tell your story
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table of contents
project brief
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research
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branding
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service
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interaction
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project brief The work we have documented in this booklet, while conceptual, is a solution in response to an identified real world problem. We framed our scope based off of personal interest and our realization that there was no system in place currently that solves our design problem. We went through the design process, first further developing our initial idea, our motivations and goals for the project. We established precedents and researched our topic. We then established our stakeholders and We researchers, analyze the realms of branding, interaction and service design.
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We strive to provide families with a platform to share and document their stories, and curate an authentic and collaborative, crossgenerational family history.
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welcome The story of Tell began when we realized that we didn’t know much about what life was like for our parents or grandparents at our age. We set out to design a platform that could help open the doors for communication with our relatives and document all their wonderful stories for posterity and future generations. Our solution had to be simple, catchy and intuitive while also being sustainable and adaptable for the future. We wanted to create a system that catered to coming of age millennials, who, like us, were in a process of self discovery and had always
wondered about their roots. Taking inspiration from projects such as Storycorps and Humans of New York, we developed the app and website as well as a plan to expand the program’s audience through innovative advertising and outreach. The Tell system that exists today, still functions around the core values that it began with, putting a high price on connecting with those you love, telling and listening to their stories and documenting them for posterity.
users
audience
Tell primarily aims to target tech-minded millennials. This consists of individuals who have reached a “coming of age” point in their lives and who want to define their own identity through their family history and a shared past. These users generally have extended family they want to connect with and have a desire to document family history for themselves and future generations.
Our audience consists of a much more broad array of people. This is meant to be a tool that is used by all ages and generations, although the target audience of users are millennials. Tell intends to assist in connecting them with their extended family or elders.
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research After establishing the general direction of our platform, we brainstormed, spitballed and wireframed for weeks, generating dozens of ideas. We found it useful to focus on writing and drawing our ideas quickly and then setting them aside and moving on. This process helped us to establish a set of strong ideas to develop further. We also created concept maps, task flows, user personas and scenarios, as well as interviews, and lo-fi and hi-fi prototypes. These would later become our kit of parts and the foundation on which our program is built.
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literature review
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The Language of New Media Lev Manovich
Participate: Designing with User-Generated Content Helen Armstrong and Zvezdana Stojmirovic
Designing for Interaction Hugh Dubberly
Manovich explained the four qualities of new media in a passage of his book, The Language of New Media. Numerical representation reflects that if it should be considered “media” then it is programmable and editable. Modularity defines how media can be made up of many different parts such as web pages. Smaller systems such as page elements and content make up the complete system of a webpage. Automation is seen as how media can be can be broken down and reconstituted into something different. An example of automation in media is Photoshop or Flash. Finally, the purpose of variability in new media is defined by Manovich as writing, “a new media object is not something fixed once and for all, but something that can exist in different, potentially infinite versions.”
“The best participatory design solicits content from usersvisual, thematic content…and then translates it into something greater than the initial contribution. In this way, the designer provides value to the users, rewarding them for their contribution.”
What we got from Hugh Dubberly was the fact that platforms can not exist alone. An application can only be so successful until its context no longer has a need for it. However, the system of multiple platforms connecting to each other and crossing over helps it strive to interact in a realm beyonds its initial use. A great example mentioned is the relationship Facebook has with other online resources. When an article from BBC or Buzzfeed has the ability to be shared beyond its domain, it reaches a larger audience when delivered through a social media network. Users are able to interact with the element that help it continue to be shared in multiple forms. This was an interesting concept for the future of our Tell application. Can it live beyond what we originally intended?
Armstrong’s book on participation design was of great use to us when we strategized how to encourage users to submit content in a natural way. We pivoted our strategy of solely storing content to also presenting the content back in a delightful and creative way.
comparative analysis
Brandon Stanton has been photographing and documenting the stories of people in New York as a part of HONY. He is a great example of breaking down boundaries to get to the real story.
StoryCorps’ mission is to provide people of all backgrounds and beliefs with the opportunity to record, share and preserve the stories of our lives. StoryCorps is an initiative dedicated to recording, sharing and preserving stories and providing users with an accessible and non intimidating platform. In 2003, they opened their first recording booth in New York City’s Grand Central Terminal and began with the intention of recording stories from regular people about their lives. The project has expanded to include segments that focus on the military, LGBT issues, people with Dementia or memory loss, people with special needs and more.
