452 Process Book

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Sara Thomas

Graphic Design 452 Senior Thesis Process Book

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Final Brief

Abstract

The NFL’s website, specifically areas for learning about the sport are poorly designed and lack information that engage women’s interests. The NFL should include a more effective way to teach the sport to women who are interested but lack the resources.

This study outlines the differences in designing for men and women and introduces an outlet that will be more welcoming for women to learn about the sport.

Project Description

The NFL’s website does not have an effective form of teaching about the sport.

When visiting the website, the only way to get any information about the basics behind the sport is very hard to find. The link to the rulebook can only be found in the small print located at the very bottom of the page. Once located, all of the information is formatted in drop down menus and downloadable pdfs that are written in a language that is hard to understand. This is not an effective form of delivering the information. In addition to the lack of engaging educational information, the language of the stories and types of data found on the site are written in a way more intriguing for men and lack points of interest that might draw in a woman and spark her curiosity.

The NFL needs to have a more effective and engaging way to teach the basics of football to women who are interested in the sport. In order to achieve this successfully, this thesis will differentiate between designing for men and designing for women.

When designing for a specific gender, you must not only consider what is visually appealing but also the type of information that is represented.

This thesis will result in the creation of an outlet that will educate any woman who is interested in the sport of football. It will be more effective than any of the existing resources in that it will: keep in mind visuals that are appealing to women; use wording that connects and engages women; and incorporate different types of information that women are more interested in, for example, information about player’s personal lives and the incorporation of social networking. The resulting form will be an interactive and educational iPad app as well as a banner for NFL’s website and an insert for women’s magazines, both leading the viewer to the app.

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Letter to Sarah Lowe

Dear Sarah: Over the break I did a lot of thinking about the topic of my thesis. In the beginning, I had a really hard time even getting into the mindset because I didn’t really understand what a thesis was supposed to be. After reading the article you gave us, a few main points stuck with me. Most importantly, I knew I needed to pick a topic that I would be able to work with for the entire semester. For some reason, coming up with something that I was totally obsessed with and would be able to research for 15 weeks was incredibly hard. One day, while talking with my mom about a football game that was on, she said she didn’t understand how I hadn’t gone into some kind of sports journalism. I realized then that that is a subject I could definitely spend a lot of time with-- enter my first idea. In the past few seasons, the National Football League has enforced many new rules and regulations, mainly for “safety reasons.” While I think some of them are necessary, many others are ridiculous and “taking the fun out of the game.” I think this would be a good topic for my thesis because it has an observation and an argument, both things that are required to build a strong thesis project.

Another idea I have for a thesis is less of an argument at this point, just more something I really care about. One of my favorite animals it the tiger, and they are quickly becoming extinct. Since the 1900’s, their habitats and numbers have been reduced by 95 percent. Over the past twenty years there have been many efforts to save the tigers but none have stopped the endangerment of these animals. Poachers still continue to kill them and sell their skins and body parts. Obviously, my argument is that this is completely disgusting and needs to stop, but after reading the article, I’m not sure if that is a good enough argument. I think most people would probably agree with that, but at the same time, it’s still going on. I think I would definitely be able to spend an entire semester on this subject because I have always been a pretty big animal activist. I’ve been a vegetarian since sophomore year of high school because I think it is terrible and completely unjust to torture and kill innocent animals.

A similar idea would involve West Indian Manatees, another of my favorite animals that is endangered. Humans are their only known predators and are killing them and destroying their habitats via powerboat collisions and coastal development. This has always been a topic I am very close to-- I even wrote and illustrated a story about an injured manatee named “Manny” when I was in second grade. I think the passion I feel for protecting and saving animals would definitely help motivate me to work on solutions to either of these topics for an entire semester.

I really look forward to working with you on my thesis this semester.

Sincerely, Sara Thomas

Sarah’s Response

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Research

http://justcreative.com/2008/06/16/how-to-design-for-menand-women/ The Sticky Realisation That We Are Not All the Same “I AM NOT YOUNG ENOUGH TO KNOW EVERYTHING.” —Oscar Wilde When I was younger, I never wanted to believe in gender differences. Okay, beyond the obvious. To think that women can’t play pro ball, that men can’t enjoy an art gallery, that men can’t be good listeners, that women can’t learn where their carburetor is? No, I did not like that idea at all. I’m firmly in the post-feminist generation, believing that when we start treating our kids as plain “kids” from birth, these differences will recede.

It pains me deeply, but the older I get the more I realise there are some differences in how men and women fundamentally see the world.

As designers, we’re going to have to deal with these differences if we want to get the most business from our clients. Who doesn’t want that?

Designing for the Ladies: Stories, Details, Design 1. Women want visuals that remind them of themselves, on their best day.

Women want visuals that remind them of themselves, on their best day whether its a house, a car, or a model. Accept us: We buy from people who know how we live. We don’t have time for aspiring to future perfection we can never reach.

2. Women want stories that draw them in.

For the ladies you are going to need more content in that website or ad you’re designing. Give us concrete details we can related to: When we see or hear about Suzie’s problem that your product or service solved, we look for connections to our own issues. Connect and you’ve got a customer.

3. Women want value now and over time.

You’ve heard it a million times: “I got it for half what so-and-so paid, and I’ve had it for three years now with no problems at all!” Now and over time. It’s a tall order, but you must offer an answer for now that is also going to hold up over time. It’s not just for a product, either. That website you’re working on—if women don’t see the value on the first page they hit, they’re gone. They’re not looking for some interior page that may reward them (see #1), because you didn’t meet the value-now threshold. If the value’s there, however, they may just read it all (see #2).

4. Women love to share with others.

Remember this: Word-of-mouth is for helping the friend we’re talking to, not the business we’re talking about. Get personal with us, and we’ll chat about you. Remember our kids, our dog, our favorite charity. If you really want our help spreading the word, give us little touches that are worth discussing, and make sure we know that your business (or your client’s) can solve our friend’s problems, too.

Designing for the Gentlemen: Proof, Immediacy, Ambition 1. Men want visuals they can aspire to.

Why do think sex sells? The house they’re not in yet, the hobby or the vehicle they can’t afford, the model who’d never blink in their direction. Men are looking to the future, and in that future she’ll be winking his way. Show that you understand their unique ambitions.

And that website? If they’re half-convinced and half-intrigued, men will click through, looking for the payoff. Appeal to their sense of adventure and exploration in real life and online.

2. Men want proof, pure and simple.

Detailed stories are going to be skimmed for evidence that the herd has been this way. If you can say that 100,000 people per year use your product or service, great. If 52 people a day give you a call, you might not mention that they don’t all end up buying. If numbers are not in your favor, then go for testimonials. Prove that

Research others like what you’ve got, whether on a package design, an ad, a website, or a brochure.

3. Men make purchases now, for their now needs.

Itch=scratch. Sell to a man quickly, visually, with awesome benefits that provide the Ideal Solution. Don’t worry men about future value, which they are not thinking about at the time of their purchase.

Men are just as busy as the ladies, and the future is just so… future.

4. Men love bragging.

Word-of-mouth is for discussing the elephant they bagged. Make yours remarkable, because men don’t give recommendations as easily as women. Here’s a secret: Get personal with men, too.

They love being engaged, singled out, and surprised. Remember their family, their hometown team, or their hobby. Exceeding their expectations is part of what makes your elephant stand out from the others.

But I’m Designing for Everybody!

Okay, first of all, maybe you’re not. Take some time with this.

Carefully imagine that one Ideal Customer. Flesh him or her out, and you may discover you should not be designing for both sexes, after all. Trying to please everybody is not always the best idea.

Well, lets’ say you’ve narrowed it down to young, hip graphic designers (for instance :) ), and you aren’t going for a male or female audience. How do you keep everyone’s attention? Editor’s note: Write about all three?

1. Keep your visuals strong, positive, and make emotional connections.

Don’t go too over-the-top, you’re going to turn some people off.

Keep the visuals clean. We are all easily distracted for our own reasons, and if your package or your page is too cluttered to read and make sense of, we’ll move on in a hurry. Focus the visual message.

2. Write the story in an active voice.

Describe the kinds of situations where the product or service is essential, and provide proof that other buyers agree. A well-chosen picture is worth a thousand words. Either the story or the proof may be more memorable in a photo.

3. We all want benefits.

From visuals to headlines to body copy, tell me what’s in it for me.

Remember men and women want different benefits, so include appeals to both immediate and long-term needs. As the designer you may not be writing this copy but only arranging it. First, make sure the copy you’re given covers these needs. Then break things up: Use of subheads, bullet points, numbered lists, callouts, and bold type within the story. Maybe not all at once; that violates Everybody #1.

4. Call it sharing, call it bragging.

We all want to spread the word. Be remarkable. Be valuable.

Demonstrate it in your graphic design. Exceed our expectations.

When it comes to personal interactions, especially after the sale, delight us.

If this is work for a client, you may think that’s outside your field.

Now is the time for you to exceed expectations—if you’ve thought of clever ways for your client to remain engaged with customers after your incredible work gets them the sale, talk about tie-ins with them. From thank-you notes to member websites to gifts for the wife of a top customer, if you’ve got an idea, share it. That idea may be where your next job comes from.

http://desktoppub.about.com/od/choosingcolors/f/ womencolors.htm Question: What are the Favorite Colors of Women?

Like men, women like blue and green but women are also strongly drawn to the blue-green mix of turquoise. Among their least favorite colors are the neutral brown and gray. And a color that men strongly dislike (not pink) is another feminine favorite.

Colors that are traditionally considered feminine colors or that

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Research appeal most strongly to or are more closely associated with women can be good choices for marketing messages, Web sites, and interior designs targeting women. Color studies done over the years indicate that the favorite colors of women and men do differ. Some of these differences in favorite colors may be attributed to cultural use of color and conditioning.

Answer: There are no hard and fast rules about what colors are feminine or masculine or gender-neutral. Because colors come in many tints and shades, someone may love a light powder blue but strongly dislike a deep navy blue so a preference for the color blue doesn’t mean that every shade of blue is universally appropriate.

However, some generalizations are possible based on various color studies.

Women Like the Color Blue Blue is a favorite color of both men and women of all ages. While men have a stronger preference for blue than women, it’s still a top choice. It may be the calming effect of the color blue that makes it a popular color for both men and women.

These words are synonymous with blue or represent various shades of the color blue: azure, baby blue,beryl, cerulean, cobalt, cornflower blue, corporate blue, cyan, indigo, midnight blue, navy, Prussian blue, robin’s egg blue, royal, sapphire, sky blue, slate, steel blue. And these swatches show off the variety found in dark blue colors and light blue colors.

Women Like the Color Green Mother Nature is green and she’s a female. A favored color of both men and women, the color green is cool, restful, and signifies growth, renewal, health, and environment.

These words are synonymous with green or represent various shades of the color green: apple, aquamarine, beryl, chartreuse, emerald, fir, forest, grass green, jade, kelly green, lawn green, leaf green, lime, mint, moss, olive, olive drab, pea green, pine, sage, sap, sea green, seafoam, spring green, viridian.

Women Like the Color Turquoise According to a 1964 Color and Gender study, women favored blue-green (aka turquoise) more than men. This same study found

that “76% of women preferred cool colors.” and turquoise is a mix of the two cool colors of blue and green.

These words are synonymous with turquoise or represent various shades of the color turquoise: aqua, aquamarine, beryl, bluegreen, cerulean, teal, ultramarine. And these swatches show off some of the many different hues we call turquoise colors.

Women Like the Color Purple Purple stands out as a feminine color because it is chosen almost exclusively by women as a favorite color and is strongly disliked by men. Traditionally associated with royalty,the color purple is also spirtual, romantic, and mysterious.

These words are synonymous with purple or represent various shades of the color purple: amethyst, eggplant, indigo, lavender, lilac, magenta, mauve, mulberry, orchid, plum, pomegranate, puce, royal, thistle, violet, wine.

Men May Like Women in Pink Most people still think of pink as a feminine, delicate color, the color for little girls. Does that mean women prefer pink? Not necessarily.

