Gestalt Principles of Perception

Most of this is common sense when it comes to information design.

Gestalt Principles of perception – where similar elements are seen as a single chunk or group. The main focus of the Gestalt theory is the idea of ‘grouping’ how we tend to interpret an image or design in a certain way.

The main factors which influence grouping are:
1) Proximity – elements close to each other appear as groups.
2) Similarity – how items that are similar in some shape or form tend to be grouped.
3) Closure – items are gropued together if they tend to complete a pattern.
4) Simplicity – items organised into figures according to symmetry regularity and smoothness.

Law of symmetry
If an object is assymetrical the learner will waste time trying to find the problem instead of concentrating on the instruction. Chunking or grouping of information should follow logical pattern.

On a Virgin train to Manchester

I’m really not sure about these ‘not so new now’ Virgin toilets. Firstly scared the bejesus out of some woman who had obviously thought the door was locked as it was closed. Word of warning to future travellers – because the door automatically closes don’t expect it to automatically lock. You need to press the red button to lock it.

Over kill on the signage or rather the use of signage to enhance the usability of a poor product. I can’t help but wonder whether the flush button had been placed a little higher or a little to the right whether it would have made it simpler to use.

train toilet

Got the message? Advertising meets interactive design – inSynch event

Another great session organised by inSync and AIGA. __Nick Roope, POKE. Discussed the importance of trust with in this space. Customers need to trust and believe in the product. Looked at ways to engage the audience how interaction design needs to connect, interact emotionally with it’s audience. What’s in it for me? There is a need for products, designs to be genuine and real, the whole brand experience is important. The advertising can’t just be tagged on to the end if the product is rubbish, no matter how good the advertising is it won’t sell. Customers want to engage in the discussion, not to be talked at.__Case Studies: My space.com, globalrichlist.com__Mark Shillum, Bartle Bogle Hegarty. Has passive media run it’s course? Is rebranding a pointless exploitative exercise? Huge questions, Shillum argued that there’s need to get back to the Big Idea, the true focus of the company. Interactive design should be telling the story that is the fundamental root of the company. The Big Idea needs to be transcultural, true and resonant with the customer.___www.aiga.org

Kids: The Converged Consumer – inSync event

Energetic session posing a series of questions. Are children over indulgent Technology Eating Monsters or are they still children? This was proposed by Gary Pope from Kidsindustries who gave a great presentation, raising some interesting points. Looking at sociometric status it is the revered child that has all the technology and is the early adopter. He went on to discuss the work of Lev Vygotsky and Rubin, Fein and Vanderberg 1983, looking at the importance and value of play to this age group. Play is how kids learn, it is an education activity, socially interactive, requires the guidance of partners, playing at getting it right. Play is also intrinsically motivated, an end in itself, freely choosen and a pleasurable, non literal engaging activity. The zone of Proximal Development the space where kids are ‘Just out of their depth’ where they engage and learn the most. Kids also play a whole 18 months beyond their average age.__Richard Deverell gave us his perspective on the Broadcasters multi-platform Perspective. In an ideas centric culture the need to work across platform and bring about a convergence of production. This is a fascinating question and poses a huge challenge for an organisation like the BBC.__Case studies: Bamzooki – Paul Tyler BBC, Blackbeard Connection – Frank Alsema 4XM._Speakers: Gary Pope – Kidsindustries, Ashley Cooksley – AOL UK, Richard Deverell – BBC Childrens.

Digital Futures Design Day

Very enjoyable day with a great line up of speakers. A couple of my favourites were Ron Pompei and Jeff Veen. The key thread running through out the day, was the user being the co author of the experience.__Ron Pompei presentation “Emerging Trends in Creative Thinking” explored the principles of environment and experience design. Integrating commerce, culture and community to create value and meet human expectations. Creating transformative environments such as a “a shop or work space that impacts on the user not simply on a physical level but emotionally intellectually and spiritually as well.” Working with clients to understand the emerging culture and growing shift in values. __A rich presentation by Jeff Venn which looked at designing the new web, mainly focusing on relevance of Web 2.0.__http://www.veen.com/digitalfutures.pdf_One thing that I really hooked into was developing trust at every level. From surface through to strategy. Trust your users – users as peers. Amazing quote that users can deduce whether to ‘trust’ a site within 1/20second._”even if a website is highly usable and provides very useful information presented in a logical arrangement, this may fail to impress a user whose first impression of the site was negative” – Dr Gitte Lindgaard Carleton University._Veen also went on to touch on the Halo Effect. Surprisingly the Halo Effect may or may not have anything to do with the physical appearance of a site. It can equally be applicable to any attribute the user holds valuable. For example a site may look good, and because of this it’s deemed that the content is good, even if the two items are not related. In marketing the Halo Effect is one where the perceived positive features of a particular item extend to a broader brand.

What is Web 2.0

Web 2.0 has been a buzz word around the office for a while.‘ What is Web 2.0; Design Patterns and Business Models for the next generation of software’ authored by Tim O’Reilly is an extremely helpful article, offering real clarity to the concept.

Web 2.0 is about web based software rather than desktop software applications. Sites are used as components of tools that people build – just as libraries or components are used in software. The web is no longer about publishing it’s about participation. Internet applications encourage social networking and that grow stronger from user participation. The user adds and enhances the data which inturn adds value. [Amazon, Flickr]

Web based services can tap into the whole web and not just focus on the top websites, by reaching deep into the long tail, they can serve up individual and niche content experiences.

Jeff Wall Photographs 1978-2004, Tate Modern

Visited the Jeff Wall exhibition of photographs. Inspiring exhibition and visually stuning work.

The work offers a suggestion of interpretation, they don’t fully articulate their narrative, but afford the viewer a space for them to read or understand. The images are beautifully composed, often echoing past masterpieces, some taking months even years to create. Others are intentionally flawed, this lack of perfection occurs in the composite of the transparencies. Although this imperfection is easily remedied, this is something that Wall selects to keep. In a society where we constantly strive for perfection, especially in digital images where imperfection is rare and so readily touched up, it’s interesting to keep such an obvious glitch intact. It also acts as a device reminding the viewer what they’re actually looking at.

Life Squared

Went to the Life Squared project. Interesting experiment by Microsoft demonstrating the latest technology and products. They’d taken over a wonderful old victorian school and redesigned it to accomodate a business, home and cafe. This was the stage for various products, my favourite had to be the IPTV. Sad to think that the whole place will be demolished come Feb.