Journal Entry 9

            I cannot believe we are done with this semester. It has really flown by. It has been so amazing seeing where everyone was at the beginning of the semester to where they are now. Last night was our showcase night. I was able to get around see some projects that were very interesting. Each project I saw last night was different from the others. It is incredible to see how we can all have so many different ideas and use so many different tools. As I looked at different projects, I learned some new tools that I am interested in exploring more and I learned some tips to use on tools that I currently know. I like the way the showcase is organized because I am able to walk around and view different projects and have design conversations with the designers. Unfortunately I could not get around to each person, but that is an issue with everyone. However, I plan to visit the projects in Moodle to see what I missed.

            This semester has taught me a lot about self-directed learning. I have had to really manage my time and take responsibility to ensure that my project was completed on time and correctly. Dr. Rieber talked about how self-directed learning also incorporates making and meeting goals. This is such a true statement. I do not think I would have been able to create the project I did if I had not set goals for myself to meet. Now that I have met my goals for this semester, I feel so rewarded with what I created. It felt really great last night when people commented about how impressed they were with my site. Not only did I learn more about self-directed learning, but also a constructionist style of learning. As Clinton and Rieber (2010) state, “Constructionism seeks to promote the internal activity of constructing knowledge through the external activity of constructing a representation or manipulation of that knowledge” (p. 15). In this class I gained knowledge by designing and building my project that I was passionate about. Throughout the process I received feedback and gave feedback to my peers. During this semester, I have kept a journal and self-reflected about different milestones in the creation of my project.

Some things to think about as I go into the next semester are some of my strengths, weaknesses, and frustrations. Some things I feel that I need to work on are patience when it comes to learning tools. I like to learn something quickly and be able to perfect it right away. The tools I used this semester were not that case. They were much more challenging than I am used to. I feel that this has helped me grow though as a designer because there will be times I will be given tools that I am not familiar with. A strength I have found this semester is my determination. I have been so determined to get my site online and I am trying to get help in various places with this. It has been frustrating, but I do not want to give up too easily. I think this will be a good characteristic to have when working with a client. I have truly enjoyed this semester getting to meet so many great designers in my class and working on my project. I am looking forward to what the next class in store for me as well.

References

Clinton, G., & Rieber, L.P. (2010). The Studio Experience at the University of Georgia: An example of constructionist learning for adults. Unpublished manuscript.

Journal Entry 8

            Since our dress rehearsal of the showcase, I have taken to heart what the second timers had to say about my project. I have looked over my home page and tried to have less white space without taking away from the point of my website. Another modification I have made is to have links open in new windows, so that users are not navigated away from the main site. I have also checked to make sure my site in compliant with section 508 rules. Pictures have alt tags and videos have a written alternative. These are things you typically do not think of as you are creating a project, so it is good to have another person view your project to find the things that should be tweaked to make the project effective.

It is amazing to see how my project has developed throughout the semester. Nelson and Stolterman (2003) cannot say my feelings any better, “Creating such a system of unification means bringing parts, pieces, functions, structures, processes and forms together in such a way that they have a presence and make an appearance, particularly of unity in the world” (p. 207). I feel as though I have achieved all of this in my project design this semester. It is mind-blowing to me to see where my project started on day one of the semester to where it is now and how it has come together. Nelson and Stolterman (2003) state, “once the designer dives in fully, it is one of the most inspiring and rewarding activities imaginable” (p. 223). I cannot agree more. Seeing my finished project gives me so much joy and confidence that I can be a designer.

            I cannot believe the final showcase is only one week away. I am excited to see other projects that I was not able to look at during the dress rehearsal. It is so interesting to see what my peers have designed and developed. It is incredible that the projects are so diverse. I didn’t think that there would be so many different types of projects because our class only represents a very small fraction of the designer population. But really it shows how creative and innovative each of us is. I have an amazing group of peers to use as a resource to bounce ideas off of and seek advice from. I even think of the studio experience as a small networking group.

References

Nelson, H. & Stolterman, E. (2003). The design way. Englewood Cliffs, NJ: Educational Technology Publications. (Chapter 9: Composition) 

Journal Entry 7

            Last night in Studio we had our dress rehearsal of the fall showcase. This experience was very helpful in getting feedback about my project. The second timers were really supportive during the first half of the session. They had great advice to offer to make my site better, for example create more white space where there is a lot of text and also make links open in new windows. It was also great to just talk with them about design. They made a lot of compliments on my project and seemed impressed at what I created as a first timer to the course. It really made me feel like I had succeeded at something. Dr. Rieber discussed how sometimes we feel like creations may not be significant, but really we should not think that way because to other people they are significant. This is exactly how I feel sometimes. It was good to hear him reassure us that what we are doing is stepping out of our comfort zone and creating projects that are extraordinary.