The color pink and women is likely more of a cultural association than a strong preference. However, this cultural association could mean that pink is not the ideal color for targeting men. “...when it comes to attracting the opposite sex, women will find that the color pink is a safe bet. While flattering, it also makes then appear vulnerable to men, and brings out a mans protective nature. Women who don’t want to attract a man who sees them as needing to be looked after, may decide to wear the statement color red.” — Secrets of Attraction Two: Color These words are synonymous with pink or represent various shades of the color pink: blush, coral, flesh, flush, fuchsia, hot pink, rose, salmon.

Women Like the Color Lavender A more grown-up and cooler version of the pink of baby girls and the lighter side of purple, the color lavender is associated with genteel ladies and can evoke feelings of nostalgia or romance for women. A 1990 study found that between bright and soft colors, women prefer soft colors which could include soft shades of pink,

Research lavender, and other pastels.

These words are synonymous with lavender or represent various shades of the color lavender: lilac, mauve, orchid, plum, purple, thistle.

Choosing Colors for Women Should any and everything aimed at women be colored in soft, cool pastels, or royal purple? No, of course not. There are many more factors involved in choosing colors. Gender is simply one consideration. To delve deeper into the issue of color and gender, start with The Meaning of Color for Gender by Natalia Khouw. Also see the references at the end of the Color Matters Research article for specific color studies and further research options.

The results of Joe Hallock’s polls on color preferences by gender and age yield some interesting results. Those results include: Female Top 3 Favorite Colors: Blue, Purple, Green (all cool colors) Female Top 3 Least Favorite Colors: Orange, Brown, Gray (warm and neutral colors) Among favorite colors, preferences for green decrease with age (all genders).

Among favorite colors, preferences for purple increase with age (all genders) Among least favorite colors (all genders), dislike of orange increases with age.

In Colour as a tool for e-branding (PDF), Na Ree Lee looks at the use of color in e-commerce. Among the case studies included in this article, it was found that colors used successfully for targeting young women in Australia failed to deliver when used to target women in Denmark. The lesson learned here is that color is only part of the equation. “Feminine colors” are not universal. The research also acknowledges that color on the Web and color in print differ in appearance which can affect the symbolism, preference, and psycological effect of certain colors and color combinations.

C.O.P.E. investigated How Does Gender Color our Preferences and Decisions on the WWW? and found that blue was favored overwhelmingly by men and women. Limited in the number of colors studied and the number of study participants, the four colors were, in order of preference, blue, yellow, red, green. Personal

preference was the main criteria in choosing a color from the choices offered, but context (background colors, adjacent colors, symbolism) and to a lesser extent readability also played a role in choosing colors.

http://desktoppub.about.com/od/choosingcolors/f/mencolors. htm Question: What Colors Appeal to Men? As you might guess, pink isn’t a favorite of most men but it’s not their least favorite color. Blue, green, and black are generally the colors that men do like most. However, the colors men like for themselves and the colors they find attractive on women aren’t necessarily the same.

Colors that are traditionally considered masculine colors or that appeal most strongly to or are more closely associated with men can be good choices for marketing messages, Web sites, and interior designs targeting men. Color studies done over the years indicate that the favorite colors of men and women do differ. Some of these differences in favorite colors may be attributed to cultural use of color and conditioning.

Answer: There are no hard and fast rules about what colors are masculine or feminine or gender-neutral. Because colors come in many tints and shades, someone may love a rich, royal blue but strongly dislike a pale, sky blue so a preference for the color blue doesn’t mean that every shade of blue is universally appropriate.

However, some generalizations are possible based on various color studies.

Men Like the Color Blue Blue is a favorite color of both men and women of all ages.

However, men have a much stronger preference for blue than women. It may be the calming effect of the color blue that makes it a popular color for both men and women or it could be the association of some shades of blue with authority figures, intelligence, and stability. It’s possible that men tend toward blue because they’ve noticed that women find men in blue attractive whether it’s a blue uniform or a blue business suit.

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10 Research “Women... like their men to wear blue. They associate blue with reliability and dependability... Women often desire to find a man who is going to be faithful and honest, and the color blue reflects these qualities subconsciously.” — Secrets of Attraction Two: Color These words are synonymous with blue or represent various shades of the color blue: azure, baby blue, beryl, cerulean, cobalt, cornflower blue, corporate blue, cyan, indigo, midnight blue, navy, Prussian blue, robin’s egg blue, royal, sapphire, sky blue, slate, steel blue. And these swatches show off the variety found in dark blue colors and light blue colors.

Men Like the Color Green A distant second to blue as a favorite color of men, the color green is cool, restful, and signifies growth, renewal, health, and environment as well as balance and stability. While women favor cool, soft colors, men prefer brighter shades although they still show a preference for cool colors such as blue and green.

These words are synonymous with green or represent various shades of the color green: apple, aquamarine, beryl, chartreuse, emerald, fir, forest, grass green, jade, kelly green, lawn green, leaf green, lime, mint, moss, olive, olive drab, pea green, pine, sage, sap, sea green, seafoam, spring green, viridian.

Men Like the Color Black Men favor the color black only slightly more than women. A strong preference for conservative colors such as blue and black may also reflect social and cultural norms where women wear the brighter, more varied colors while men’s attire is traditionally less colorful.

These words are synonymous with black or represent various shades of the color black: coal, charcoal, ebony, ink, jet, lampblack, midnight, obsidian, onyx, raven, sable, soot.

Colors Men Don’t Like Purple stands out as a feminine color because it is chosen almost exclusively by women as a favorite color and is strongly disliked by men. Men are less likely to respond favorably to other feminine favorites such as lavender and turquoise.

Most people still think of pink as a feminine, delicate color, the color for little girls. Even though it is acceptable as a clothing color for men, the color pink has such strong negative associations for men

that some uses of the color may be considered insulting to men.

One prominent example of the furor over pink is the locker rooms at the University of Iowa. Up for debate is whether or not the color pink was chosen for the opposing teams locker room because it was a “calming, soothing color” or because of the cultural association of pink with the weaker sex and gay men - a sissy color.

Professor Says Pink Locker Room Promotes Sexism, Homophobia The Yin Blog: Some more thoughts on pink locker rooms But, pink on a woman can bring out a man’s protective instincts so pink isn’t all bad. Red spells danger and desire. While the lady in red may attract some men who see her as sexy, other men may find that color red overpowering or threatening.

“Researcher Daniela Niesta and professor of psychology Andrew Elliot discovered that although the color red makes men find women more attractive in an amorous way, it doesn’t make them imagine a woman is kind or great relationship material. So red clothing may be good for attracting a man, or to liven up a long term relationship, but isn’t necessarily conducive to attracting a relationship which is more than physical, at least in the initial stages.” — Secrets of Attraction Two: Color Choosing Colors for Men Should any and everything aimed at men be blue? Probably not although blue is probably a safe choice. There are many more factors involved in choosing colors. Gender is simply one consideration. To delve deeper into the issue of color and gender, start with The Meaning of Color for Gender by Natalia Khouw. Also see the references at the end of the Color Matters Research article for specific color studies and further research options.

The results of Joe Hallock’s polls on color preferences by gender and age yield some interesting results. Those results include: Male Top 3 Favorite Colors: Blue, Green, Black (2 cool and one neutral color) Male Top 3 Least Favorite Colors: Brown, Orange, Purple (neutral, warm, mixed colors) Among favorite colors, preferences for green decrease with age

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Among least favorite colors (all genders), dislike of brown and purple decreases with age while dislike of orange increases with age.

In Colour as a tool for e-branding (PDF), Na Ree Lee looks at the use of color in e-commerce. Among other findings, the research also acknowledges that color on the Web and color in print differ in appearance which can affect the symbolism, preference, and psycological effect of certain colors and color combinations.C.O.P.E. investigated How Does Gender Color our Preferences and Decisions on the WWW? and found that blue was favored overwhelmingly by men and women. Limited in the number of colors studied and the number of study participants, the four colors were, in order of preference, blue, yellow, red, green.

Personal preference was the main criteria in choosing a color from the choices offered, but context (background colors, adjacent colors, symbolism) and to a lesser extent readability also played a role in choosing colors.

http://www.fremont.edu/content/brand-designing-lessons/ Designing for Genders “Girls like dolls and pink. Boys like fire trucks and blue.” The division between genders is seemingly obvious to even a five-year-old.

Gender motivates much of human behavior, including consumerpurchasing decisions. This is important to note because women control 85% of the spending, yet 71% of women feel they are only considered for beauty and cleaning products. These statistics clearly indicate that gender affects consumer product purchases and thus should influence design. However the design industry has not yet mastered designing for genders, especially when targeting women, the dominant consumers.

The challenge is figuring out the “when” and the “how” when designing for genders. There are two distinctly different types of design: visible design and transparent design. Visible design is openly and clearly created specifically for women, like beauty products or high heels; the gender story is visible to the user.

Contrastingly, transparent design is designed for and appeals to both genders; the gender story is vital yet invisible. Companies typically want to design products for both men and women, however the female perspective in the product design industry can be difficult to find, and as a result, women consumers can feel left out. Whichever strategy designers choose, they must take a delicate approach. A bad visible design can potentially alienate women because they don’t like being isolated by gender or being told that they’re “different”. A bad transparent design can underestimate gender differences and result in limited appeal for both men and women.

Mastering the art of designing for genders will win over the world’s largest economic power making up to 85% of consumer purchases in the “she-conomy.” So when do you use visible design and when do you use transparent design? Visible design may be a more practical option when we want to differentiate between genders due to physical needs (ie. trimmer for men or make-up for women) or to intentionally give a feminine or masculine appeal (ie. fashion).

However, unfortunately, the distinctions between these concepts aren’t always black and white. It is easy to get lost in the gray area because a product that is clearly designed for women doesn’t necessarily need to reflect a stereotypically feminine ideal. This is because women play many roles and feel differently about their femininity depending on what they are doing. For example, a woman may feel more feminine while getting ready for a dinner party than while working out at the gym. While both genders play different roles and have different moods, a woman’s range is more expansive. Designs are unsuccessful when we stereotypically assume that all women want to express their femininity at all times of their lives. By understanding consumers’ mindsets, in the moment they’re using a product, we can best design for genders.

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Reflection after Presentation #1 I feel like the presentation went really well. One thing that really helped me prepare was calling a few people and telling them about my idea. They asked questions, which helped me to prepare for what I would actually say in my presentation. Before now I was dreading doing the interview but now I am looking forward to it because I know that it will help me figure out exactly what I am trying to say.

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http://www.fastcodesign.com/1664525/men-and-women-canlove-the-same-design-for-different-reasons Men And Women Can Love The Same Design For Different Reasons WRITTEN BY: Erica Eden TRANSPARENT DESIGN AIMS TO APPEAL TO EVERYONE, BUT UNDERSTANDING GENDER DIFFERENCES IS STILL ESSENTIAL TO DEVELOPING A PRODUCT THAT RESONATES WITH BOTH MEN AND WOMEN. Why not try to please all the people all the time? By and large, we should design for both men and women, and transparent design is the clear choice if a product is intended to be used by everyone.

(As I discussed in my previous post, this differs from visible design, where physical differences or social needs suggest separate solutions.) But understanding gender differences may still be critical.

Products and services fall short for women when designers presume that men and women share the same values. Magic happens when we blend everything we know about men and women to create an experience that works for everyone but that connects in relevant ways to each sex. In an industry that often struggles to find a female point of view, uncovering desires that are uniquely female helps us create that magical mix.

It’s our job as designers to help define a product -- from character and form to color and materials. But men and women can interpret these attributes in different ways. Women tend to be attracted to products that show a personality. Women tend to empathize; they react to the way a product makes them feel. Men tend to be more drawn to products that reflect a system, as the British psychologist Simon Baron-Cohen detailed in The Essential Difference (2004). One of the biggest design challenges is how to design products that appeal to both sexes without compromise.

Let’s look at how this dynamic plays out in the car industry. Women tend to favor the Volkswagen Beetle because it is cute and playful.

