Building:Structure:Environment.

For the Interactive Media module design exercise we were asked to think of a building, structure or environment that i could use for my Term 1 project. It was suggested that the building should mean something and be personal to me, this is to ensure that i can find enough material on the subject.

I came up with a few places that are special to me and am yet to decided on the one i am going to use.

The first one was Rochdale AFCs' football stadium Spotland. I have had a season ticket for 8 years at Rochdale and have seen some very good times and also some low points. I have also seen the ground been developed and changed as the years have gone on.



The second thing i thought of is the East stand at Newcastle Uniteds' St James Park ground. This is where i went for my first football game. I have always been a Newcastle United supporter but i live too far away to get to the games so i rarely get chance to visit. I chose to use the East stand as this is the first stand i ever sat in at the ground.



The final one i thought of was a local park called Snig Hole Park. I have chosen this as i spent an awful lot of time there when i was younger.

Joel Schafer: 'I'm into minimalistic clean design'

Joel Schafers' interview is much different to Dan Saffers'. He answers the questions much more directly and precise.
He starts by talking about his work process, reading is listed as the first thing he does along with looking through other websites and award sites. He also outlines the importance of getting ideas down on paper before proceeding with any design work.
He goes on to talk about how he has made mistakes by rushing into projects in the past and that he now takes quite a while before actually starting the design work. I think i am quite similar to this in that it takes me a while to layout what i am going to do and how i am going to do it.

He gives the following advice to beginning web designers.

- Check award sites for inspiration.

- Read as much design magazines as you can.

- Find some good boards that can help you if you get stuck with a project.

- And always make a manuscript before you starting to produce.

I think this is good advice and i will be adopting this when i start my own web design projects.

Dan Saffer: 'Interaction design is an applied art'.

After reading through Dan Saffers' interview i got the impression that he is extremely passionate about his work.
I found the interview interesting and believe the piece to be extremely informative. At the start of the article Saffer highlights the importance of getting the correct balance between self-teaching and design-education. He also outlines the importance of understanding the medium you are working in, he links this with programming and scripting. This particular point relates directly back to me for my work for the Interactive Media module.
Saffer goes on to talk about what he believes to be the core elements of an interaction 'Usefulness, usability, and desirability. If your design fills a need in people's lives, works well, and looks beautiful, you've got design gold'. I think this is an excellent way of looking at a design.
He talks a lot about what inspires him and also how he keeps at the top of his game. He takes inspiration from many different sources, claiming that he sharpens his skills by reading RSS feeds.

The way to become a great designer is to learn as much as you can and put what you've learned into practice by designing a lot.

This is how Saffer ends his interview. I think it kind of sums up the article. He stresses the importance of both self-learning and being taught things throughout the interview, this twinned with practice is the best method of success.

http://www.designinterviews.com/interviews/interaction-design-is-an-applied-art

Journal Task: User Generated Content

For the Interactive media module we were asked to identify and write about three different websites that are run on user generated content.
I decided to use websites that i have used before or a site that i have a particular interest in.


The first website i decided to use was an Xbox 360 website. The website has quite a simple layout and has a navigation menu at the top which has four basic sections. The site has been set-up so Xbox 360 users can log on and share with other users their own experiences on the console. There is a forum where users can discuss the views and opinions on certain Xbox topics. It also acts as a sort of help centre where people can help each other out if they are having any problems with the console or games. There is also a guides section, this is where users have written about how to do certain things with the Xbox. Other sections are about upcoming games and also a section to upload and share videos.

www.xbox360forum.com

The second site i decided to look at was a site that i visit quite a lot. As a Rochdale Football supporter i like to visit the unofficial website where different fans can all share their views and have their say on any matter related with the club. This site not only acts as a forum but it also has a lot of data and information from other clubs around the same division and also previous seasons. It archives all the different players that have played for the club and has detailed bios' on them. It allows users to write their own match reports and reviews and also vote for how well players have done. Another feature of the website is a prediction league, in which users can predict the score and goalscorers.

www.rochdaleafc.com

The third website that i decided to use was Tutorialized. I stumbled upon this site last year when completing certain aspects of my work. This is a site that allows all different users to view and upload tutorials on different computer software. There are many different types of software that have tutorials ranging from MS Word to 3Ds Max. It allows users to upload both written tutorials and also video tutorials. Different users can then rate the tutorials and can also comment on each one. I personally found this website extremely useful and will also probably use it this year.

www.tutorialized.com

Map Of The Internet

As a group task we were asked to create a map of how we perceived the Internet. We thought of the most popular and most influential sites on the web at the moment. We then organised these into a hierarchy as can be seen in the image.
The start of the map was Google and it went down to sites like Yahoo!

XBOX LIVE!!!!

After 2 years of playing offline i have finally got Xbox Live back on my console!!
Ive bought myself a new Xbox and got myself some new games so thought it all made sense!! Bring on the late night gaming!! Probably mostly with my housemate in the room next door!!

Username - Joey428
Add me if you fancy a game!!