            After the second timers viewed our projects we were able to view theirs. They had some amazing projects. It was so neat to see what they had created and the tools they used to get there. They are more experienced than us, so it was interesting to see where we would be next fall. One project that stuck out to me was a particular game that a second timer created. He had me actually play his game so that he could see where improvements were needed. Kapor (1996) states, “during the course of implementing a design, new information will arise, which many times will change the original design” (p. 8). I was able to be a key part of his design. I really enjoyed the design conversations that came about last night at the rehearsal.

            I plan on taking their comments to heart and looking over my project. The next few weeks before the final showcase, I plan on tweaking things in my project to make it the best that I can make it. I like Krause’s (2004) last statement about how designers succeed by “fostering personal creativity, learning the language of aesthetics and striving for proficiency with the tools of their trade” (p. 351). Not only do I want to succeed at this course, but also as a designer of future projects. This course is the first step in achieving this goal and I am sure the other studio courses will be the other key steps to becoming a designer and developer.

References

Kapor, M. (1996). A software design manifesto. In Winograd, T. (Ed.), Bringing Design to Software (pp. 1-9). New York: Addison-Wesley.

Krause, J. (2004). Design basics index: A designer's guide to designing effective compositions, selecting dynamic components and developing creative concepts. Cincinnati, OH: How Design Books.

Journal Entry 6

            Krause (2004) states, “Concept, when it is effectively applied, demands and hooks the viewer’s attention” (p. 280). This statement struck me as I was reading Krause’s Design Basics Index. This is something that I have been working on in my project. Over the past two weeks, I have been working on making my site more interactive and attention grabbing. I have been working with Animoto to create a presentation that makes the viewer want to learn more about the gluten free lifestyle and why it is so important to some people. I also filmed myself making lasagna to give viewers more than just a recipe. I thought this would be an engaging way to share a favorite recipe of ours. Some people learn visually as well. Another feature I am proud of learning is using a piece of software called EasyRotator. My plan was to list various recipes on a page, but as I started doing this, I noticed the page was getting entirely too long. When I have to scroll for a while on a website, that tends to make me not want to visit the site again. The EasyRotator allows me to create a type of slide show for the recipes. After creating my slides and installing the piece on my site, I am very pleased. It adds a bit of flare I feel to the site! I am continuing to amaze myself with everything that I am learning. Especially with the fact that I am self teaching, which is something I have not been comfortable with in the past. This skill is going to benefit me in the future however.

            Krause (2004) mentions that, “when a piece’s audience has been identified and its goal defined, it’s time to look for a message that will achieve this goal” (p. 330). I agree with Krause’s statement. My audience for my project can be anyone, but I am mainly targeting my family because I am trying to create something they can use in order to understand where my husband comes from. My goal is that they will understand him better and why he feels the way that he does when he eats gluten. Since I have established my audience and goal the message I am trying to send is to understand that eating gluten free not only affects my husband, but also myself and anyone else we choose to dine with, which happens to be family a lot. Eating gluten free can be scary and overwhelming at first, but it doesn’t mean that your life is over.

References

Krause, J. (2004). Design basics index: A designer's guide to designing effective compositions, selecting dynamic components and developing creative concepts. Cincinnati, OH: How Design Books.

Journal Entry 5

            I am continuing to “familiarize” myself with Dreamweaver, as Krause (2004) suggests in the Design Basics Index (p. 126). In my last journal entry I discussed how I was having a hard time linking the pages in my site. I sat down with Dr. Rieber and he worked on file management with me. We worked on finding a template for me to use and uploading my files. Then we were able to copy some pages and link them. I felt successful after working on this with him. He emphasized that one of the keys to Dreamweaver is file management. I have continued to practice what he talked about in making sure my files are correctly placed and linked. We also practiced uploading my site to the UGA server. This was so neat to see it actually work! Since then I have been working on the parts of my site. I am gathering my favorite gluten free recipes that I have learned to make. I have also started working on an Animoto video to highlight what gluten is and why I am so interested in creating this resource for my family and anyone else who might be able to use it. I have to say that Animoto presentations can be very moving to someone and present a topic in a meaningful way. I am really having fun creating this site.

            As I was reading Lawson’s Chapter 3: Descriptions of the design process, he really made me think about the whole process of designing. He talked about there being multiple ways to “map out” the design process. Lawson (1980) stated “that our map should show a return loop from each function to all preceding functions” (p. 28). I agree with him and I am seeing this start to play out as I am designing my project. I am constantly revaluating any steps I take in my design process. Not only am I evaluating myself, but I am seeking other designers’ advice. We have started giving and receiving desk critiques in class now. Last week in class I received desk critiques from three people. I am taking these desk critiques to heart because not only can these people give me advice, but they could potentially be a client or represent a client of mine one day. It was also interesting to be able to give desk critiques as well. Not only do I get to help someone in their design process, but I also am able to share great ideas and have design conversations with others. I feel like this is truly part of the design process and creating those “return loops” that Lawson talks about. I plan to continue seeking desk critiques throughout my design process until the finished product.