Many men dismiss it for the exact same reasons. The Mini Cooper

is one of the few cars that genuinely appeal to both sexes. Men love the Mini Cooper for its stunt car roots, sports-car handling, and powerful engine. Women also love the Mini Cooper, because it is friendly and fun to drive, like a charismatic sidekick. Of course, there are always people who break this mold, but this example teaches us that we sometimes want the same things, though often for different reasons. The ability to evoke personality is a key method of transparent design, because it helps us satisfy the natural preferences of both genders.

Stay tuned for more info in my next post on how to deliver a transparent design. In the meantime, do you have any thoughts on products that appeal to both men and women in different ways?

http://www.fastcompany.com/magazine/139/separate-andequal-femme-den.html Forget “Shrink It and Pink It”: the Femme Den Unleashed BY KATE ROCKWOOD | OCTOBER 1, 2009 Boobs. The Femme Den talks about them easily and often -- and about the challenges they present to designers. Backpack makers don’t seem to have a clue what to do about boobs. Ditto designers of unisex hospital scrubs, famous for their gaping V-necks. “One surgeon told me there wasn’t a woman at the hospital whose boobs he hadn’t seen,” says Femme Den member Whitney Hopkins.

A design engineer at Smart Design, Hopkins is also one of four members of the Den, an internal collective at the firm that’s devoted to thinking about the bodies and brains of women and how to design -- smartly -- for them. I ask the group, which consists of Hopkins, Agnete Enga, Erica Eden, and Yvonne Lin, if that means razors and sports bras or if it means rethinking everything. “Both,” they answer in unison, from a nook of Smart’s loftlike Chelsea offices. Women are not a niche market, they insist (“No one likes to be targeted,” sniffs Eden), but companies should also be careful not to confuse equality with sameness.

“When most people think of designing for women, they

Research 23 automatically think of tampons and birth control,” Lin says. (It doesn’t help that in industrial design, females make up just 20% of the field.) “Even when a lot of companies think that a product is for both genders, in reality they’re just designing for men. Design is male-biased. Designers are working with male procedurals, probably going back to the beginning of time.” Now, the Femme Den is looking to inject some femininity into those procedurals, everywhere from U.S. Army bases to Target, BP, and Nike.

Like most things at 30-year-old, 130-member Smart Design, the Femme Den bubbled up from an interesting problem. In 2005, Nike’s women’s watches weren’t hitting sales expectations. The all-male design team hired two Smart female staffers (they would become founding members of the Den), who discovered that Nike’s target demographic was begrudgingly opting for clunky men’s watches because they offered more athletic features. When Nike beefed up its women’s watches’ capabilities and fine-tuned a sleek, sporty aesthetic, sales quickly boosted. “It was eye-opening,” says Enga.

As the group took shape, Smart Design cofounder Dan Formosa (affectionately dubbed “Femme Dan”) encouraged the women to “think radically.” They began gathering on weekends, eventually taking their name from a cheekily labeled file folder. When the Femme Den was accepted to the International Conference for Universal Design, in Kyoto, Japan, in 2006, the underground gaggle came out to the world.

The Femme Den isn’t a separate division at Smart Design. Instead, Hopkins, Enga, Eden, and Lin work on shifting teams, deliver inhouse presentations, write white papers, and infuse the firm with their ideas. And as more companies realize the potential in the female market -- a recent study showed that women influence 80% of household purchases -- the group is added ammunition for attracting clients. “If you talk about the differences between men and women at a corporate human-resources meeting, you’d be fired or sent to diversity training,” Formosa says. “But when we cover that same ground with large corporations, the discussion just lights up. There is so much need there, it hits a nerve.”

Companies recognize the need, but most are clumsy -- if not patronizing -- in their attempts to address it. This often leads to what the Femme Den calls the “shrink it and pink it” reflex, the kind of

mindless design that produces such works of genius as mini pink tool kits and Dell’s pastel-saturated Della Web site, stocked with tips about “finding recipes” and “counting calories.” (Dell dumped Della within two weeks of its launch.) What women really want, the Femme Den argues, is intuitive design. In a Yale University study, 68% of men asked to program a VCR using written instructions were successful, compared to just 16% of women. That doesn’t mean women are less intelligent than men (please), but that they’re less tolerant of complicated interfaces -- more willing to skip new tech than to slog through manuals. “Men will walk into an electronics shop and look at the white cards that list the features. Women will pick up the cameras, flip them around, and look at the buttons,” Lin says. “They want to know: Is it intuitive?”

At the Consumer Electronics Show in 2006, only 1% of women surveyed felt gadget makers have them in mind during the design process. But when women are factored in, everyone -- including businesses -- can benefit. When Pure Digital Technologies hired Smart Design to craft a camcorder, the Femme Den members of the team urged Pure Digital to put ease-of-use at the top of its priority list. The Flip camera, with just seven buttons despite its brawny tech, sold 1.5 million units in its first 18 months and drove Cisco’s $590 million acquisition of Pure Digital earlier this year. Men love the Flip too, by the way.

Beyond the electronics aisle, Femme Denners say women are more tuned in to the entire message of a product, from store environment to the social causes it supports, how it fits into a home, and which family members will use it. And physically -- surprise, surprise -- they’re not simply miniature men. After speaking at the Outdoor Retailer Show last year, the Femme Den tested a slew of survival gear for the U.S. Army and presented their findings to the brass. The unisex equipment was built with broad-shouldered men in mind -- a major flaw, considering that 14% of soldiers are female and not all males are G.I. Joe. “When we put on the backpack, we couldn’t even swing our arms because the metal frame was so wide,” says Hopkins.

Of course, the Den wants its ideas to permeate everything from lawn mowers and desk lamps to cell phones and survival gear. But as the young group gains traction, some of the first companies to seek their expertise have understandably been those with more

24 Research female consumers.

“The Femme Den is more mindful of the deeper meaning of designing for women,” says Craig Sampson, a 20-year Ideo veteran and currently chief innovation officer at World Kitchen.

Sampson says the Femme Den’s role within Smart Design was a major factor in his decision to hire the firm to help him expand Pyrex into rangetop cookware. Focused on minimizing cleanup for the multitasking cook, the Den incorporated built-in spoon and lid rests into the new line. “They don’t just understand our products,” Sampson says. “They understand how our brands fit into women’s lives.”

Or how some products don’t. When Cardinal Health, the $99.5 billion health-care-supply company, wanted to rethink the design of hospital scrubs in 2007, balancing the needs of both sexes helped set its product apart. “Probably 70% of the health-care population wearing scrubs is female,” says Carl Hall, Cardinal’s director of marketing. “But scrubs are really designed for men.

Smart Design identified the gender thing early on as an opportunity and helped us really evolve that.” Endura scrubs, introduced in March, swapped out V-necks for stretch collars, and added straps and snaps to make the hem and rise adjustable, breathable mesh at the back and knees, as well as a kimono sleeve to increase range of motion.

And that unisex cut? “We used the female form for measurements, so the fabric doesn’t strain across the bust and hips,” Hopkins says.

“Men don’t even notice the extra room.” Cardinal has already fed two new projects to Smart Design and the Femme Den. Not noticing, the Femme Denners say, is the point: Good products balance the needs of men and women for the benefit of both.

They’re not male products masquerading as unisex or -- worse -hiding under a coat of pink paint. They don’t alienate anyone with overt claims of being women-focused or women- friendly. They just are.

WRITTEN BY: Erica Eden

http://www.fastcodesign.com/1664439/women-are-85-of-theconsumer-market-but-how-do-you-reach-them

Many of our clients admit having limited success with women consumers.

From where we sit, there are two ways to go about it. We can design for women openly and overtly, creating solutions for her

Women Are 85% Of The Market. How Do You Reach Them?

“APPROACH WOMEN LIKE YOU DO WILD ANIMALS, WITH CAUTION AND A SOOTHING VOICE.” I HAVE TO AGREE. TARGETING A FEMALE AUDIENCE REQUIRES A DELICATE, NUANCED APPROACH. The tagline of a Dos Equis ad reads, “Approach women like you do wild animals, with caution and a soothing voice.” I have to agree. Targeting a female audience requires a delicate, nuanced approach. Whether we live on the African plain or Manhattan, finesse with the opposite sex is regarded with respect and admiration.

Are designers ignoring sex?

I think about sex just as much as anyone, yet with less focus on good vibrations and more on good design. But sometimes I am alone in my particular focus on the sexes. Maybe that’s because everyone thinks they have some level of expertise on the subject.

After all, we are all either one sex or the other. When it comes to designing for a specific gender, men can presume expertise on male consumers, and women can presume expertise on female consumers. We imagine we know all the answers. But that’s wrong. There is so much to learn, with huge benefits for designers.

Understanding gender is one of many ways to understand people better, which in turn, helps us design better stuff for them to use.

How is designing for women any different?

We started the Femme Den, a think tank on design and gender, because we witnessed too much guesswork when it came to appealing to women. So many of our clients have admitted having limited success with women consumers, which comes from a narrow understanding of who women really are. Their common challenge is figuring out the “when” and the “how” to design products for a female user.

Research 25 only, like women’s razors or high heels. We call this “visible design,” because the gender story is visible to the user. Yet, most often, companies want to design products for both men and women, such as cameras or cars. But the female perspective in the product design industry can be hard to find, and as a result, women consumers can get left out. To appeal to both, you have to design for both, simultaneously meeting women’s unique needs. This is what we call ‘transparent design,’ because the gender story is vital yet invisible, veiled under the simple notion of ?good design for all.”

Yet the choice between visible and transparent design requires an awareness of gender and a delicate, nuanced approach. Visible design “gone bad” can mean alienating women who don’t want separate solutions that imply being female means being different.

Transparent design ‘gone bad’ can mean underestimating our differences and designing under the misconception that men and women are the same, resulting in limited appeal. Getting it right means gaining the trust and loyalty of women, the world’s largest economic power making up to 85% of consumer purchases in the “she-conomy.” For our clients, it means millions of dollars in their pockets and winning products in the market.

The Femme Den agenda is to lead the dialogue about what works with women and what doesn’t, with the underlying goal of understanding people better. Companies have so much to gain from genuinely addressing gender through good design. The trick is to choose the approach wisely and to proceed with caution.

Design and Gender: Thinking about Sex Erica Eden, Agnete Enga, Yvonne Lin, Gina Reimann / Smart Design + Femme Den / info@femmeden.com Why is gender important? Women’s continuing evolution combined with their increasing buying power has created an explosive business opportunity in the consumer products industry.

Over the past 100 years women have evolved from powerless to powerful. Today’s women have tremendous clout. In a recent study

conducted by Growth Strategies, American women were found to buy or influence 80% of consumer and business goods and services.

This includes 80% of household goods, 75% of over-the-counter drugs, 65% of new car purchases, 61% of major home-improvement products, 66% of all home-computer purchases, 80% of all healthcare services, and 81% of consumer electronics.

Social and cultural evolution has caused boundaries between gender roles to blur. The New York Times reports that in 2005, for the first time ever there were more American women living without a spouse than with one. Married couples have become a minority.

As a result, today’s women often engage in traditionally male tasks; they purchase homes, mow the lawn, and set up computers to name just a few. As they take on new roles women frequently must adapt to products that were not designed with them in mind.

Women have changed a great deal, but products and services have failed to keep up.

Despite cultural shifts products and services are consistently designed without women in mind. And although many companies have recognized the female market to be a significant opportunity, they are failing to connect with this sizeable segment. Their product development teams are having difficulty understanding what women want. Making this task especially challenging is the fact that women are underrepresented in the design industry.

According to a report by consultants Nancy Ramsey and Pamela McCorduck, titled “A Different Gaze”, only 20% of industrial designers are women. In order to capitalize on this market, we as a collective have to make an effort to find the female perspective.

The Femme Den is an internal movement at Smart Design, founded by four international women – Erica Eden (American), Agnete Enga (Norwegian), Yvonne Lin (Chinese-American), and Gina Reimann (British). We are a special team dedicated to discovering the changes in design that are necessary to satisfy the unmet needs of women consumers.

How To Please A Woman.

The Femme Den has developed five guidelines to help designers connect to women. These guiding principles remind us to keep subtle gender differences in consideration throughout the design process.

