LC4D Technology + Design, Summer 2014

TECHNOLOGY AND

Design

T H E L O U I S V I L L E C E N T E R F O R D E S I G N | L C 4 D. O R G

WHAT’S INSIDE S U M M E R

2 0 1 4

3 4&5 6&7 8&9 10

The Value of Graduate Degrees

2014

T+D and LC4D? Thank you for reviewing the inaugural edition of Technology and Design (T+D). T+D is published by the Louisville Center for Design (LC4D) and Lindsey Wilson College and is distributed quarterly. T+D presents the latest trends and information in the areas of technology, design and education. We will also include news, events, and other community happenings from the Louisville and Midwest region.

Interaction Design

All things IxD, UX, IA, HCI, UI In this issue, we tackle several topics in Interaction Design (IxD). This has been a hotbed of discussion in the industry since the

IxD

advent of devices becoming smart. It includes a highly demanding set of skills and practices that focus on industrial, service and digital usability.

Some even claim it has run its course, but regardless, the practices and principles that it has brought to the table are here to stay for a while. These are some of the job titles that grew

Holistic IXD

out of IxD: • Interaction Designer • UX Designer • UX Architect

The Flat Movement What’s All the SASS About?

SUM

• UI Designer

• Information Architect • HCI Designer LC4D offers the world an Online Master of Arts Degree in Interactive Design. It will also offer the

• Content Strategist

• Interactive Ninja

• IxD Rockstar

• Happiness Architect

Louisville community digital events, certificate

So read on and get orientated to a field that is in

programs, creative workshops and professional

constant flux as the Industrial Internet flexes

development for educators.

it’s muscles.

THE LOUISVILLE CENTER FOR DESIGN

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L C 4 D. O R G

Design

AND

TECHNOLOGY “ Our presence will raise the bar for industry professionals . . .”

LC4D Lands in the ‘Ville.

The Louisville Center for Design (LC4D) will be setting

David Edwin Meyers, Director of LC4D says “Our

and industry personnel to keep up with the

up shop this summer in Louisville. LC4D is an initiative

presence will raise the bar for industry professionals

curriculum that needs to be taught in the

by Lindsey Wilson College which is located in

and provide a mechanism for them to remain

classroom. This is a problem in Kentucky and beyond.

Columbia, KY. They are committed to supporting LC4D

active and engaged with the ever changing fields of

“These institutions don’t have the resources of an MIT

in its effort to provide professional development,

technology and design.” Meyers also wants to use

or Stanford.”

industry experts for speaking events and accredited

the talent and resources that Louisville has to offer.

online education. LC4D currently has a virtual

“Louisville has talent and brilliance in the fields of

presence and is actively in talks with local and

design and technology. We hope to utilize some of

well established businesses in an effort to form

these individuals in our professional development

strategic alliances.

offerings and our online Masters Degree program.”

LC4D has several missions. First and foremost their online Masters Program will carry the torch in their effort to bring world-class accredited education to Kentucky and the region. This virtual effort will extend the offering to all corners of the globe.

However, they are just as committed to supporting local industry and the general community by offering on-ground workshops in the heart of the city. “We hope to get local talent involved in our effort to

Design Foundation (IDF), based in Denmark. The IDF exists to create and supply open-education resources to schools and the industry. This eases the burden for many schools. “The IDF does have the contacts, and has developed, in collaboration with top tier universities,

companies,

authors

and

thought

leaders from Stanford, Cambridge, Harvard, MIT, SAP Labs, IBM Research” says Meyers. As a strategic partner with the IDF, Meyers has integrated some of that expertise into the Master’s program. He also hopes to recruit some of these experts to Louisville for speaking engagements and special events.

create and develop open-education resources.”

