). How Integrated Marketing Communications (IMC) works? A theoretical review and an analysis of its main drivers and effects. Comunicación y Sociedad, 25(1), 313–348. Simon, D., & Read, S. J. (2018). Neither Cognitive Nor Consistency: A Comment on “Cognitive Consistency Theory in Social Psychology: A Paradigm Reconsidered.” Psychological Inquiry, 29(2), 97–108: https://doi-org.ezproxy.lib.calpoly.edu/10.1080/1 047840X.2018.1480683 Von Freymann, J. (2010). An IMC Process Framework for a Communications-Based Services Marketing Model. Journal of Promotion Management, 16(4), 388–410: https://doi-org. ezproxy.lib.calpoly.edu/10.1080/10496491003595510

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About the Author

Jillian Brandon A part of Jillian’s job is to take on brands in the health & wellness industry with a low presence on Amazon, Walmart and or other marketplaces. As a team, they optimize all aspects of a brand (graphic content, written content, backend SEO, etc.) and launch an enhanced storefront to highlight the benefits and uses for the product catalog. They continue to build a presence, via the specified channel, and drive all marketing opportunities available in effort to grow overall revenue. Once a brand is finally launched, she holds monthly performance metric meetings to check-in with month over month sales, advertising adjustments, and any current initiatives on their end. Their goal is to strengthen each client relationship and ensure credibility and purpose through continued growth in revenue. 120 Cal Poly TAGA 2022

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Meet the Team Cal Poly TAGA 2022

Meet the Team 123

Isabella Walker President

Isabella Walker is a fourth year Graphic Communication student concentrating in User Experience/User Interface, from Bakersfield, CA. After loving art her whole life, she chose GrC because she enjoyed coding and was interested in the intersection of technology and design. She has since found a love for print, packaging and typography. She hopes to work in web design/development and branding for a design agency one day.

Rebecca Wright Vice President Rebecca Wright is a fourth year transfer student concentrating in Management, from Santa Maria, CA. As Vice President of TAGA, she helps Isabella lead the team, delegating tasks and organizing meetings. She would like to pursue a career encompassing the field of project management and marketing, and her dream would be to stay located on the Central Coast. In her free time she enjoys running, crocheting, and trying new coffee shops.

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Gianna Rango Design Coordinator Gianna Rango is a fourth year Graphic Communication student, concentrating in Design Reproduction Technology. She enjoys spending time outdoors at the beach or skiing, drawing, and trying new foods. She was drawn into GrC because of her creative background in art and desire to learn about the vast applications of GrC. Since attending Cal Poly, she has gained a love for book/ magazine layout, print, and packaging alongside her long time love of design.

Kay Quijano Digital Coordinator Kay Quijano is a fourth year Graphic Communication student, concentrating in User Experience/User Interface and minoring in Psychology. Kay is from Mountain View, California and enjoys painting and listening to music in her free time. She chose to study Graphic Communication at Cal Poly SLO because of the interactivity and multitude of topics within the major. After graduation, she hopes to go into UX design with the main goal of helping others.

Meet the Team 125

Zara Iqbal Production Coordinator Zara Iqbal is a second year Graphic Communication major concentrating in User Experience/User Interface. She is from Cupertino, CA, and spent her first year working with the AR Team for TAGA. This year, as Production Coordinator, Zara heads production processes for printing the publication, operating the in-house print machines at Cal Poly. She collaborates with the Design Team and the rest of TAGA to brainstorm finishes to complement the journal’s visuals.

Chloe Szeto Marketing Coordinator Chloe Szeto is a fourth year Graphic Communication student, concentrating in User Experience/User Interface, with minors in Asian Studies and Chinese. Chloe calls San Francisco, California home and enjoys dancing hula, playing volleyball and watching movies with friends and family in her spare time. She hopes to work as a product designer catering her designs to be both inclusive and fun to use.

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Grace Rowell Research Coordinator Grace Rowell is a third year Graphic Communication student from Palo Alto, CA, with a concentration in Design Reproduction Technology and a dual minor in Media Arts, Society and Technology, and Spanish. Her involvement in magazine and journalism prompted interest in Cal Poly’s hands-on GrC program. Grace enjoys hiking and watercolor. She hopes to enter the outdoor industry in advertising or creative direction in the future.

Rachel Ma Advisor Rachel Ma joined Cal Poly in 2018. She has been teaching GrC classes with a focus on paper and printing science. Rachel enjoys the technology side of GrC. She loves working on printing presses to produce tangible products with great user experience. In her free time, Rachel enjoys cooking and exploring the hiking trails in the Central Coast, California. Her favorite trail so far is Point Buchon in Montaña De Oro.

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General Members

Meet the 2021-2022 general body members of the Cal Poly TAGA chapter. The executive board worked alongside this team to assemble the journal, strategize social media content, and design illustrations and augmented reality experiences. The journal would not be complete without their pivotal contributions. Members: Sarah Sykora, Kendra Roberson, Ella Williamson, Lexi Battaglini, Mahati Subramaniam, Rayna Farkas, Cassia Gray, Stefany Padilla, Ella Tune

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Acknowledgments On behalf of the Cal Poly TAGA 2022 team, we would like to thank the following for their support and contributions to this year’s journal. California Polytechnic State University, San Luis Obispo Graphic Communication Department: Donna Templeton, Cal Poly GrC Dr. Peter Schlosser, Cal Poly GrC Donna Templeton, Cal Poly GrC Lorraine Donegan, Cal Poly GrC University Graphic System at Cal Poly Sponsors: Ian Flynn, Visual Media Alliance Jim Workman, PRINTING United Alliance Konica Minolta M.J. Anderson, RealityBLU Pacific Printing Industries Association Printing Industries Association, Inc. of Southern California

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Acknowledgments

Colophon Theme & Design Our journal this year is a celebration of being back in person and an acknowledgment of the long road ahead of us. This technical publication’s layout was designed using Adobe InDesign, and the graphics were created with Adobe Illustrator. The typeface used is Interstate, to complement the theme of the Long Road Ahead. The cover and Fremont graphic were designed by the design coordinator, Gianna Rango. The remaining artworks were designed by Isabella Walker, Kay Quijano, Ella Williamson, Sarah Sykora, Cassia Gray and Kendra Roberson. Production & Publication For each marker-based AR experience, general members used Adobe After Effects to bring the illustrations to life. Members first edited the illustrations in Adobe Illustrator, and then added motion in Adobe After Effects. The AR animations were created by Kay Quijano, Zara Iqbal, Isablella Walker, and general members Kendra Roberson, and Sarah Sykora. Production for this year’s journal and its packaging were done using Cal Poly’s in-house machines under the guidance of Dr. Ruoxi Rachel Ma, technician Dr. Peter Schlosser, and the University Graphic Systems. Varnishing for the journal was outsourced to Presenation Folder, Inc. located in Orange, CA with the help of their Marketing Director, Aaron Tardie and referred to by Lou Carson from PIASC. The journal and packaging were printed with the Konica Minolta Accurio 12000 through the EFI Fiery Command Workstation. The cover substrate is Arjowiggins Particles Moonlight 100% recycled 250 GSM, the text paper is Verso Futura 118 GSM Matte Text, and the packaging substrate is Verso Sterling Silk Cover. The printed journals were trimmed with the Polar 92X Cutter and then perfect-bound with the Duplo Binder 280. UGS operated the Kongsberg X24 iCut Table to diecut the outer packaging. The packaging was manually folded and the journals were placed inside.

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