Give Her Benefits, Not Features

26 Research Today’s women are busy. Not only do many of them work, but they are also primary caretakers for their children and household.

These are essentially two full-time jobs! And women find themselves so busy that the last thing they want is to invest time or energy in anything beyond their already-overloaded life. This means women are intolerant of time consuming and unintuitive product experiences, which we often see rolled out as innovations, particularly in the consumer electronics industry.

In response to a survey conducted by the Consumer Electronics Association at the 2006 Consumer Electronics Show (CES), only 1% of women felt that consumer electronics manufacturers have them in mind. Women want technology to simplify their chaotic lives. They want to see real benefits and how products fit in with their lifestyle. They are less concerned with a pervasive focus on feature sets, specs and gadgetry. By making the real life benefits of technology clear, companies can expand the consumer electronics market.

When women are shopping, they are not only buying for themselves but often for the whole family. Andrea Learned, a marketing expert and author of “Don’t Think Pink: What Really Makes Women Buy” identified that in addition to judging a product at face value, women also consider several other factors. Who will use the product, will it be useful, will it fit in my house, will it be safe for my kids, or will my spouse like it? She is responsible for buying for others and always has her eye out for products. When men shop, they are generally on a mission. A male will have one product in mind to purchase for himself and is interested in the face value of the product. Is it the newest, latest and fastest model?

These different shopping approaches between men and women affect the way that products entice them. Kelly Mooney, President of Resource Interactive further supports this insight through conclusive research that men are enticed first by product and then by lifestyle. Women on the other hand are enticed first by lifestyle and then by product.

Merchandizing strategies can be rethought based on these findings to capture the women’s market. One component is merchandising, but another important aspect is the very atmosphere of a store.

A product becomes more powerful when we consider the full purchasing process. Some store environments are unappealing to

women, especially electronic stores that are filled with loud music, a barrage of information, and the focus on bigger and better.

We see an opportunity to design a complete experience that tells a cohesive story that women can buy into which includes the website, advertising, product, packaging, retail environment, and especially customer service. It’s important to keep in mind that women don’t buy a product; they look for a relationship with the brand.

Women’s bodies are different. But it is not as simple as size and strength differences. Women’s bodies are built differently, and therefore function differently than men. The female form is celebrated in art, yet often overlooked in product design!

More and more women are participating in historically male dominated areas, such as home improvement and sports. However, the products used in these areas are still being designed for the male body. Female do-it-yourself enthusiasts have difficultly using power tools because they are designed for male hands. Female soccer players have a higher risk of knee injuries than their male counterparts because equipment is not designed for her unique bone and muscle structure. And where exactly is the chest strap on a hiking pack supposed to go? An understanding of physical ergonomics is on the critical path to connecting with female market.

Women, for instance, have babies. This seems like an obvious statement and yet it is often overlooked. Having children is one of the most influential experiences in a woman’s life. As soon as a woman discovers she’s pregnant, her interaction with products begins to change. Throughout her pregnancy she prioritizes the needs of her growing belly. Often her desires take a back seat. We need to consider what she wants – she wants what is best for the bump!

Being pregnant is one thing, but being a parent is another story.

Mothers become virtually disabled for the first few years of their child’s life. First, a mom loses the use of one arm because she often needs to carry her child, or hold a small hand. Second, she is distracted - her focus is usually on the child. We see many products intended to appeal to mothers. This is great, but do we really understand how it feels to be one-armed and distracted?

Women’s roles are changing. Some roles fit the traditional

Research 27 framework of being feminine and some do not. Therefore women can’t be viewed one dimensionally. Targeting the “soccer mom” can be over-simplistic and detrimental to the cause. Even individuals will vary. The same woman who wants to be feminine may also want to be masculine in an alternative scenario. She is in a different mindset when tackling different tasks. For example, she may not want to be feminine when she is rock climbing, or fixing the sink. Many products intended for women target an overfeminized stereotype. Little is designed for women that don’t fit this mold. Product companies try to appeal to women by “shrinking and pinking” male oriented products. Instead let’s move on, forget about stereotypes and look deeper into who, really, are today’s women.

Getting it right More and more companies are recognizing the potential opportunity to connect with women. Few are succeeding. These five principles are a crucial start to developing products that women can relate to – embodying qualities that they appreciate and are willing to pay for. The Femme Den is exploring not only the female consumer – we are also changing the way we approach the entire design process.

The most successful products are the result of expected performance combined with unexpected positive experiences. For us, the mission is accomplished the moment a woman becomes excited and realizes “Whoever designed this product really thought about me!”

28 Thesis Proposal Parts Observation (1 sentence) The NFL is designed for men.

Argument/Proposition (1 sentence) The NFL needs to be more “female friendly.”

What research backs up your argument? (bullet list) +visible/transparent design +other brands that have designed with gender in mind +what the NFL stands for +the psychology behind designing for a specific gender +how to design for a specific gender without stereotyping

Audience (single phrase) Any woman who is interested in football.

Audience value (1 sentence) A woman will be able to come to this new NFL brand and not feel alienated, she will be able to understand what it means.

What is your intention with the outcome? (1 word) inform Definition of any key terms used above (1 sentence) Transparent design aims to appeal to everyone, but understanding gender differences is still essential to developing a product that resonates with both men and women.

What expert have/will you be speaking with + why + when (1 sentence) Hopefully someone from Femme Denhttp://www.femmeden.com/ or Holly Buchanan

Precedents (no more than 3 - this doesn’t mean you can’t have more, but should edit to the best) +Della +Holly Buchanan +Femme Den Responses to Thesis Proposal Parts

Responses to Thesis Proposal Parts 29

30 Responses to Thesis Proposal Parts

Thesis Proposal Parts: Rewrite 31 Observation (1 sentence) The NFL is designed for men.

Argument/Proposition (1 sentence) The NFL needs to be redesigned so that women won’t feel alienated when viewing it.

What research backs up your argument? (bullet list)

http://desktoppub.about.com/od/choosingcolors/f/mencolors.htm There are no hard and fast rules about what colors are masculine or feminine or gender-neutral. Because colors come in many tints and shades, someone may love a rich, royal blue but strongly dislike a pale, sky blue so a preference for the color blue doesn’t mean that every shade of blue is universally appropriate. However, some generalizations are possible based on various color studies.

Men Like the Color Blue, Men Like the Color Green, Men Like the Color Black Women Like the Color Blue, Women Like the Color Green, Women Like the Color Turquoise, Women Like the Color Purple, Women Like the Color Lavender http://justcreativedesign.com/2008/06/16/how-to-design-for-men-and-women/ Designing for the Ladies: 1. Women want visuals that remind them of themselves, on their best day. 2. Women want stories that draw them in. 3. Women want value now and over time. 4. Women love to share with others.

Designing for the Gentlemen: 1. Men want visuals they can aspire to. 2. Men want proof, pure and simple. 3. Men make purchases now, for their now needs. 4. Men love bragging.

Designing for the BOTH: 1. Keep your visuals strong, positive, and make emotional connections. 2. Write the story in an active voice. 3. We all want benefits. 4. Call it sharing, call it bragging. http://she-conomy.com/ Six mistakes businesses need to avoid when marketing to women: Do not fail to market directly to women.

Do not think women think the same as men.

Do not attempt to pigeon-hole women by age.

Do not underestimate the power of the more mature boomer woman.

Do not ignore the time women spend online connecting with, and influencing their networks.

Do not forget the FUN Design and Gender: Thinking about Sex Erica Eden, Agnete Enga, Yvonne Lin, Gina Reimann / Smart Design + Femme Den How to Please a Woman: 1 Give her benefits, not features 2 Focus on the whole experience 3 Consider her body 4 Consider her lifestyle 5 Consider how it makes her feel http://www.slideshare.net/jessicaivins/on-shrink-it-and-pink-it-designing-for-women Designing Experiences for Women by Jessica Ivins Women make or influence 80% of consumer purchases in the U.S. In the U.S., women generate 58% of e-commerce dollars.

Women spend more time using social media than men do.

Lnow your Audience- The majority of people in the technology and design fields are still male.

32 Thesis Proposal Parts: Rewrite “The Buchanan Test” 1. Do you feature a woman outside of the home?

2. Do you feature a woman in a role other than “mother?”

3. Is she NOT doing yoga?

“You make an emotional connection with a woman when you show you respect her, understand her, and value all of her contributions and roles in society.”

Visible Design - Clearly directed toward men or women

- Use only when you’re sure the other gender won’t need or use the product (Gilette, High Heels, Lipstick) Transparent Design - Not explicitly labeled or branded “for women” or “for men”

- Meets the needs of the target audience without touting it

- Usually appreciated by everyone ESPN - Transparent for men

- Women DO watch and follow sports (2009 Season approximately 4.2 million women watched the NFL on ESPN)

- Critics say the brand could be more inclusive for women Men and Women like things for different reasons EXAMPLE MINI COOPER

- Women like it for the aesthetics and because it is fun to drive.

- Men like it’s performance and handling Women have a low tolerance for bad design. According to Femme Den, women usually have no desire to conquer a product.

Women’s Preferences: Rounded shapes and lines, Bright colors, Detail, Patterns, Unconventional typography, Depictions of women, Original Men’s Preferences: Clean/Straight lines, Neutral colors, Simplicity, Conventional typography, depictions of men, conventionality Designing for Women from Femme Den 1. Emphasize benefites over features or specs 2. Consider the full experience 3. Identify a spot on the spectrum (Feminine < - > Not Feminine) http://www.fremont.edu/content/brand-designing-lessons/ Designing for Genders The challenge is figuring out the “when” and the “how” when designing for genders. There are two distinctly different types of design: visible design and transparent design. Visible design is openly and clearly created specifically for women, like beauty products or high heels; the gender story is visible to the user. Contrastingly, transparent design is designed for and appeals to both genders; the gender story is vital yet invisible. Companies typically want to design products for both men and women, however the female perspective in the product design industry can be difficult to find, and as a result, women consumers can feel left out. Whichever strategy designers choose, they must take a delicate approach. A bad visible design can potentially alienate women because they don’t like being isolated by gender or being told that they’re “different”. A bad transparent design can underestimate gender differences and result in limited appeal for both men and women.

Mastering the art of designing for genders will win over the world’s largest economic power making up to 85% of consumer purchases in the “she-conomy.” So when do you use visible design and when do you use transparent design? Visible design may be a more practical option when we want to differentiate between genders due to physical needs (ie. trimmer for men or make-up for women) or to intentionally

Thesis Proposal Parts: Rewrite 33 give a feminine or masculine appeal (ie. fashion). However, unfortunately, the distinctions between these concepts aren’t always black and white. It is easy to get lost in the gray area because a product that is clearly designed for women doesn’t necessarily need to reflect a stereotypically feminine ideal. This is because women play many roles and feel differently about their femininity depending on what they are doing. For example, a woman may feel more feminine while getting ready for a dinner party than while working out at the gym.

While both genders play different roles and have different moods, a woman’s range is more expansive. Designs are unsuccessful when we stereotypically assume that all women want to express their femininity at all times of their lives. By understanding consumers’ mindsets, in the moment they’re using a product, we can best design for genders. http://www.fastcodesign.com/1664525/men-and-women-can-love-the-same-design-for-different-reasons Men And Women Can Love The Same Design For Different Reasons Why not try to please all the people all the time? By and large, we should design for both men and women, and transparent design is the clear choice if a product is intended to be used by everyone. But understanding gender differences may still be critical. Products and services fall short for women when designers presume that men and women share the same values. Magic happens when we blend everything we know about men and women to create an experience that works for everyone but that connects in relevant ways to each sex. In an industry that often struggles to find a female point of view, uncovering desires that are uniquely female helps us create that magical mix.