To learn more about the Louisville Center for Design,

Meyers, a native Kentuckian, points out that many

visit their Website at www.LC4D.org

community colleges, technical schools and smaller institutions simply don’t have the financial means 2

LC4D has a strategic alliance with the Interaction

The Value of Graduate Degrees There seems to be a debate these days regarding

it is rare that an individual increases their odds for

the value of academic education. Is it worth going

opportunities, jobs, promotions and higher pay

to college for four years and accumulating debt from

without these.

students loans? Unless you obtain scholarships from your academic accomplishments or have family support, it is likely you will have to utilize student loans. Even if students qualify for grants by way the federal student aid program (FAFSA), it usually doesn’t cover the entire costs of college when you consider

that the median earnings of those with a graduate degree in the field, irrespective of tenure, earn an average of 38.3 percent higher than those who only possess a bachelor’s degree in the same field.

tuition, books, housing and general living expenses.

A senior manager in an international IT services

Take this a step further. When looking at graduate

firm, quoted in a UK report, Talent Fishing: What

programs, the federal grants become none existent.

Businesses Want from Postgraduates, “Employers

But other options may be available. Graduate

do see more in master’s holders. When asked what

students continue to qualify for federal student

qualities they value about employees with graduate

loans as long as they maintain a certain number

degrees, nine out of ten of those employers who

+38.3%

of credit hours. And if you can find an affordable

recruited master’s holders liked their analytical

graduate program, this may very well suffice.

thinking and problem-solving skills.

HIGHER SALARIES .....

If you are a working professional, you should explore

for those with a graduate degree

options that your employer may have available.

Many companies provide a tuition benefit for employees who are interested in continuing their education. And then there are assistantships. Many schools provide discounted tuition for graduate assistants. In return, the graduate assistants are usually required to assist a professor in program duties. This could be doing administrative work or possibly teaching an undergraduate class in a

$

A recent study from Georgetown University found

$

topic that is related to their area of study.

In today’s job market, it is suggested that you arm yourself with as many weapons as possible when

“those with a graduate degree in the field, irrespective of tenure, make an average of 38.3 percent higher”

seeking employment. Continued engagement and education is critical and illustrates to potential employers your dedication and commitment. In the fields of design and technology this is paramount due to the rapid change and introduction of new technologies, processes and platforms. Just in the

APPLY TODAY FOR THE LC4D ONLINE

past decade alone, completely new disciplines have

MASTER OF ARTS DEGREE in Interactive Design

mushroomed, as well as new platforms and devices.

When competing for jobs, it is critical that you have the knowledge, experience, education and credentials.

www.LC4D.org | 1.888.871.1701

Unless you are an ingenious savant or a Steven Jobs, 3

IxD THE LOUISVILLE CENTER FOR DESIGN

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L C 4 D. O R G

I n t e r a c t i o n

D e s i g n

Imagine this scenario. An advertising agency gets a

Web site, mobile app, in-store experience - whatever.

new client. The client needs a Website. The account

User-centered design starts with the user.

executive meets with the client. Perhaps an assistant

This trend and discipline has come to be know as

AE attends - and possibly even a copywriter and

interaction design. It includes many tactics and a

art director. The team gathers all of the pertinent

methodology of iteration. Iteration meaning a cycle

information and heads back to create. The writer

of collecting data, then designing, then testing, then

and designers work together to develop a series of

modifying the design based on test results. It is a

comps. They present to the agency and the agency

cycle of improving the product based on the user’s

selects a direction. The team then goes back to refine

needs, desires, intuition and usability. The term

the designs based on feedback from the client and

interaction design was coined by Bill Moggridge and

over the next few weeks or months, they slowly build

Bill Verplank in 1984. In 2007, Moggridge stated “I

the Web monster as the clients checks in periodically

gave my first conference presentation on the subject

to make sure the job is looking good and on track. In

in 1984, and at that time I described it as “Soft-face”,

time, they complete the job. They launch the site .

thinking of a combination between software and

This scenario was pretty much the way Web sites and

user-interface design […] we went on thinking of

other interactive endeavors were handled from the

possible names until I eventually settled on

early days of the Web up until the early to mid nineties.

“interaction design” with he help of Bill Verplank.”

Many agencies, firms and design studios still use

Since then the discipline slowly blossomed as the

this method when creating interactive experiences,

world wide web and other platforms for interaction

whether it be Web sites, apps or other digital experiences.