BRANDON’S INTERVIEW TIPS: 1. Don’t start with the intention of getting the “real” story out of people 2. Act as non threatening as possible, to get on their level and get them alone (if they have other people they may clam up), 3. Ask the difficult questions (and allow people to not answer questions if they can’t) 4. Escalate the level of intimacy slowly 5. Ask broad questions that become a starting point and then drill down to the personal 6. Look for something that no one else could told you 7. Ask about emotions (happiest moment, saddest, most disappointing). Most great stories have a strong emotion tied to them.
Time capsules have long been used by people or communities to document history to be preserved for posterity. They are usually kept in a vault or buried underground in a box, capsule, etc. for protection until they are to be opened. When future people open the box 25, 50, or 1000 years later, they see the items in the container just as they were preserved by the original curators. I found out about a modern, digital form of the time capsule idea called Hear From Me. They are a for profit service that lets account holders to upload media (memories) and have it sent to family members, friends, etc. at anytime in the future. In many cases, this will be after they have deceased. This is an interesting concept to think about because it is a precedent for digital media storage that is maintained for the future. If it is truly designed well then it would also be able to be sustainable with any digital media environment.
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Millennial
Limited to users involved and their families.
People at a coming of age point in their lives when they want to find out about themselves through their collective family history. They want to connect to understand.
Creates a time line for users and their family
Help facilitate conversations and dig to the deeper, more honest story
Collect stories/memories
Tools Users
Stakeholders
Older generations People being interviewed who have interesting stories to tell and want to connect with their family and document history.
Website
Function
Not intended for legal or other purposes
Gives meaning to stories/ presents them Lets users collect stories using :
App
Audience
Platform
Audio
Artifacts
Video Writing
Curation Learning /Literacy
Photos
Redesigning Genealogy
Behaviors
Outreach
Moving Recording Studio
Matt Kubota, Maddie Bone & Aubrie Phillips
Physical place to collect stories
Inspiration
Connectivity / Network
Inspiring young people to reach out and learn from the stories and experiences of their elders.
Gives new users access to technology to participate
Encourages new users
Ads
Values Richness
Documenting rich and valuable stories that are satisfying to tell and share.
Connection
Physical
Establishing a rich connection between family members now and in the future.
Interactive
Digital Respect Respecting the past by giving it importance through documentation
Social Media
Larger Scale
Early stage service mapping
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Intervention / Installation
Focus on individual stories
Focus on body of stories
Encourage new users to use platform Larger scale
entity mapping Redesigning genealogy for a digital age Teach people how to share memories, the responsibility a family member has to document their history, and how to document the stories of other family members through a storytelling toolkit that offers advice and sample questions.
Advertise our organization in physical and digital platforms to promote awareness. In addition, we want to onboard users without access to digital tools through a system of outreach.
Collect user data in the form of video, audio, photographs or documents. Users will be able to use tools available to them such as computers, audio recorders, scanners or cameras. An app will be designed along with the website to help aid data collection for those without other digital tools.
Store all forms of data in the cloud. This online platform will be secure and only available to the family to add content or view. It must be a dynamic platform so that as media and technology change over time, it will change accordingly. View a family member’s history chronologically.
Future family members will be able to look back generations and see the content associated with a family member or a whole group of family members. All content will be organized through a tagging system that groups similar events, adds people to events, and gives a date and location.
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Mission Statement
Entity Proper
We strive to provide families with a platform to share
Our redesign of genealogy consists of systems that help teach, advertise, collect, store, and view important memories in a family’s history. Talking to family members can be hard; as a result of a generational gap, differences in personality, or lack of resources (i.e. time, ways to connect). It is equally painful to connect with family members who are not as inclined to share or
and document their stories, and curate an authentic and collaborative, cross-generational family history.
Behaviors
who are more reserved or the opposite, those who over share. Often these factors prevent younger generations from reaching out and the stories of the older generations remain untold. Currently, no tool exists that solves this issue in a dynamic, appealing way and will be sustainable and dynamic in the foreseeable future.
Connectivity/Networking Thakera’s principle applies within our platform through varying family members telling stories. The timeline between stories shows a dynamic web of connectivity, establishing a rich connection among family members. Curation Users need to figure out what has to be valuable to family members down the road. There is a process of selecting important aspects of a person’s life vs. the mundane every day actions. This is less of a stream of consciousness, and more of a highlight real. Learning/Literacy The importance of a family’s history promotes learning through a families perspective. This applies to users who want to use the accumulated data for research, but also users who want learn the chronology of what makes them unique.