It’s our job as designers to help define a product -- from character and form to color and materials. But men and women can interpret these attributes in different ways. Women tend to be attracted to products that show a personality. Women tend to empathize; they react to the way a product makes them feel. Men tend to be more drawn to products that reflect a system, as the British psychologist Simon Baron-Cohen detailed in The Essential Difference (2004). One of the biggest design challenges is how to design products that appeal to both sexes without compromise. http://www.fastcodesign.com/1664439/women-are-85-of-the-consumer-market-but-how-do-you-reach-them We can design for women openly and overtly, creating solutions for her only, like women’s razors or high heels. We call this “visible design,” because the gender story is visible to the user. Yet, most often, companies want to design products for both men and women, such as cameras or cars. But the female perspective in the product design industry can be hard to find, and as a result, women consumers can get left out. To appeal to both, you have to design for both, simultaneously meeting women’s unique needs. This is what we call “transparent design,” because the gender story is vital yet invisible, veiled under the simple notion of “good design for all.”

Yet the choice between visible and transparent design requires an awareness of gender and a delicate, nuanced approach. Visible design “gone bad” can mean alienating women who don’t want separate solutions that imply being female means being different.

Transparent design “gone bad” can mean underestimating our differences and designing under the misconception that men and women are the same, resulting in limited appeal. Getting it right means gaining the trust and loyalty of women, the world’s largest economic power making up to 85% of consumer purchases in the “she-conomy.” For our clients, it means millions of dollars in their pockets and winning products in the market. http://www.demystifyingusability.com/2010/07/gender-differences-in-web-usability.html 1. Women have surpassed men as online buyers (and they spend more) and their influencing is growing rapidly, in addition to the use of group buying or ‘flash sale’ sites (eg. Groupon.com LivingSocial.com). Social retail is an emerging area for women, due to their tendency to share and discuss with other others.

2. Women spend more time online (8% globally) than men and 30% more time on social networking sites than men.

34 Thesis Proposal Parts: Rewrite 3. Women are motivated differently in their use of social networking sites like Twitter. Twitter adoption is equal or higher than men. Twitter is used by women more for conversation, to follow celebrities or to find deals and promotions. Men are more likely to post their own tweets.

4. Social networking is emerging as a driver for women in the mobile sphere.

5. Women are using online entertainment and functional sites as much as men.

6. Cultural differences in emerging markets will always influence online behavior by gender- an important localization issue.

7. Older women moreover men, are rapidly adopting social networking sites-- and at the same intensity of younger women.

8. Women are still attracted to health content, community and lifestyle sites. However women are outpacing men in some areas of finance and are actively engaging in male-dominated areas: adult content and gambling.

9. Compared to men, women Bing users spend more time on Bing for search, than Google- and YouTube for video.

10. Women spend more time on Social Networking, Instant Messaging (IM) and Email than men globally.

11. The embrace of social networking and its importance to women has significant implications for content and user experience.

12. Women spend more time on photo sites and adopt photo sharing faster. Email usage is higher in the 45+ age group. Latin American women do more IM’ing than other women globally, with their use of email topping North American females.

Audience (single phrase) Any woman who is interested in football.

Audience value (1 sentence) A woman will be able to come to this new NFL brand and not feel alienated.

What is your intention with the outcome? (1 word)Transform/Educate Definition of any key terms used above (1 sentence) Transparent design aims to appeal to everyone, but understanding gender differences is still essential to developing a product that resonates with both men and women.

What expert have/will you be speaking with + why + when (1 sentence) Femme Den us a leading team of design researchers, industrial

designers, and engineers who are paving the way for a deeper understanding around design and gender. (contacted but not responded)

Precedents (no more than 3 - this doesn’t mean you can’t have more, but should edit to the best)

Della - Dell’s campaign in 2009 to promote it’s mini netbook to women - “Use your mini to track calories, carbs, and protein with ease”

- “Tech Tips” included tips about how to find recipes online

- “Shrink it and Pink it Reflex”

- Content bases on assumptions and stereotypes

- Nothing useful about the product communicated

- Site take down after 10 days

- alienated MEN Dr Pepper TEN

- Company research found that men shy away from diet drinks that aren’t “manly” enough

- Shooting gallery where you shoot things like high heels and lipstick

- “Man Quiz” with questions on activities like fishing and hunting

- Alienated WOMEN

Decision Tree 35

36 Research

http://www.demystifyingusability.com/2010/07/genderdifferences-in-web-usability.html

4. Social networking is emerging as a driver for women in the mobile sphere.

New Study- Gender differences in Web Usability The worldwide study adds some key insights into the growing research on gender differences on the Web and in particular around social networking usage. Why is this a big deal?

5. Women are using online entertainment (e.g. puzzle, board and card games) and functional sites (money management) as much as men (change in past behavior where health, apparel, baby goods).

Differences in gender are important to understand so we can increase our ability to provide more targeted, relevant and desirable user experiences. It’s a design issue as much as an advertising and strategy issue. I feel the User Experience community, has not fully tapped the potential of gender-specific design aka Woman-centered Design.

6. Cultural differences in emerging markets (Asia, Latin America) will always influence online behavior by gender- an important localization issue.

Gender as an audience sensitive criteria (differentiation) is barely present in North American technology product design (where it is much easier to do) let alone Web experiences. In Asia there is more design innovation in this area, for example, see: Toshiba’s Femininity series. Implications of this phenomenon are discussed below. First a summary of the findings:

8. Women are still attracted to health content, community and lifestyle sites. However women are outpacing men in some areas of finance and are actively engaging in male-dominated areas: adult content and gambling.

Comscore report ‘Women on the Web’ Key Findings 1. Women have surpassed men as online buyers (and they spend more) and their influencing is growing rapidly, in addition to the use of group buying or ‘flash sale’ sites (eg. Groupon.com LivingSocial. com). Social retail is an emerging area for women, due to their tendency to share and discuss with other others.

7. Older women moreover men, are rapidly adopting social networking sites-- and at the same intensity of younger women.

9. Compared to men, women Bing users spend more time on Bing for search, than Google- and YouTube for video. Facebook, while visited more than men is unable to compete with regional social networking sites (such as CyWorld in South Korea, Vkontakte.ru in Russia, Mixi.jp in Japan or StudiVZ in Germany), especially among older women.

10. Women spend more time on Social Networking, Instant Messaging (IM) and Email than men globally.

2. Women spend more time online (8% globally) than men and 30% more time on social networking sites than men.

11. The embrace of social networking and its importance to women has significant implications for content and user experience.

3. Women are motivated differently in their use of social networking sites like Twitter. Twitter adoption is equal or higher than men. Twitter is used by women more for conversation, to follow celebrities or to find deals and promotions. Men are more likely to post their own tweets.

12. Women spend more time on photo sites and adopt photo sharing faster. Email usage is higher in the 45+ age group. Latin American women do more IM’ing than other women globally, with their use of email topping North American females.

Research 37 Significance of the Data The findings from the Comscore global study provide a fresh starting point to understand the opportunities for designing user experiences, both Web and product, that resonate with women.

Women’s presence on the Web is changing, and as Comscore found- access to technology (computers and Internet access) is a major hindrance to more women getting online. As more of the world’s women get online, the design opportunity for designing for women will be the default (not the exception- as it has been viewed in the past).

A 2002 study by Van Slyke et al. titled Gender Differences in perceptions of Web-based shopping found that women were visiting shopping sites more than men, but that men were buying over women. The study also recommended: “Web merchants may find it useful to use technology to increase a sense of community and create a social forum for their customers”. Given the Comscore findings above, women’s usage of the Web has clearly changed! But has web design and user experience strategy kept up?

A 2007 study by Horvath et.al. title Gender and web design software (PDF) found that web site design has an over-arching tendency to be masculine or male-oriented (in terms of layout, colors, font) than to be female-friendly. In 5 of 11 design items (Cyr and Bonanni, 2005) found differences in perception, opinion and satisfaction between men and women. They concluded: “Women were significantly less satisfied than men with the navigation of the site. This suggests a need to better understand the needs of women in order to navigate and find product or service information on websites”... and that “clear differences regarding perceptions on design occur between men and women”.

The authors note that very few studies of gender and web design exist and there is a need for more exploration. Previous studies have given some indication of gender differences showing that women prefer ease of use and navigation ‘features’ over download speed (men like fast sites). Moss and Gunn (2005; 2006; 2008; 2009) at

the University of Glamorgan (Wales) have conducted the most extensive studies in the past five years in the area of gender and web design and have found significant differences in how men and women differ in web design. Read an interview and slideshow summarizing their work.

Does Gender-specific Web or product design work?

We don’t know empirically, but from the studies that have been done to date as well as the new Comscore data, we’re getting some very strong clues. In several studies, Stilma (2006; 2009) found that differentiation in design with a bias for women was extremely effective as a product design approach and that more designers should focus on designing for women.

I wonder what opportunities a gender-specific design approach could offer, especially when I see Bluetooth headsets worn by women that look anything less than fashionable or styled for women. And every time I tried to buy a pink camera for my wife a few years ago, it was sold-out of all the local shops and online stores! Something has to be going on here...

I know that gender as a design variable in my corporate projects over a dozen years at Experience Dynamics is something clients don’t deliberately assess or design for. Yet in a very recent usability test, I was reminded of the opportunity when one of two women in a ten person usability test said she wanted an extra pink tab at the top for women’s content or features (in a male-dominated content website).

As social becomes the new infrastructure for all our software and web experiences into the next decade, it will be characterized, if the trend captured by Comscore continues, by global adoption and innovation by women. Will these female driven usage scenarios in social networking open the potential for more genderspecific design approaches and opportunities? Industry is slow to get the message, but change is coming as witness, for example, by the personal expression laptop manufacturers are allowing in their offerings of colorful, stylized and differentiated products-something that was difficult to find in the mainstream five or ten

38 Research

Thesis Proposal Parts:Research Rewrite 39 Observation (1 sentence) The NFL’s website and outlets for learning about the sport are poorly designed and alienate women in the way that they are designed.

Argument/Proposition (1 sentence) The NFL needs to include an (interactive?) outlet that will teach women who are interested in football but don’t fully understand.

What research backs up your argument? (bullet list)

nfl.com/rulebook This entire section of the site, first of all, is incredibly hard to find. The link is located only in the small print at the very bottom of the page.

Once located, all of the information is formatted in drop down menus that would still be confusing to someone who knew little to nothing about the sport. After the viewer selects which topic she wants to learn about, it is presented in the form of a downloadable pdf. This is not an effective form of delivering the information. Also, the site doesn’t include any general information about how the game is played. http://justcreativedesign.com/2008/06/16/how-to-design-for-men-and-women/ Designing for the Ladies:1. Women want visuals that remind them of themselves, on their best day. 2. Women want stories that draw them in. 3. Women want value now and over time. 4. Women love to share with others.

Designing for the Gentlemen: 1. Men want visuals they can aspire to. 2. Men want proof, pure and simple. 3. Men make purchases now, for their now needs. 4. Men love bragging.

Designing for the BOTH: 1. Keep your visuals strong, positive, and make emotional connections. 2. Write the story in an active voice. 3. We all want benefits. 4. Call it sharing, call it bragging. http://www.slideshare.net/jessicaivins/on-shrink-it-and-pink-it-designing-for-women Designing Experiences for Women by Jessica Ivins Women make or influence 80% of consumer purchases in the U.S. In the U.S., women generate 58% of e-commerce dollars.

Women spend more time using social media than men do.

Lnow your Audience- The majority of people in the technology and design fields are still male.

“The Buchanan Test” 1. Do you feature a woman outside of the home?

2. Do you feature a woman in a role other than “mother?”

3. Is she NOT doing yoga?

“You make an emotional connection with a woman when you show you respect her, understand her, and value all of her contributions and roles in society.”

Visible Design - Clearly directed toward men or women

- Use only when you’re sure the other gender won’t need or use the product (Gilette, High Heels, Lipstick) Transparent Design - Not explicitly labeled or branded “for women” or “for men”

- Meets the needs of the target audience without touting it

- Usually appreciated by everyone ESPN - Transparent for men

- Women DO watch and follow sports (2009 Season approximately 4.2 million women watched the NFL on ESPN)

- Critics say the brand could be more inclusive for women

40 Thesis Proposal Parts: Rewrite Men and Women like things for different reasons EXAMPLE MINI COOPER

- Women like it for the aesthetics and because it is fun to drive.

- Men like it’s performance and handling Women have a low tolerance for bad design. According to Femme Den, women usually have no desire to conquer a product.