But there is one key player in this scenario that is missing. And that is the user. Most corporate giants and many progressive firms have altered this process and started using what is referred to as a “User-Centered” approach. This basically flips the

It may still start with the client, but quickly shifts to the “user”. So if you have a corporate entity like Yum Brands, they would mine data on the users - the customers of the restaurant outlets. They need to understand their consumer’s behavior and what the consumer’s wants, desires and needs are to better

came onto the scene. It grew out of the industrial design area but has slowly made its way across the spectrum of design. Since its spread there have been many opinions on what it is, what its limitations and scope are and even the very definition has aroused debate.

deliver their product. In a global setting, this could

There are a host of Web sites and publications that

include cultural sensitivities, empathy to the user’s

address the topic. The two prominent organizations

You can think of it as the same process but you are

point of view, and other items that were completely

are The Interaction Design Association (IXDA) and

adding tactics to the front end (Upfront research and

ignored in the earlier scenario. This can be done with

the Interaction Design Foundation (IDF). These two

analysis), adding tactics to the middle (User-testing

surveys, interviews, observation, polls, user-testing

organizations exist to promote and support the field.

and assessment) and adding tactics to the end

and so on. The list of tactics are many. But the point

The IXDA is focused a bit more on professional topics

(Iteration based on testing).

is that, when developing a user-experience, be it a

while the IDF does the same but also has a mission to

previous scenario on it head.

4

Several Points of View: IxD What is it?

“Designing interactive products to support the way people communicate and interact in their everyday and working lives.”

Source: Interaction Design, Beyond Human Computer Interaction, Rogers, Sharp, Preece • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • •

“The design of the interaction between people and devices, systems or services. This interaction usually involves the ‘new technologies’ of computing and communications. But interaction design remains a creative activity – like architectural, graphic or product design. And it concerns the social value and cultural meaning of what is designed, as well as its functional efficiency and aesthetic appeal.”

Source: Gillian Crampton Smith and Philip Tabor, Iuav University of Venice, Italy

support individuals and educational missions by supplying open-education resources and free course

• • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • •

-ware. In fact, the Louisville Center for Design has an official agreement with the IDF and an educational

“Interaction designers strive to create useful and usable products and

resource exchange channel. The IDF offers members

services. Following the fundamental tenets of user-centered design, the

a comprehensive Encyclopedia of Human-Computer

practice of interaction design is grounded in an understanding of real

from dozens of the world’s top designers. Even

users—their goals, tasks, experiences, needs, and wants. Approaching

though interaction designs scope reaches far beyond

design from a user-centered perspective, while endeavoring to

origins of IxD.

balance users’ needs with business goals and technological capabilities,

So as Jon Kolko states in his concise definition

interaction designers provide solutions to complex design challenges,

“Interaction design is the creation of a dialogue

and define new and evolving interactive products and services.”

We want you to extend your thoughts beyond the

Interaction (2nd Edition) which includes chapters

just humans and computers, HCI was one of several

between a person and a product, service, or system”. definition and think of the focus on the user, fact

Source: IXDA.org

gathering, research tactics, assessment and iterative methodology that breath life into this definition.

• • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • •

Adding this methodology is sure to pay dividends to your design, regardless of your specific discipline.

“Interaction Design is the creation of a dialogue between a person and

For more, see:

a product, service, or system.”

http://www.ixda.org http://www.interaction-design.org

Source: Thoughts on Interaction Design, Jon Kolko 5

holistic intera

THE LOUISVILLE CENTER FOR DESIGN

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L C 4 D. O R G

Professor David Edwin Meyers is on a mission. He is

“What we have is a broken angel house-

authoring a new book entitled Holistic Interaction

like (reference to the famous landmark

Design, A New Paradigm for the Industrial Internet.

Broken-Angel house in Brooklyn, NY)

As a professor in a discipline (IxD) that claims to

contraption where new disciplines

simplify complexity, he is continually amazed at the

and fields were added, stacked

visualizations, diagrams and definitions that attempt

and overlapped.”

to explain the structure and state of the industry.

Meyers’ theory of Holistic IxD deconstructs the discipline and restructures it using a new paradigm from the ground up.