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Users Users
Service Providers
Our primary users for the system are Millennials/Z Generation who are tech-minded. In many cases, these people have reached a “coming-of-age” point in their lives and have extended family they want to connect with. We predict that they need a way of documenting their family member’s history for future generations and posterity.
Developers, designers, business management, outreach, marketers and staff/volunteers at events.
This project will serve as a tool used by all ages and generations. Although the target audience of users is Millennials (Gen-Z), the project intends to assist in connecting them with their extended family and elders. Since the content stays within the associated family, unrelated third-parties will most likely not be impacted.
Stakeholders This would include our initial users, family associations, public radio broadcasting, historical preservationists, individuals/ organizations that support storytelling as a tool, and educators. The content within this system will not be subject for legal use within a court of law.
unexpected applications We recognize that Tell has many possible applications and uses. Here is an example of a new innovative way we could see our program being used... Henry Blory and Amanda Falin, both Harvard English Professors have teamed with TELL to create a system for collecting and cataloging the stories of African American families in the US. They are beginning with their student body, introducing the program and facilitating its use. They want to create a distinct, honest and accurate portrayal of what life was like for African Americans growing up and living in the US in the past century. They are encouraging students to use TELL with their
parents and grandparents and to ask them about their experiences surrounding racism, class struggles, education and the workforce. These stories will then be compiled into a database which specific historians, scholars and authors will be granted access. The stories will then be filtered and curated for various purposes and shared with the general public. The project aims to document the real stories, struggles and triumphs of African Americans before they disappear with time.
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case study society of grownups Society of Grownups is a service based program
built the idea from the ground up, designing and
developed in a collaboration between IDEO and
developing the digital platform, collateral, physical
MassMutual. The venture aims to encourage
location as well as the vision. The program is built
lifelong financial planning to adults under forty
around a curriculum that teaches everything
who may not have a smart-money mindset or who
from investing in a 401K to wine tasting through
are hesitant when looking at the future. IDEO
both in person classes and a digital program.
by The traditional financial services model is broken, which is why we needed to make a bold move to disrupt the market. — Gareth Ross, senior Vice President, MassMutual
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Branding
Service
Interaction
IDEO established a kit of parts, designing
After only a year in operation the program has
The program functions on two levels; in person
everything from the pencils and custom
proven to be a major hit. It currently offers
and digital. The digital platform serves as a
tables that were used to the teaching
classes, chats, supper clubs, networking
personal planning system as well as a way
collateral and the actual physical location
events and one-on-one sessions with financial
for users to register with the program and
where the classes would be held. The
planners. They have seen sold-out attendance
add specific details about their financial past
branding plays a crucial role in establishing
at their events and classes and have received
and present. This allows the program to tailor
the program as complete and legitimate.
a record number of offers for partnerships
to their needs and provide them with the
with events, businesses and universities.
necessary features to reach their goals.
MassMutual plans to open 10 more physical locations and invest around $100 million into the program in the coming years. As the program grows, it’s creators intend to add many more services including an expanded suite of digital tools as well as new partnerships to expand its reach. Since the program’s start, the experiment has garnered an impressive amount of awards including the 2015 Webby’s People’s Voice Award for Advertising and Media: Financial Services, a 2015 IDEA Finalist for Design Strategy, 2015 Core77 Winner for Strategy and Research and runner up for service design, and a 2015 Best of Boston Services & Goods award.
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branding
visual identity touchpoint 1 The dynamic visual identity of Tell is intended to evoke playfulness as well as authenticity. We want the visual identity of Tell to be consistent with all existing and future touchpoints. A flexible bank of visual elements and a style guide of our color palette and typefaces was created for this purpose.
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ideation
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the mark
Intended to live in both a static and dynamic setting, there are many logotypes to be used interchangeably or in a time sequence. Each is hand-drawn to convey characteristics of authenticity and individuality. This dynamic logotype directly reflects the dynamic nature of stories documented through our program. The mark for Tell is modeled after a modified version of the font family Polaris Condensed. It can be replicated in any medium or style as long as it maintains a consistent shape.