Women’s Preferences: Rounded shapes and lines, Bright colors, Detail, Patterns, Unconventional typography, Depictions of women, Original Men’s Preferences: Clean/Straight lines, Neutral colors, Simplicity, Conventional typography, depictions of men, conventionality http://www.fastcodesign.com/1664439/women-are-85-of-the-consumer-market-but-how-do-you-reach-them We can design for women openly and overtly, creating solutions for her only, like women’s razors or high heels. We call this “visible design,” because the gender story is visible to the user. Yet, most often, companies want to design products for both men and women, such as cameras or cars. But the female perspective in the product design industry can be hard to find, and as a result, women consumers can get left out. To appeal to both, you have to design for both, simultaneously meeting women’s unique needs. This is what we call “transparent design,” because the gender story is vital yet invisible, veiled under the simple notion of “good design for all.”

Yet the choice between visible and transparent design requires an awareness of gender and a delicate, nuanced approach. Visible design “gone bad” can mean alienating women who don’t want separate solutions that imply being female means being different.

Transparent design “gone bad” can mean underestimating our differences and designing under the misconception that men and women are the same, resulting in limited appeal. Getting it right means gaining the trust and loyalty of women, the world’s largest economic power making up to 85% of consumer purchases in the “she-conomy.” For our clients, it means millions of dollars in their pockets and winning products in the market. http://www.demystifyingusability.com/2010/07/gender-differences-in-web-usability.html 1. Women have surpassed men as online buyers (and they spend more) and their influencing is growing rapidly, in addition to the use of group buying or ‘flash sale’ sites (eg. Groupon.com LivingSocial.com). Social retail is an emerging area for women, due to their tendency to share and discuss with other others.

2. Women spend more time online (8% globally) than men and 30% more time on social networking sites than men.

3. Women are motivated differently in their use of social networking sites like Twitter. Twitter adoption is equal or higher than men. Twitter is used by women more for conversation, to follow celebrities or to find deals and promotions. Men are more likely to post their own tweets.

4. Social networking is emerging as a driver for women in the mobile sphere.

5. Women are using online entertainment and functional sites as much as men.

6. Cultural differences in emerging markets will always influence online behavior by gender- an important localization issue.

7. Older women moreover men, are rapidly adopting social networking sites-- and at the same intensity of younger women.

8. Women are still attracted to health content, community and lifestyle sites. However women are outpacing men in some areas of finance and are actively engaging in male-dominated areas: adult content and gambling.

9. Compared to men, women Bing users spend more time on Bing for search, than Google- and YouTube for video.

10. Women spend more time on Social Networking, Instant Messaging (IM) and Email than men globally.

11. The embrace of social networking and its importance to women has significant implications for content and user experience.

12. Women spend more time on photo sites and adopt photo sharing faster. Email usage is higher in the 45+ age group. Latin American

Thesis Proposal Parts: Rewrite 41 women do more IM’ing than other women globally, with their use of email topping North American females.

Audience (single phrase) Any woman who is interested in football.

Audience value (1 sentence) A woman will be able to come to this new NFL brand and not feel alienated.

What is your intention with the outcome? (1 word)Transform/Educate Definition of any key terms used above (1 sentence) Transparent design aims to appeal to everyone, but understanding gender differences is still essential to developing a product that resonates with both men and women.

What expert have/will you be speaking with + why + when (1 sentence) Femme Den us a leading team of design researchers, industrial

designers, and engineers who are paving the way for a deeper understanding around design and gender. (contacted but not responded)

Precedents (no more than 3 - this doesn’t mean you can’t have more, but should edit to the best)

Della - Dell’s campaign in 2009 to promote it’s mini netbook to women - “Use your mini to track calories, carbs, and protein with ease”

- “Tech Tips” included tips about how to find recipes online

- “Shrink it and Pink it Reflex”

- Content bases on assumptions and stereotypes

- Nothing useful about the product communicated

- Site take down after 10 days

- alienated MEN Dr Pepper TEN

- Company research found that men shy away from diet drinks that aren’t “manly” enough

- Shooting gallery where you shoot things like high heels and lipstick

- “Man Quiz” with questions on activities like fishing and hunting

- Alienated WOMEN football101women.com - Alienates MEN

- Stereotypes women

- Features “Top Fashions” for the Super Bowl and Recipes for Super Bowl Parties

>>> Although, good source of content

42 Thesis Contract Iterations

Abstract

Project Description

The NFLâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s website and outlets for learning about the sport are poorly designed and therefore alienate women. The website should include a more effective way to teach the sport to women who are interested but lack the resources. This study outlines the differences in designing for men and women via visible versus transparent design and introduces an outlet that will be more welcoming for women to learn about the sport.

The NFLâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s website does not have an effective form of teaching about the sport. When visiting the website, the only way to get any information about the basics behind the sport is very hard to find. The link to the rulebook can only be found in the small print located at the very bottom of the page. Once found, the information is only available via downloadable pdfs. This is not a helpful form for women to learn about the sport.

The website needs to have a more effective way to teach the basics of football in a way that will not be alienating towards women. This thesis will help differentiate between visible design and transparent design. This requires an awarness of gender and a delicate approach. A bad visible design can mean alienating one gender. A bad transparent design can mean underestimating our differences and designing under the misconception that men and woman are the same, resulting in limited appeal.

This thesis will result in the creation of an outlet that does not alienate either gender but will be inviting to women who want to learn. It will educate any woman who is interested in a way that is more effective than any of the existing resources. This resulting form will incorporate specific aspects that women desire when interacting with an unfamiliar subject.

Thesis Contract Iterations 43

Abstract

Project Description

The NFL’s website, specifically areas for learning about the sport are poorly designed and lack information that engage women’s interests. The NFL should include a more effective way to teach the sport to women who are interested but lack the resources.

This study outlines the differences in designing for men and women via visible versus transparent design and introduces an outlet that will be more welcoming for women to learn about the sport.

The NFL’s website does not have an effective form of teaching about the sport. When visiting the website, the only way to get any information about the basics behind the sport is very hard to find. The link to the rulebook can only be found in the small print located at the very bottom of the page. Once located, all of the information is formatted in drop down menus and downloadable pdfs that are written in a language that is hard to understand. This is not an effective form of delivering the information.

In addition to the lack of engaging educational information, the language of the stories and types of data found on the site are written in a way more intriguing for men and lack points of interest that might draw in a woman and spark her curiosity.

The NFL needs to have a more effective and engaging way to teach the basics of football to women who are interested in the sport. In order to achieve this successfully, this thesis will differentiate between visible design and transparent design. This requires an awarness of gender and a delicate approach. A bad visible design can mean alienating one gender. A bad transparent design can mean underestimating our differences and designing under the misconception that men and woman are the same, resulting in limited appeal.

This thesis will result in the creation of an outlet that will educate any woman who is interested in the sport of football. It will be more effective than any of the existing resources in that it will: keep in mind visuals that are appealing to women; use wording that connects and engages women; and incorporate different types of information that women are more interested in, for example, information about player’s personal lives and the incorporation of social networking. The resulting form will be an interactive and educational iPad app as well as a banner for NFL’s website and an insert for women’s magazines, both leading the viewer to the app.

44 App Design Research

Gathering Content 45

46 Midterm Brief

Abstract

Project Description

The NFL’s website, specifically areas for learning about the sport are poorly designed and lack information that engage women’s interests. The NFL should include a more effective way to teach the sport to women who are interested but lack the resources.

This study outlines the differences in designing for men and women and introduces an outlet that will be more welcoming for women to learn about the sport.

The NFL’s website does not have an effective form of teaching about the sport. When visiting the website, the only way to get any information about the basics behind the sport is very hard to find. The link to the rulebook can only be found in the small print located at the very bottom of the page. Once located, all of the information is formatted in drop down menus and downloadable pdfs that are written in a language that is hard to understand. This is not an effective form of delivering the information.

In addition to the lack of engaging educational information, the language of the stories and types of data found on the site are written in a way more intriguing for men and lack points of interest that might draw in a woman and spark her curiosity.

The NFL needs to have a more effective and engaging way to teach the basics of football to women who are interested in the sport. In order to achieve this successfully, this thesis will differentiate between designing for men and designing for women.

When designing for a specific gender, you must not only consider what is visually appealing but also the type of information that is represented.

This thesis will result in the creation of an outlet that will educate any woman who is interested in the sport of football. It will be more effective than any of the existing resources in that it will: keep in mind visuals that are appealing to women; use wording that connects and engages women; and incorporate different types of information that women are more interested in, for example, information about player’s personal lives and the incorporation of social networking. The resulting form will be an interactive and educational iPad app as well as a banner for NFL’s website and an insert for women’s magazines, both leading the viewer to the app.

Midterm Brief 47

Observation

Because football is a men’s sport, the media surrounding the game is designed solely with men in mind. Furthermore, the website is lacking in ways to educate in an interactive, informative environment.

Proposition

This thesis proposes an interactive app that will teach interested women about the basics of football in a way that is more engaging and informative than the NFL’s website.

Research

• www.nfl.com/rulebook The rulebok, first of all, is incredibly hard to find-- the link is located only in the small print at the very bottom of the page. Once located, all of the information is formatted in drop down menus and downloadable pdfs that are written in a language that is hard to understand. This is not an effective form of delivering the information. In addition to the lack of engaging educational information, the language of the stories and types of data found on the site are written in a way more intriguing for men and lack points of interest that might draw in a woman and spark her curiosity.

• www.justcreativedesign.com/2008/06/16/how-to-design-for-men-and-women When designing for women, use visuals that remind them of themselves on their best day; use stories that draw them in; focus on the value now and over time; allow for sharing with others.

• www.slideshare.net/jessicalyins/on-shrink-it-and-pink-it-designing-for-women Women DO watch and follow sports (2009 Season approximately 4.2 million women watched the NFL on ESPN) and therefore need an outlet that is designed specifically with women in mind.

Audience

Any woman who is interested in football

Value Intention

A woman will be able to come to this outlet to learn about football in a format that is more appealing to her.

Educate

48 Midterm Brief

Expert

Yvonne Lin of Femme Den There are a few key things I learned from Yvonne: A) Women already have busy lives and are therefore intolerant of time consuming and unintuitive product experiences, and B) Women don’t buy a product, they are more interested in the relationship with the brand. While discussing product design, she mentioned that women are incredibly influenced not only by the actual product, but also by the atmosphere of the store, which I will think about while designing the look of the app.

Precedents

• Della Dell’s campaign in 2009 to promote it’s mini netbook to women. The site was taken down after ten days because the content was based on assumptions and stereotypes about women, alienating men.

• Dr. Pepper TEN Company research found that men shy away from diet drinks that aren’t “manly” enough. This product stereotypes men and alienates women.

• www.football101women.com Good source of content but designed in a way that alienates men completely.

Female stereotypes include “Top Fashions” for the Super Bowl and “Best Recipes” for Super Bowl parties.

NOT Form Deliverables

This is not an attempt at redesigning the currently existing NFL website. It is not an attempt to bring women’s sports to a higher level of appreciation.

The form is an interactive iPad app that could possibly be accompanied by a small printed card to be inserted into women’s magazines already in existence.

Presenting at Mid-Term: Site Map/Wireframes for Main Page, Player Profiles, and Position Breakdown

Midterm Site Map 49 KEY

MAIN Live Game Feed

One Finger Touch One Finger Swipe

Streaming live game feed, with pop-ups scrolling on side.

Touch any info in the pop-ups to go to page Ex: Player’s name goes to PLAYER’S PROFILE

Two Finger Touch Two Finger Swipe

Team A Highlighted

Menu Bar at Bottom of Screen (Will be Logos)

MAIN

POSITIONS

Alternate view/info between the two teams

TEAMS

PLAYERS

...in progress

Offense Highlighted

Alternate view/info between the O/D

OFFICIALS

PENALTIES

...in progress

...in progress

Defense Highlighted

Touch any word and the screen will flip over to show a more detailed description and videos.

Personal Life

Touch any player in lineup Pop-Up appears with definition of position along with different highlights of player’s in that position.