He starts at ground zero with simple classifications across the spectrum of design, stating that all things designed by humans start in one of the following silos:

Industrial, environmental,

system or communication. In his abstract equation, these are represented as IND, ENV, SYS and COM.” All design originates from Figure 01

one of the silos but they all work in unison at different proportions.”

“When I look at diagrams like that (fig. 1), I am

As an example, if you are designing a new coffee

possibility of embedding smart capabilities within?

immediately confused” says Meyers. “I think that

maker, it is predominantly an industrial design

The Communication (COM) silo is represented as the

we are at a point in the evolution of Interaction

project, although you will have considerations

coffee maker will more than likely need instructional

Design and across design fields in general, where

and contributions from the environmental,

text or iconic visual information, as well as

we’ve seen a convergence and slow succession of

systems and communication areas. You have

visual branding. In this example, it is clear that the

transformations and additions of new disciplines

to consider the environment (ENV) and design

industrial silo is the primary vertical, but within this,

as digital technology has engulfed every aspect of

accordingly in terms of ergonomics, dimensions

the other silos are required as well, just at lesser

designs existence.” As someone who was educated

and consideration of palce and use in the user’s

levels of contribution. Typically you will have a

in design and the fine arts in a pre-digital

environment. System (SYS) considerations are

dominant silo that includes the remaining three

world, he and many like him, can see the full

also in play as there needs to be decisions made

in some proportion. But they are all encapsulated

spectrum of change from the beginning.

regarding its functionality, operation, flow and

in the sphere of Holistic IxD. The “value” of these

6

action design say what?

HIxd = (COG || SEN || PHY || EMO) + (ENV || SYS || COM || IND)

HIxd = (COG || SEN || PHY || EMO) + (ENV || SYS || COM || IND)

secondary silo contributions are of no less

The holistic philosophical position is that “it is all

importance. It is only their proportion of

important”. Meyers states “Where there is a

presence that is less. Meyers claims, “These

human and a designed interaction, there is

secondary silos need the same HIxD considerations

HIxD.” The position is that everything involved in the interaction, from the look and feel, to the functionality, to the user interface, to the fonts chosen - are all important. Some trailblazers in the industry have different opinions, stating that it is the research, architecture, testing and iteration that is IxD, they claim the font and buttons can be left to the graphic designers.

Meyers disagrees and states that the size, placement, color, font, and functionality, as well as all of the other

Figure 03

pieces to the puzzle are just as as do the primary one. Information needs to be

important. All are critical parts of the user-

represents human engagement of the user-

gathered up front, there needs to be research,

experience and emotional engagement, even when

experience. These also include four categories,

they need design and testing and they need

its presence may appear secondary.

which are cognitive, senses, physical and emotional.

iteration if the testing reveals such.” His stance is that Interaction Design is not a merely a discipline that simply overlaps other design disciplines, rather it is a methodology and set of principles that

Meyers sees Interaction Design and User-Experience Design as nearly one in the same. And he states the

“So the user-experience is the collision of these two

purpose of HIxD is to create the most optimal and

groups, the designed silos and human engagement”.

For example, consider a user interacting with an

transcend discipline and encapsulates design.

This is not to say that a designer must embrace the

I ND

IND

SYS

gaged with, this is a sophisticated challenge in its own

COM

right. The current app (fig 2b) on the tablet provides

ENV

artistic, progressive and innovative design, one Figure 02a

interactions at play. The first being the user and the smart tablet (fig 2a), regardless of the app they are en-

COM ENV

and filmmaker also, he realizes and encourages the

must sometimes reject the user’s opinion and step

app on a smart tablet. There are several designed

SYS

HIxD philosophy that Meyers puts forth. As a painter value of artistic freedom and expression. For truly

Represented as COG, SEN, PHY and EMO.

Figure 02b

out on a limb. This is the very recipe for ground

rewarding user-experience. To break it down further,

breaking innovation.

Meyers has identified a secondary taxonomy that

yet another designed interaction and experience.

