Monthly Archives: May 2014

Web Design

Gluteninbeer comparison table

Leave a comment
http://gluteninbeer.blogspot.com comparison chart
http://gluteninbeer.blogspot.com table which compares the tests results of beers that have been tested so far

I am working on my coding skills a bit by creating this comparison table for the website Gluteninbeer. Like the name suggests, this blog focuses on the gluten level of beers. The interest here is not gluten-free beer. Nope. The site tests the gluten levels in popular and commercial beers that are not considered gluten free. I work with my partner to create the branding and content.

In this instance, aside from creating the logo and branding, I also coded up this handy little chart. After receiving multiple requests from our readers to create a summary chart, we decided to do so. The table breaks down the beer tests results so for. It is a quick comparison of which beers are safer or not safe at all for people with a gluten intolerance. Please note that this site does claim that these beers are safe for celiacs. The members of gluteninbeer.blogspot.com are just testing the gluten levels in beer for their own personal interest and consumption.

 

UX Deliverables and Assets

Ethnographic research of tourists in Hollywood

Leave a comment

First thing I wanted to do before tackling the Hollywood Walking Tour App was to observe how tourists do research or way find on the boulevard. I wanted to see how people navigated the area. As suspected, some tourists were holding up unfolded maps or looking at books. Some people were part of a larger tour group, being lead around by a hired guide. Some were standing to the side looking at a smart phone. Perhaps they were researching the area? And others were just wondering down the street checking out all of the starts on the sidewalk along the way.

Ethnographic study and observation of tourists in Los Angeles. Jennifer Blatz Design
Ethnographic study and observation of tourists in Los Angeles.
Education

Getting excited about my next class on prototyping

Leave a comment

I wil leb starting my next California State Fullerton class very soon. It’s called Prototyping User-Centered Design Solutions and obviously it involved prototyping. I am excited to be learning more about this great field and to hopefully gain some skills that will be applicable to a new job. Below is the text book for the class.

Prototyping: A Practitioner's Guide. Textbook for class for Jennifer Blatz UX Design
Prototyping: A Practitioner’s Guide textbook for class.
UX Deliverables and Assets

Walking Tours Competitive analysis

Leave a comment

As part of discovery for my Hollywood Walking Tour App, I thought it would be a good idea to compare other apps that are available on the market. Granted, I only looked at free apps. But I want my app to be free, so this really is my competition. I was really shocked and surprised how poor the apps were for apps concerning walking tours in Los Angeles, and specifically Hollywood. The Hollywood walk of fame is surely bar far one of the biggest tourist destinations in Los Angeles. And it is best seen of foot. So I was really disappointed in the apps on the market now covering this topic.

Below I am comparing several apps that either have to do with Los Angeles tours, walking tours, or a combination of both.

Competitive analysis of other apps covering walking tours in Los Angeles. Jennifer Blatz Design
Competitive analysis of other apps covering walking tours in Los Angeles.
UX Deliverables and Assets

sketching mobile interfaces

Leave a comment

Though I never used to be of the “school” of sketching out my designs, I am finding that sketching out a few alternative ideas to a mobile or tablet interface is helping me explore some alternatives. Maybe it is because I am so comfortable designing in print, that I can just crate the layout in my head and execute the layout immediately. Mobile is a bit more foreign and new to me, so it is helpful to explore possibilities. Plus, with the ways that mobile and tablet are interactive and involve swiping and motion, they come with their own set of rules. The learning curve for interaction design is quite different than traditional print design.

Sketching for mobile
Sketching for mobile allows me to explore possibilities.
Uncategorized

The Experience Economy

Leave a comment

On Design Thinking on MOOC today, students were introduced the the evolution of the the Economy. See the graphic below:

The Experience Economy (according to B. Joseph Pine II and James H. Gilmore)
The Experience Economy (according to B. Joseph Pine II and James H. Gilmore)

Joseph Pine and James Gilmore suggested in their book ‘the Experience Economy’, that the economic value creation in developed countries went from an agrarian economy, to an industrial economy, to a service economy, to an experience economy.

The agrarian economy is mainly concerned with producing and dealing with commodities. Extracting natural resources is here the major economic driver. The value creation in the industrial economy is based on the production of goods. When the goods market is saturated the next level of value creation is the service economy, which refers to an increased importance on the delivery of services. And last but not least there is the experience economy, where the experience becomes a significant economical differentiator.

The reason could be seen in a natural evolution, that as soon as basic needs are met, humans seem to strive for improvement and development.

UX Deliverables and Assets

Ethnographic research? Sure!

Leave a comment

For the Hollywood Walking Tour app I am now developing, I thought it would be a great idea to go to one of Hollywood’s biggest tourist traps, I mean spots. I spent a couple of hours observing tourists and talking to them about their traveling experience. Specifically, I wanted to see how people navigated the streets (Did they use a map or guide book? Or were they just wandering aimlessly?) and find out how they researched their trip to Hollywood. Here are some observations I made:

Ethnography tourist in Hollywood 2014

UX Deliverables and Assets

Site map for Hollywood walking tour app

Leave a comment

I am working through some Information Architecture (IA) for my Cal State Fullerton class. For the app in development, the Hollywood Walking Tour, I need to organize the interface and interactions. Here is a first draft of the IA:

Information architecture for Hollywood Walking Tour App
First level Information architecture for Hollywood Walking Tour App.

More organized site map

Though I don’t feel like this is complete, this was the site map I turned in for the Web and App design class. I think this structure is a good start, but I wonder how it will evolve as I really start wire framing the interface and performing the usability tests. Until then, we will take every step in the process.

Site map for Hollywood Walking Tour App
Site map for Hollywood Walking Tour App.
UX Deliverables and Assets

Customer Goals vs. business goals

Leave a comment

This is a portion of my first assignment for the Cal State Fullerton User-Centered Design for Web and Mobile Interfaces class. The charts here correspond to my chosen class project: A Hollywood Walking Tour App. I can’t seem to find a good and FREE walking tour app. So I thought about creating one myself.

The charts here discuss what the goals of the business are and what the customer goals would be. Though these charts are not perfect, their are a good first draft for the project.

Business Goals for Hollywood Walking Tour app

Customer Goals for Hollywood Walking Tour app
Business and Customer Goals for Hollywood Walking Tour app

 

Award, Uncategorized

Graphic Design USA website award

Leave a comment

The first of three award winning designs I would like to share with you is my website www.jenniferblatzdesign.com. This was my first ever web design award, and I won’t it from GDUSA Magazine’s Inhouse Design Awards. I have won several awards from them through the years. But this is the first year I’ve won a web design award from the organization. I am proud and inspired to design more great looking websites. Thanks for the confidence boost. Back to work….

jenniferblatzdesign.com Graphic Design USA magazine's Inhouse Design award winning website.
jenniferblatzdesign.com Graphic Design USA magazine’s Inhouse Design award winning website.