Touch Player’s Name

Personal Tweets

Touch Offense or Defense Title

Alternate view/info between personal life and career stats

Personal Life Info Birthday, Home Town, Highschool, College, Family, Current Residence, Significant Other, etc.

Career Stats

Career Info Receiving, Rushing, Passing, Kick Return, Punt Return, Defensive, Fumbles, etc.

Career Tweets

Touch any word or stat that you don’t understand and a Pop-up will appear with a definition or explanation.

Touch Highlight Photo of lineup flips over and shows the highlighted video.

GLOSSARY

Glossary of Terms

Photo of Lineup

PLAYER’S PROFILE

Team B Highlighted

Stories/Videos about Personal Life Most recent story is featured.

Older stories scroll in side panel.

Touch Story Featured video flips over and shows new story.

Swipe, and the Pop-up will disappear.

Touch any word or stat in the pop-ups to go directly to

GLOSSARY

Stories/Videos about Career Most recent story is featured.

Older stories scroll in side panel.

Touch Story Featured video flips over and shows new story.

50 Midterm Wire Frames Twitter Feed about #Team A / Twitter Feed about #Team A / Twitter Feed about #Team A / Twitter Feed about #Tea

Team B

PULL

Team A What just happened?

Touch this Player’s Name to go to his Profile

Live Game Feed

Previous Stories

Previous Stories

Previous Stories

Navigation Menu

PULL

Twitter Feed about #Team B / Twitter Feed about #Team B / Twitter Feed about #Team B / Twitter Feed about #Tea

Team A

Team B What just happened?

Live Game Feed

Touch this Player’s Name to go to his Profile

Previous Stories

Previous Stories

Previous Stories

Navigation Menu

Midterm Site Map 51

PLAYER’S NAME, # Player’s Team Birthdate, Home Town, High School, College, Family, Current Residence, Significant Other, etc.

PULL

Player Photo

Career

Personal

Twitter Feed about #Player / Twitter Feed about #Player / Twitter Feed about #Player / Twitter Feed about #Player

Story about Life Video about Life Other Stories about Life Other Stories about Life Other Stories about Life Other Stories about Life

Navigation Menu

PULL

PLAYER’S NAME, # Player’s Team Receiving, Rushing Passing, Kick Return, Punt Return, Defensive, Fumbles, etc.

Story about Career Video about Career Other Stories about Career Other Stories about Career Other Stories about Career Other Stories about Career

Navigation Menu

Player Photo

Career

Personal

Twitter Feed about #Player / Twitter Feed about #Player / Twitter Feed about #Player / Twitter Feed about #Player

52 Midterm Wire Frames

Definition and Discription of Offense

Defense

PULL

Offense POSITION What this position does.

Highlight about Player in this Position.

Photo of Offensive Lineup

Highlight about Player in this Position.

Highlight about Player in this Position.

Highlight about Player in this Position

Navigation Menu

Offense

Definition and Discription of Offense

Defense

POSITION What this position does.

Offense

Highlight about Player in this Position.

Highlight about Player in this Position.

Highlight about Player in this Position.

Highlight about Player in this Position.

Highlight about Player in this Position.

Highlight about Player in this Position.

Highlight about Player in this Position.

Highlight about Player in this Position.

Highlight about Player in this Position

Highlight about Player in this Position

Highlight about Player in this Position.

Highlight about Player in this Position

Navigation Menu

Navigation Menu

Highlight about Player in this Position.

This is the story that accompanies the video.

This is a stat in the story that I don’t quite understand. This is the story that accompanies the video. This is the story that accompanies the video. This is the story that accompanies the video.

Definition and Discription of Offense

This is a “quick view” pop up telling what this stat means.

Video about Player in this Position

Navigation Menu

Navigation Menu

Defense

PULL

Offense

Definition and Discription of Offense

POSITION What this position does.

Defense

PULL

Defense

PULL

Definition and Discription of Offense

PULL

Offense POSITION What this position does.

Midterm Site Map 53

PULL

Offense

Defense

Definition and Discription of Defense

POSITION What this position does.

Highlight about Player in this Position.

Photo of Defensive Lineup Highlight about Player in this Position.

Highlight about Player in this Position.

Highlight about Player in this Position

Definition and Discription of Defense

Defense

Offense

Definition and Discription of Defense

Defense

POSITION What this position does.

POSITION What this position does.

PULL

Offense

PULL

PULL

Navigation Menu

Offense

Highlight about Player in this Position.

Highlight about Player in this Position.

Highlight about Player in this Position.

Highlight about Player in this Position.

Highlight about Player in this Position.

Highlight about Player in this Position.

Highlight about Player in this Position.

Highlight about Player in this Position.

Highlight about Player in this Position

Highlight about Player in this Position

Highlight about Player in this Position.

Highlight about Player in this Position

Navigation Menu

Navigation Menu

Highlight about Player in this Position.

This is the story that accompanies the video.

This is a stat in the story that I don’t quite understand. This is the story that accompanies the video. This is the story that accompanies the video. This is the story that accompanies the video.

Definition and Discription of Defense

This is a “quick view” pop up telling what this stat means.

Video about Player in this Position

Navigation Menu

Navigation Menu

Defense

PULL

Offense

Definition and Discription of Defense

POSITION What this position does.

Defense

54 Midterm Presentation Dry Run

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62 Brainstorming

Brainstorming 63

64 Brainstorming

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Application Screens (Following Pages)

72 Midterm Presentation (Application Pages)

Midterm Presentation (Application Pages) 73

Archived Game Selection Process

74 Midterm Presentation (Application Pages)

Current Game Selection Process

Midterm Presentation (Application Pages) 75

Game Page with Team A Featured

Game Page with Team B Featured

This is the “Game” page of the app. While viewing either a current or an archived game, the viewer can swipe back and forth between each team, to filter the information that is being featured. Throughout the game, pop-ups would appear to explain what is happening and if the situation calls for it, why it is happening. The pop-ups on the game screen would contain a number, with the coresponding information scrolling across the bottom of the screen. The information pertaining to the team you have selected will be in the team’s color, while the information that pertains to the game in general will appear in grey. At any point, the viewer can scroll back through the explanations at the bottom of the screen. This page also features a twitter feed on the side, with a live feed of tweets about whatever eam you have selected to view.

76 Midterm Presentation (Application Pages)

Midterm Presentation (Application Pages) 77

Player Page with Personal Life Selected

Player Page with Career Information Selected

This is the “Player” page of the app. A key thing I wanted to include in my app was personal information about player’s lives because that will help get women interested. From my research, I learned that men like to know stats, facts, who is the best. Men want to brag. But women are different, they want to know about the bigger picture. They want to know about relationships and how something affects their or other people’s lives. On the personal page, there is information, articles and videos about each player’s personal life. On the career information page there are statistics, articles and videos about the player’s football career.

There is also a twitter feed featured on this page.

78 Midterm Presentation (Application Pages)

Positions Page with Offense Selected

Positions Page with Offense Selected

This is the â&#x20AC;&#x153;Positionsâ&#x20AC;? page of the app. The position section is divided into offense and defense, with the viewer swiping between these two sections. While viewing the lineup (left), the viewer selects which position she wants to learn about. The definition appears at the top and stories about players in that position appear on the left. Id a story it selected, the video clip would be appear (right) for the viewer to watch. The defensive side of this section (opposite page) works the same way.

Midterm Presentation (Application Pages) 79

Purpose was very clear // EXCELLENT set-up as to why this is needed // timing was gret, ended right at 8 minutes

n/a

Pacing was inconsistent, spoke really fast at times and other times your voice trails off // strong grammar

Overall sequence was well-considered // smooth transitions, a tad fast at times making it hard for audience to keep up

Improved in justifying the way women interact based on scenario and research // needed to address specific visual components on NFL aside from organization that makes it ineffective for women (aggressive?)

Your personal intro very effective in sharing your interest // When voice trails off, your interest appears to wane and audience's interest follows // Well-composed and presented // don't be afraid to move around a bit and not lock too tight into one area

comments:

Very well designed and paced, actual project design needs more work, but presentation was very well understood through visuals

• Exhibit skillful use of visual aids.............................................................................................................................................. 4.0

comments:

• Exhibit skillful body movement. .............................................................................................................................................. 3.5

comments:

• Establish genuine rapport with listeners through style and delivery. ................................................................................... 3.0

comments:

• Demonstrate skillful use of language and supporting materials to engage and challenge the audience. ......................... 3.0

comments:

• Exhibit skillful use of internal summaries and/or transitions.............................................................................................. 3.5

comments:

• Correct use of grammar, pronunciation, and articulation..................................................................................................... 3.5

comments:

• Supporting materials were adequate and dependable........................................................................................................... pts

comments:

• Exhibit sound organization—a clear purpose adequately supported by main ideas that are easily identified.................. 4.0

presentation/date: Mar. 14 - Mid-term

4.0 – the attempt was very well organized and the presentation was very skillfully executed and innovative.

Student exceeded instructor requirements.

3.5 – the attempt was very well organized and the presentation was very skillfully executed considerable planning and practice were evident 3.0 – the attempt was well organized and the presentation was skillfully executed 2.5 – the attempt was thoughtful and the presentation was well executed 2.0 – the attempt and execution were satisfactory 1.5 – attempt was made to meet the requirement the execution was almost satisfactory but contained flaws 1.0 – an attempt was made to meet the requirement, however the execution was not satisfactory 0.0 – did not perform the requirement adequately

452 Presentation Evaluation Courses designated “OC” make use of multiple speaking assignments and integrate oral communication into both the teaching and grading for the course. Students are expected to demonstrate oral communication competency by preparing and delivering speeches/ presentations that address the following points. Presentations are rated using the following evaluation scale:

name: Sara T

80 Midterm Presentation OC Evaluation

Midterm Presentation Reflection 81

Reflect

Moving Forward

I feel like the presentation went really well. Having the dry run the week before definitely helped a lot. I felt more comfortable with what I was presenting because it wasnâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t the first time I was presenting it. I wished I had completed more of the actual app for this presentation but I just presented what I had and got a lot of good comments and suggestiongs on how to improve it.

After the presentation, I decided I needed to step it up a notch. I told myself that in the week after the presentation, I would complete the app. I would work out all of the functionality and figure out how to organize all of the content. I would also go back and fix/add things based on the suggestions I recieved in the review.

82 Post-Midterm Work

This is the â&#x20AC;&#x153;Teamsâ&#x20AC;? page of the application. The section starts off with a little bit of information about how the NFL is divided into Conferences and Division. At this point the viewer can selcet whether they would like to view the AFC or the NFC.

Post-Midterm Work 83

AFC Page

Steelers Page, News Section

NFC Page

Steelers Page, Highlights Section

84 Post-Midterm Work

During midterm presentation, it was suggested that I add a drop down menu to read more detailed information about the position.

Post-Midterm Work 85

If the arrow in the top bar is selected, this drop down with more information would appear. Touching the arrow again would hide it.

86 Post-Midterm Work

This is the â&#x20AC;&#x153;Officialsâ&#x20AC;? page of the app. After learning what an official is, the viewer selects either the Positions or Hand Signals section.

Post-Midterm Work 87

Officials Section with Positions Selected

Officials Section with Signals Selected

On the “Positions” side of this section, the viewer leanrs about each of the seven different officials-- where they stand and what they do. After selecting the official in the lineup, a small bit of information is presented in the top bar. If the viewer wants to learn more about that position, they can touch the arrow in the corner and a drop down will appear with more detailed information.

To go to the “Signals” page, the viewer simply swipes across the bar at the top where it says “Positions” and “Signals.”

On the “Signals” side of this section, there are small images of each hand signal that the officials make. Simply touch the signal that you want to learn about and an explanation appears in the bar at the top.

88

Post-Midterm Work 89

Reflect

Moving Forward

After I finished the entire app, I presented it to the class during a progress check.

There was a lot of mixed emotions towards the way the app looked, but most people seemed to understand the functionality. I received a lot of good feedback on ways to push the design further.

Because of the feedback I received regarding the way the app looked-- â&#x20AC;&#x153;web 2.0 lookingâ&#x20AC;?-- I decided to start completely over. I sat down that night after my presentation and opened a fresh new document and started completely from scratch, using only the functionality and content that I had come up with before.