A lot of theory, eh! But it illustrates that all of these (continued on Back Page) 7

flares, beveling or drop shadows. That pretty much sums up my opinion on the topic. The cycle seems to have come back around to the golden rule of design.

Keep it simple!

The simplicity is also being driven by the platforms.

With smart phones and tablets, designers have less real estate and the trend seems to be on the information and content. A flat, solid and clean design lends itself to a better presentation and delivery of data and information. Add to this it’s positive responsive design characteristics and it makes practical sense as well.

What’s In: Focus on typography via code What’s Out: Image-generated typography CSS, SASS, WebKit, font-face and Google fonts have made embedding elegant fonts easy. Gone are the days of having to make an image just so you could display that unique typographical headline.

That Design Looks Flat hmmmm,maybe that’s a good thing?

So flat design is in! The trend actually started several

What’s In: Animation and transitions

years ago, peaked in 2013 and we see no sign of it

What’s Out: Over-animated Flash

losing steam. It has moved to the forefront for many

Figure 01 (above) Simple UI components from the framework kit - Flat UI Figure 02 (top of page) The popular email marketing Website Mail Chimp uses a flat UI

mobile, tablet and Web endeavors. Say goodbye to

CSS, HTML5 and JavaScript features have made

the three-dimensional buttons, drop shadows and,

elegant animations and transitions easy. The key

God-forbid . . . beveling. So developers beware, if

word being elegant. Keep it simple. Gone are the

your site is full of lens-flares and glossy dimensional

days of AOOC (Animation out of control). I can’t recall

elements - you are behind the times. Get with the

the last time I saw Flash used for a typical Web site?

program. Let’s look at a few “Ins and outs”.

My suggestion: toss Flash out of the development

What’s In: Focus on color and simplicity What’s Out: Glossy 3-dimensional elements I’ll miss the glossy finishes, but these should have gone out in the 80s. Oh wait, there wasn’t a world wide web in the 1980’s. As a professor of interactive design, I don’t even allow my students to use lens

8

options unless you are creating a game, Web app or are dependent on the Flash player for video delivery.

Transitions, slideshows, animated navigation and other low-stress tasks are much more streamlined and efficient using code.

FLAT FRAMEWORKS AND UI KITS

The following are frameworks that emphasize and employ flat design. These frameworks provide powerful shells from which to construct impressive Web and HTML5-driven applications.

There are several out there at the moment but these our three of our favorites.

Graphic Source: http://foundation.zurb.com/docs/

Gumby 2.6

Foundation

Flat UI

Gumby 2 is built with the power of Sass. Sass is a

There’s so much shiny awesomeness in this release

Flat UI Free is made on the basis of Twitter Bootstrap

powerful CSS preprocessor which allows us to develop

we think it speaks for itself. In case it doesn’t though,

in a stunning flat-style, and the kit also includes a PSD

Gumby itself with much more speed — and gives you

here’s a rundown on some of the new (and existing)

version for designers.

new tools to quickly customize and build on top of the

features in the first, most-advanced responsive frame-

Gumby Framework.

work out there.

Gumby 2 is an amazing responsive CSS Framework.

The nuts and bolts of Foundation have never been

the same elements as the PSD version and are perfect

Websites built today must be mobile friendly in order

speedier. Not just for responsive images any more,

for creating great websites. With this Framework, you

to survive. Why have two different sites for mobile

Interchange in Foundation 5 lets you create beautifully

can spend even less time on routine work, saving that

and desktop when you can have your main site be

optimized sites by letting you selectively load entire

time for creativity.

one size fits all? Gumby Framework is also incredibly

sections based on the client device type. It’s now even

customizable; it’s as easy as download, tweak, deploy!

faster to put together websites and applications.

Customizing Gumby to fit the needs of your project

We’ve put together all the pieces to make Foundation

hand: buttons, inputs, button groups, selects, check-

has never been easier. Changing the entire design of

the professional choice for companies, designers and

boxes and radio-buttons, tags, menus, progress bars

our UI kit is as simple as changing a few Sass variables

developers. We’re providing reliable support and

and sliders, navigation elements and more.

and assigning the appropriate classes to your markup

services to keep your organization up and running

structure!

with Foundation.