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color palette & typography #965146
#4E4540
#E85325
Polaris Condensed Heavy Galaxie Polaris Bold Galaxie Polaris Italic Bold
#47F4ED
#D2C2BB
#47BBC9 26
Galaxie Polaris Book Sentinel Medium
the characters
Introducing the many personas of Tell! These characters are used consistently throughout our service as ways to illustrate different features, tutorials and to express our friendliness. The
personas maintain the same handdrawn style and color palette. The ages of these characters varies so that it can be used to illustrate the various relationships that can be within a family.
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the characters
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miscellaneous These are the micro elements of Tell’s visual identity. Used in places of navigation, patterns and content organization, the primary goal of these was to continue to instill the brand across the entire service.
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branding collateral touchpoint 2 Distributed to both promote the brand and to show our appreciation for our users, Tell’s collateral is unique and recognizable based on the colors, illustrations, and patterns. We think our users will find these designed objects both functional and attractive.
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collateral cont
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Page 32: Letterheads, business cards, and envelopes will be used for letters from the company, announcements and networking. Page 33: Designed objects such as notebooks, tote bags and phone cases add to the experience of Tell to document stories and store artifacts, respectively.
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branding
ad campaign touchpoint 3 Because of the personal nature of the user-generated content, publicity through advertisements must feel equally as personal and special. The goal of advertising is to reach as many non-users as possible as well as raise awareness through creativity and the virality of media. If people see things on the street or are sent things in the mail that bring delight, then they are more likely to do whatever it is and/or share it.
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The first, to create a series of advertisements that feature a story from one of our users along with a photo. People reading these special accounts will feel encouraged to do it themselves to get similar stories from their family or encouraged to tell their own story.
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A second touchpoint of the same advertising campaign, a card people will receive in the mail or at events. Similar to the game MadLibs™, words are written in the blanks to create a story. We hope that this will prompt people to remember things they might have forgotten in the hopes that they are encouraged to start using our service.
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service
the system touchpoint 1 Our system is designed to facilitate and bring ease of use for users at each point in the process. Tell caters to those who are passionate about being involved, but it also is designed to attract more unlikely users and get them to support the purpose of the project. We have broken the system up into touchpoints that facilitate the entire process while still allowing participants to be invested at whatever level they feel comfortable with.
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PHASES OF USE
KIOSK
WEBSITE
BOOKLET
APP
NOTIFICATION SYSTEM
Mark receives booklet in the mail and can read all the starter tips and tricks.
Mark has familiarized himself with the app before their interview so he is prepared. He shows Cindy how they will be recording the interview and presses record.
Mark goes to his Grandmas for Christmas and receives a notification letting him know Tell has identified he is with Cindy. The program asks him if he wants to revisit the story with his Grandma.
Cindy has a photo she wants to show Mark while she is talking about his grandpa and how they met. She uses the app to document it while she is telling the story and the photo is added to that point.
Cindy receives a notification from Tell as well. Her and Mark share their story with the rest of the family at their Christmas celebration.
Millennial Mark interacts with kiosk on the street in his city and wants to learn more. Mark Hanson
20, University Student
He heads to the website where He registers himself to be part of the program. He also sends an invite to his grandma, Cindy.
He sets up a time to talk to his Grandma and asks her to think about possible stories to tell and collect old photos or memorabilia to accompany her stories.
-Most likely to find out about the program on his own -Coming of age -Interested in family history and identity
Interviewee
Cindy Hanson
Cindy hears about Mark’s experience with the kiosk and sees some pictures he posts on social media of him interacting with it.
She gets Mark’s invitation over email to the program and heads to the website to check it out.
She journals about the stories she may tell and gets down some old photo albums to show Mark.
64, Mark’s Grandma
Mark and Cindy use the booklet to get the conversation flowing. The cards help them to break the ice.
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service
instruction touchpoint 2 After registering with Tell, the user will receive a starter booklet in the mail. The booklet doubles as both an introduction to the program and how it works as well as a tool users can use during their interviews.
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The cards within the package detail on one side things such as tips and tricks for navigating the difficulties of interviewing family, the types of personas you may encounter and how to work the app for the most successful experience. The other sides of the cards feature icebreakers that users can draw upon if the conversation starts to dwindle or if they need a jumping off point.