90 Final Brief

Observation

Because football is a men’s sport, the media surrounding the game is designed solely with men in mind. Furthermore, the website is lacking in ways to educate in an interactive, informative environment.

Proposition

This thesis proposes an interactive app that will teach interested women about the basics of football in a way that is more engaging and informative than the NFL’s website.

Research

• www.nfl.com/rulebook The rulebok, first of all, is incredibly hard to find-- the link is located only in the small print at the very bottom of the page. Once located, all of the information is formatted in drop down menus and downloadable pdfs that are written in a language that is hard to understand. This is not an effective form of delivering the information. In addition to the lack of engaging educational information, the language of the stories and types of data found on the site are written in a way more intriguing for men and lack points of interest that might draw in a woman and spark her curiosity.

• www.justcreativedesign.com/2008/06/16/how-to-design-for-men-and-women When designing for women, use visuals that remind them of themselves on their best day; use stories that draw them in; focus on the value now and over time; allow for sharing with others.

• www.slideshare.net/jessicalyins/on-shrink-it-and-pink-it-designing-for-women Women DO watch and follow sports (2009 Season approximately 4.2 million women watched the NFL on ESPN) and therefore need an outlet that is designed specifically with women in mind.

Deliverables

iPad application

Final Brief 91

Audience Value Intention

Any woman who is interested in football A woman will be able to come to this outlet to learn about football in a format that is more appealing to her.

Educate

Expert

Yvonne Lin of Femme Den There are a few key things I learned from Yvonne: A) Women already have busy lives and are therefore intolerant of time consuming and unintuitive product experiences, and B) Women don’t buy a product, they are more interested in the relationship with the brand. While discussing product design, she mentioned that women are incredibly influenced not only by the actual product, but also by the atmosphere of the store, which I will think about while designing the look of the app.

Precedents

• Della Dell’s campaign in 2009 to promote it’s mini netbook to women. The site was taken down after ten days because the content was based on assumptions and stereotypes about women, alienating men.

• Dr. Pepper TEN Company research found that men shy away from diet drinks that aren’t “manly” enough. This product stereotypes men and alienates women.

• www.football101women.com Good source of content but designed in a way that alienates men completely.

Female stereotypes include “Top Fashions” for the Super Bowl and “Best Recipes” for Super Bowl parties.

Value to Design Community

I am experimenting with designing for a specific gender and showing that is is possible to incorporate females into a very male oriented area via graphic and content based choices.

92 Final Presentation

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Final Presentation 93

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Final Presentation 95

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Application Screens (Following Pages)

96 Final Presentation (Application Pages)

Final Presentation (Application Pages) 97

This is the Main page of the app. It has general information about the intentions and functionality of the app.

98 Final Presentation (Application Pages)

This is the â&#x20AC;&#x153;Gameâ&#x20AC;? page. It has information about when games are played. The viewer selects either current or archived games.

Final Presentation (Application Pages) 99

Current Game Page

Current Game Page with Drop Down

Current Game Page with Drop Down Selection

Current Game Page with Game Selected

100 Final Presentation (Application Pages)

When viewing the game, pop-ups will appear that explain what is occuring in the game and why.

Final Presentation (Application Pages) 101

Current Game Page with Feed

Current Game Page with Feed Drop Down

Current Game Page with Feed Drop Down Selection

Current Game Page without Feed

102 Final Presentation (Application Pages)

During the off-season when there are no games being played, the Current Game section is â&#x20AC;&#x153;Not Available.â&#x20AC;? Archive must be selected

Final Presentation (Application Pages) 103

Archive Game Page

“Select a Team” Drop Down Menu

“Select a Team” Drop Down Selection

“Select a Year” Drop Down Menu

104 Final Presentation (Application Pages)

“Select a Year” Drop Down Selection

“Select a Game” Drop Down Menu

“Select a Game” Drop Down Selection

Archive Game Selection

Final Presentation (Application Pages) 105

Once the game is selected, the viewing page works the same way as the current game view. â&#x20AC;&#x153;Live Game without Feedâ&#x20AC;? can be selected from the drop dwon menu at any point.

106 Final Presentation (Application Pages)

This is the “Players” Page of the application. The arrows that lead to the “Personal” and the “Career” are greyed out because there has not been a player selected yet. Once the player is selected, the viewer can select between the two options.

Final Presentation (Application Pages) 107

“Select a Team” Drop Down Menu

“Select a Team” Drop Down Menu Selection

“Select a Year” Drop Down Menu

“Select a Year” Drop Down Menu Selection

108 Final Presentation (Application Pages)

“Select a Player” Drop Down Menu

“Select a Player” Drop Down Menu Selection

Player Selection

Player Personal Page Selected

Final Presentation (Application Pages) 109

This is the player’s “Personal” Page. This pages features information about the player’s personal life. In the drop down menu in the top right, you can see that this is the “News” page. All of the boxes at the bottom of the page are news about the player’s life.

110 Final Presentation (Application Pages)

Personal Page Story Selection

Personal Page with Story Opened

Scroll Left

Final Presentation (Application Pages) 111

While viewing a story, the viewer can either scroll back and forth through the stories, or close out the window and manually select which ever story they want to read.

112 Final Presentation (Application Pages)

Personal Page with Drop Down

Personal Page with Drop Down Selecion

Final Presentation (Application Pages) 113

This is the video page. It functions in the same way that the news page functions. If you select a video, you will be able to view it in a overlay window. You can then either scroll through the videos or close the window and manually select one.

114 Final Presentation (Application Pages)

Personal Page with Drop Down

Personal Page with Drop Down Selecion

Final Presentation (Application Pages) 115

This is the “Photos” page. It also functions in the same way as the “News” and “Videos” sections. If a photo is selected, the viewer can then scroll through more photos or close out the window and manually select each photo.

116 Final Presentation (Application Pages)

Player Selection

Player Career Page Selection

Final Presentation (Application Pages) 117

This is the player’s “Career” information page. In this section, the viewer can learn about the player’s career in football. Just like in the “Personal” part of the player’s page, this section is divided into “News,” “Videos,” and “Photos.” This is the “News” page.

118 Final Presentation (Application Pages)

At any point in the app, if there is a word the viewer doesnâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t understand, she can simply touch it with two fingers to get a pop-up explanation. Touch the pop-up again, and it will go away.

Final Presentation (Application Pages) 119

Career Page Story Selection

Career Page with Story Open

120 Final Presentation (Application Pages)

Career Page with Drop Down

Career Page with Drop Down Selection

Final Presentation (Application Pages) 121

This is the â&#x20AC;&#x153;Videosâ&#x20AC;? page. It functions in the same way that the news page functions. If you select a video, you will be able to view it in a overlay window. You can then either scroll through the videos or close the window and manually select one.

122 Final Presentation (Application Pages)

Career Page with Drop Down

Career Page with Drop Down Selection

Final Presentation (Application Pages) 123

This is the “Photos” page. It also functions in the same way as the “News” and “Videos” sections. If a photo is selected, the viewer can then scroll through more photos or close out the window and manually select each photo.

124 Final Presentation (Application Pages)

This is the â&#x20AC;&#x153;Teamsâ&#x20AC;? page of the application. The section starts off with a little bit of information about how the NFL is divided into Conferences and Divisions. At this point the viewer can selcet whether they would like to view the AFC or the NFC.

Final Presentation (Application Pages) 125

AFC Selected

Scroll Left

“Select a Division” Drop Down Menu

“Select a Division” Drop Down Menu Selection

126 Final Presentation (Application Pages)

“Select a Team” Drop Down Menu

“Select a Team” Drop Down Menu Selection

Team Selection

Scroll Left

Final Presentation (Application Pages) 127

This is the Teams page. Like the Player’s pages, it is divided into sections: “News,” “Highlights,” and “Roster.” In this section, the viewer can find general information about a team and read about the most current news stories.

128 Final Presentation (Application Pages)

Team Page with Story Selection

Team Page with Story Open/Scroll Right

Final Presentation (Application Pages) 129

While viewing a story, the viewer can either scroll back and forth through the stories, or close out the window and manually select which ever story they want to read.

130 Final Presentation (Application Pages)

Team Page with Drop Down Menu

Team Page with Drop Down Menu Selection

Final Presentation (Application Pages) 131

This is the â&#x20AC;&#x153;Highlightsâ&#x20AC;? page. It functions in the same way that the news page functions. If you select a video, you will be able to view it in a overlay window. You can then either scroll through the videos or close the window and manually select one.

132 Final Presentation (Application Pages)

Team Page with Story Selection

Team Page with Story Open/Scroll Right

Final Presentation (Application Pages) 133

While viewing a highlight, the viewer can either scroll back and forth through the highlights, or close out the window and manually select which ever highlight they want to see.

134 Final Presentation (Application Pages)

Team Page with Drop Down Menu

Team Page with Drop Down Menu Selection

Final Presentation (Application Pages) 135

This is the “Roster” page. After scrolling through the players and selecting one, the viewer would arrive at that player’s profile page.

136 Final Presentation (Application Pages)

This is the â&#x20AC;&#x153;Positionsâ&#x20AC;? page. It teaches about the difference in offense and defense and gives the viewer the option to view more information about either one.

Final Presentation (Application Pages) 137

This is the â&#x20AC;&#x153;Offenseâ&#x20AC;? page. It features a diagram of the offensive lineup and gives the viewer the option to select a position to learn about.

138 Final Presentation (Application Pages)

Offense Page with Position Selected

Offense Page with Position Open/Scroll Left

Final Presentation (Application Pages) 139

Once reading about a specific position, the viewer can either scroll through the positions by using the arrows on the sides or close out the window and manually select whichever position she wants to learn about.

140 Final Presentation (Application Pages)

Positions Page

Offense Selected/Scroll Right

Final Presentation (Application Pages) 141

This is the â&#x20AC;&#x153;Defenseâ&#x20AC;? page. It features a diagram of the defensive lineup and gives the viewer the option to select a position to learn about.

142 Final Presentation (Application Pages)

Defense Page with Position Selected

Defense Page with Position Open/Scroll Right

Final Presentation (Application Pages) 143

Once reading about a specific position, the viewer can either scroll through the positions by using the arrows on the sides or close out the window and manually select whichever position she wants to learn about.

144 Final Presentation (Application Pages)

This is the â&#x20AC;&#x153;Officialsâ&#x20AC;? page of the app. After learning what an official is, the viewer selects either the Positions or Hand Signals section.

Final Presentation (Application Pages) 145

Position Selected/Scroll Left

Officials Position Page

146 Final Presentation (Application Pages)

Once reading about a specific position, the viewer can either scroll through the positions by using the arrows on the sides or close out the window and manually select whichever position she wants to learn about.

Final Presentation (Application Pages) 147

Official Page with Position Open

Scroll Left

Official Page with Position Open

148 Final Presentation (Application Pages)

Officials Page

Signal Selected/Scroll Right

Final Presentation (Application Pages) 149

This is the â&#x20AC;&#x153;Signalsâ&#x20AC;? side of this section. There are small images of each hand signal that the officials make. Simply touch the signal that you want to learn about and a window opens with the explanation.

150 Final Presentation (Application Pages)

Signals Page with Signal Selected

Signals Page with Story Open

Final Presentation (Application Pages) 151

This is the “Glossary” page. If at an point the viewer wants to look up a word they don’t understand, she simply needs to select a latter from the top menu and then scroll through the words.

152

Final Reflcetion 153

Reflect

Moving Forward

I feel like the final presentation went very well. After presenting it so many times before, I wasn’t nervous at all. I think that definitely helped the presentation be much less awkward and flowed a lot better. Presenting to the business professionals was definitely different but I think the feedback and advice they gave me was very helpful and would definitely be a good place to start if I was to move forward.

If I was to move forward, I would start with adding a few pages, like a “What Happened this Week” quick facts page and a “Random Facts” page that would give women conversation starters. Then, I would make a business plan. I would also see if I could find a computer science person to help me begin coding the actual app.

In the future, I think it would be really awesome to get this actually funded by the NFL and published in the App Store for women to purchase on their own iPads.