Source: http://gumbyframework.com/

Source: http://foundation.zurb.com

We have considered your needs in developing the html version of our bootstrap theme, which contains

Flat UI Free contains many basic and complex components which are great for designers to have at

Source: http://designmodo.com/flat-free/ 9

THE LOUISVILLE CENTER FOR DESIGN

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L C 4 D. O R G

What’s all the

About?

Well if you visit the sass-lang.com, they make it pretty clear. The headline reads “CSS with superpowers”. And this certainly is the case. Any Web developer will tell you, CSS was sent from heaven.

SASS allows programmers creative and aesthetic

Its similar to the core function of CSS as

There are a few other nifty tricks including mixins,

control over the content on the page and throughout

explained in the first paragraph. As an example,

import, extend, inheritance and operators, but

their entire site. Imagine that you have a one

if you need to change all of the elements in

since I’m writing an article and not a book, I should

thousand page Web site, and the client wants to

your code that are defined as red, instead of

direct you to SASS-lang.com. SASS has been received

change the headline color through. Simply open the CSS file, make the change once, and the change is

with a welcome by the industry and it does have a

1

variable = red

2

--------------------------

If you want amazing, meet SASS.

3

headline 1 = variable

4

body text = variable

SASS is the most mature, stable and powerful

5

quote = variable

professional grade CSS extension language in

6

area A = variable

the world. It’s sort of CSS on steroids. SASS brings

7

area B = variable

several important elements to the table. The first

8

--------------------------

reflected through all one thousand pages. Amazing, right? Well not amazing but impressive nonetheless.

is pre-processing. Pre-processing allows users to employ features that don’t yet exist in CSS. Things like variables, nesting, inheritance and other nifty goodies.

If your not a programmer and you’re scratching your head right now, don’t worry. Just know it gives a programmer many more options and simplifies a very large and complex CSS style sheet. The pre-processing feature actually figures everything out and then spits out a normal CSS style sheet

Simple conceptual example illustrating how a variable can change properties in multiple areas throughout the code.

Changing the value of VARIABLE in line 1 will change the value in the remaining lines.

searching, finding and changing all of the dozens or hundreds of properties defined as red, you simply change the single variable from red to green and viola, ALL are now green. So in simple terms, it

which can then be used in your Web site.

might work something like this:

As mentioned earlier, SASS allows coders to use

In the example above, if I wanted

variables. Variables are like little storage containers.

Lets say you have dozens or hundreds of these

to change all of those elements to green, I simply change the variable

storage containers spread throughout your style sheet

to green in line 1.

and this container hold the value of a color - red.

SASS does the rest!

10

large community, so you should be able to get the help and support you need. I say go for it. If CSS was heaven sent, perhaps SASS was sent from Krypton?

Visit: http://www.SASA-LANG.com

Earth to Designers: Get a Server!

There are tons of options available for businesses and developers for hosting Web sites. Sites like Wix and Squarespace have pretty powerful free options if you’re willing to promote their brand with Web banners. And these are great for small businesses and students, or individuals whose presence on the Web is required and may not be a priority.

But what can a true professional do to take that leap to the next level? What about the student who graduates and becomes a professional or the small business that wants a more impressive presence. It is highly unlikely that you will find any professional designer or developer worth their weight, using these solutions. This is not to diminish

DIGITAL WORKSHOP

Managing Your Own Virtual Server Host and manage up to 100 Websites

for only $20.00 per month

• Web Designers

• Graphic Designers • Entrepreneurs • Advertising Agencies • Marketing and PR Firms

their capability or power.

• Small Businesses

Professionals who need to control their brand and

• Teachers and Educators

appearance need other options. They don’t need or want a Wix or Squarespace banner on their site and if they upgrade and remove the banner, it will cost between $4.00 and $24.00 per month.

So if a designer has developed ten client sites and manages their hosting, this will cost them between $40.00 and $240.00 per month.

Stop the madness!

You have options. Many hosting companies offer virtual servers. These options allow you to host multiple sites, add emails easily and resell the hosting to your clients with a markup rate. And the best part, you pay less than a Wix or Squarespace and you profit more. You provide your client a better solution, you have more power and control AND you make more money.