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service
social media campaign touchpoint 3 The social media ad campaign aims to bring new Tell content to users in an accessible and intriguing way. This touchpoint functions as one of our largest in terms of the vast amount and variety of people that it is capable of reaching. The Facebook page will feature remarkable stories recorded with Tell and new connections made. Users can engage with and share the content, using it to inform others about Tell and encourage members of their family to get involved. Tell can maximize the capabilities of the Twitter platform by encouraging users to re-tweet and share content. Instagram, while not as suited to audio and text, still provides a new audience for the program and a platform for users of Tell to be highlighted for others to see.
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interaction mobile app touchpoint 1 The Tell mobile application is an integral part of the Tell platform, hence our target audience being a millennial. We desired a robust tool for users to record with when interviewing any member of their family. We had to consider the possibility of the Hawthorne effect when family members were being recorded. The natural flow of an interview without an intentional recording devices in the way was the feeling we wanted to convey. Different models of cameras were considered, but the most discreet way to record someone is with a device harnessed by most users day to day. The iPhone can
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lay flat on any piece of furniture while the user proceeds with their interview. As an application, Tell plays a few different roles such as a recording device, a storage mechanism as well as a nostalgic reminder. It is very self sufficient for the user because of this. Instead of having to upload content on to a different server or computer, said user can edit and curate content within the application. The app takes many different forms of media to make a relatives story more robust. While some of these elements such as audio, video, and digital photography have been around for a while, the way we are harnessing them is extremely accessible and editable for the audience.
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INTERVIEW
RECORD
LISTEN
Find a family member with a history that
Use the tools on the Tell app to record
After you have recorded and edited this
you are interested in, and let them know
your family member’s story. If you’re
story, it will continue to live within the
you would like to interview them!
having trouble, refer to our interview
app! You will be prompted through Notify
cards! They are catered to family who
to check back on your stories later.
are hard to interview.
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notification system After the user has recorded and tagged several stories, the tags will activate based on location proximity, date, who you are with and topics. An activated tag brings up that related story or stories for the user to listen and revisit again.
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You have a story about November 2nd with Uncle Charlie. Do you wish to listen to? other tags include love, war, 1967, and kisses.
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interaction website
touchpoint 2 The website’s main function is to inform the user and give them a taste of the purpose and feel of the program. It is most likely that the user will find out about Tell first through social media, the interactive kiosks, or another secondary source. The website will
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likely be their second interaction and serve to familiarize them as well as update them of new things happening with Tell. They can read stories about ways the system is being used. They can also register for the program and get started on their journey with Tell.
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To further understand what the platform is about, users can submit their name and email to get more information. It will also connect you to events in the area that support posterity.
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interaction
interactive display touchpoint 3 Tell Reflect is an interactive display where users
The user stands in front of the face scanner, holds
can approach the wall (in there respective locations)
still, and adjusts which age they would like to see
to have a quirky, engaging experience using facial
themselves. They can keep the visual by sending
recognition. What makes this interaction so unique
an email of the results. This is a great way for
is the face recognition capabilities for whoever
family members to see each other at different ages
is using it. This technology can skew a face to
and possibly see resemblances of each other.
look any age as close to reality as possible.
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The user approaches the interactive display. Face recognition captures their expression while the user chooses which age range they would like to preview. The display keeps a small archive of the manipulated photos, and then through email, the user can send the photos for later use. With #TellYourStory, these photos can be viewed within our social media campaign.
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development of concept As the scope of this platform broadens
expanse of services available to the
throughout the use of Tell, we predict the
user. We want to keep in mind how to
consumption of media evolving to new
design for an audience who doesn’t have
forms and trends of technology. We have
access to technology whatsoever, but
researched the use of virtual reality as
still want their voice and record to be
story telling and letting users experience
remembered for a long time. Focusing
memories in a more immersive
on our platform having a more robust
environment than what we provide
use and connecting with other platform
already. We have no way of predicting
is another way for it to be continuously
what these new trends in technology use
relevant. In terms of other future
will be, but we hope the flexibility of Tell
users, we hope that generations who
and its application will bend and form
are more comfortable with technology
to those trends. With a more complex
can broaden our audience away from
use in technology comes a greater gap
just millennials, but really anyone who
of usability. We approach the problem
is willing to learn the technology.
Leadership Team
Aubrie Phillips Service Design
Matt Kubota Brand Manager
of the consumption of this material not being accessible to everyone. We hope to bridge that gap with a wider Maddie Bone Technology Officer
GD301 NC State University College of Design - Kermit Bailey
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