Learn the system. Its easy and any entrepreneur, designer or small business person can do it.

It is low maintenance, affordable and highly profitable.

The Louisville Center for Design will hold a workshop that will walk you through the entire process. See ad on this page.

• Students If you are a designer, design studio, small agency or freelancer and design Web sites, learn how to manage a shared Media Temple Grid Server that can host up to 100 Websites and 1000 email addresses for only $20.00 per month.

This workshop will walk you through everything you need to know, with absolutely no prior knowledge.

100 Web Sites

1000 00 $20 Emails

per month • No hardware costs • No software costs

You will learn how to: - Set up your server with your domain - Set DNS to point to your server - Set up new sites (up to 100) - Set up email (up to 1000 email addresses) - Set up FTP between you and the server - Install apps (wordpress) with one-click - and more

• No software updates required • Ever . . .

Instructor:

David Edwin Meyers

For details, costs and schedule, see:

http://www.LC4D.org/workshops 11

THE LOUISVILLE CENTER FOR DESIGN

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L C 4 D. O R G

Design

AND

TECHNOLOGY

Figure 04 Visualization (left) illustrates that regardless of design discipline, all could benefit from IxD tactics, principles

(holistic - continued from page 5)

and methodologies.

components contribute to the user-experience, just at different degrees. “To say that any of these contributors have less value would be an injustice.

They may have a smaller footprint or presence, but they are just as important.” These diagrams represent anatomical thumbnails or blueprints of the project and the contributions that are required from each design silo. This is an early step when starting any design project. But the most important take-away is that there is no overlapping of IxD as in Figure 1, there is total inclusion. All of these silos

To further illustrate this theory, see the figure 4. “This

has introduced. Today’s employment recruiters are

diagram represents many of the IxD tactics and

always looking for the elusive “unicorn”. This is a term

best practices that exist. These are added ‘into’

recruiters call individuals with an understanding and

the mix as they are needed, regardless of the

synthesis beyond their design discipline. For example,

discipline. They don’t overlap, cross or stack even

a highly skilled designer who understand the

+ Does the IND portion of your project need fact

though they share many elements. If a silo

methodologies that interaction design brings to the

gathering, research, designing, testing and the

requires a discipline, then the expertise that

table. This can only happen when schools start to

possibility of iteration? Yes

the discipline represents, is utilized in full

incorporate a more holistic approach to design.

fall under the guidelines and criteria of what most designers currently consider to be IxD.

Consider these questions:

capacity. If the discipline is not needed, it is simply + Does the SYS portion of your project need fact

An individual must be introduced to these tactics and

in the queue.” He states that this chart doesn’t fully

gathering, research, designing, testing and the

understand their relevance to improving design.

represent all of the tactics, techniques or practices.

possibility of iteration? Yes

There are simply too many and new ones are popping

+ Does the ENV portion of your project need fact

all the time.

This paradigm is sure to stir up the bee hive as the design field is full of passionate individuals with strong opinions. “Every time I see a blog post trying

gathering, research, designing, testing and the

Prior to interaction design coming into its own, design

possibility of iteration? Yes

to explain the state of the industry, it is bombarded

disciplines relied on the client and the designer.

with critical commentary, by people who reject

Regardless of whether an architect was designing

new schools of thought or by those who think they

an environment, an industrial designer designing

know better.” Meyers wants his reconstruction to be

a physical device or graphic designer designing a

reviewed with an open mind. “There is nothing

brochure, the user was basically absent in the equation.

concrete about what I have presented. It is merely a

+ Does the COM portion of your project need fact gathering, research, designing, testing and the possibility of iteration? Yes Of course there may be some projects where one

It was the client and the designer that determined

or more of the silos are not represented or required

what was best for the user. What Meyers is suggesting

at all. But when they are present, they all need the

is that all of these disciplines could benefit from

same attention, assessment and option for iteration

the techniques and methods that interaction design

if the overall project is to reach maximum success.

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new way of seeing what’s right in front of us.”