References

Krause, J. (2004). Design basics index: A designer's guide to designing effective compositions, selecting dynamic components and developing creative concepts. Cincinnati, OH: How Design Books.

Lawson, B. (1980). How designers think. London: The Architectural Press, Ltd. (Chapter 3: Descriptions of the design process.) 

Journal Entry 4

            The past couple of weeks I have watched some tutorials on Dreamweaver and have actually watched some of the same ones multiple times because I could not grasp the concepts they discussed. This program is a challenge to use in my opinion. I am not familiar with html like some people are or web design at that. Even though I feel this program is a challenge to use, I am interested in tackling the challenges of using this program. I just feel like there is more to Dreamweaver at this point in time than Muse has to offer.

            The past couple of weeks I have been able to create an html page. I created my homepage using a template in Dreamweaver. After doing that I created my project folder on my desktop and put the page that I created into the folder along with my image that I created in fireworks. Then I was able to go into Dreamweaver and create my site. Everything uploaded fine in Dreamweaver. I felt like I was successful finally. Since then I have created another page of my site. However, for some reason I cannot get the pages to link or the image file to transfer to other pages. I think I am going to have to continue to watch tutorials to figure out these setbacks as I work on my project. I am excited that there will be a tool workgroup on Dreamweaver this week. I am interested in hearing how everyone is coping with Dreamweaver and any tips the second-timers have to share.

Krause (2004) suggests to “Familiarize yourself with the software at your disposal. Strive to become fluent in its use so that your input (through keyboard and mouse) can keep pace with the output of your creative mind” (p.126). This really stuck out to me when reading his text this past week. I totally agree with his statements. I am really good about letting my mind go and creative thoughts come out, but I am also bad about not familiarizing myself with the software enough to be able to let them come out in the software. I like to think I can just figure it out, but I am realizing that tutorials are very much needed in learning Dreamweaver. I feel that Krause has a lot to offer to good graphic design. After reading about composition and components, I have realized that there is a lot of thinking that goes into graphic design. I really want to try to incorporate his tips into my website in order for it to be pleasing to clients.

References

Krause, J. (2004). Design basics index: A designer's guide to designing effective compositions, selecting dynamic components and developing creative concepts. Cincinnati, OH: How Design Books.

Journal Entry 3

           I have to say that I am impressed with myself. This past week I created the pages of my website using Adobe Muse. I also created a png graphic using Adobe Fireworks. I have never done either of these from scratch. I have been pretty intimidated by the material I have had to learn in this class, but this week after completing those tasks I had a great feeling of being successful. I have a lot more to learn, but I know that I can do it. The fact that this course is self-directed makes the feeling of success even better.

In my last journal entry I stated that I was going to learn Dreamweaver to create my site. However, I have been introduced to a different website creation software. In class last Tuesday, Adobe Muse was introduced to everyone. This particular software seems so much easier to understand than Dreamweaver. I tried completing some tutorials on Dreamweaver, but I am completely lost on how to create pages and have them connect. I am not totally ruling this software out though. If I can get a better handle on it, then I think I will switch to it, but for now I have been successful in Muse and I like using the program.

One thing I have noticed that I tend to do when planning my project is getting hung up on details too much. I am so concerned with every minor detail that it stops my thought process. Hong, Clinton, and Rieber (2010) state, “The tenet for brainstorming is to let the thinking flow” (p. 11).  I need to remember this as I plan my project and put my thoughts into action. I do not need to get hung up on every detail so much that it creates a roadblock for me. The whole process of creating this project is continuing to be a learning experience for myself. Not only with the tools, but also the way that I think about design. One thing that sticks out is when reading the “Design Basics Index”; I have noticed that my mindset is very different from Krause’s. He talks about the composition of design, which is very different from the way that I think. Krause (2004) suggests to “develop an active awareness of the spatial relationships that are occurring between the components of a layout or image” (p. 21). He gives a lot of good information in this book. Unfortunately I do not think the same way as a graphic designer. However, I am open to learning and taking his suggestions to heart. I need to keep my focus as Hong, Clinton, and Rieber (2010) point out, “A well-designed interaction leads to learners’ active participation, which enables learners to explore content and to construct their own knowledge” (p. 14). It is exciting learning all of these new techniques and how to make the most of teaching/learning.

                                   

References

Hong, Y., Clinton, G., & Rieber, L.P. (2010). Designing creative interactions for educational multimedia. Submitted for publication.

Krause, J. (2004). Design basics index: A designer's guide to designing effective compositions, selecting dynamic components and developing creative concepts. Cincinnati, OH: How Design Books.

Journal Entry 2

                  I am beginning to get a better handle on things in this class. I am slowly getting more comfortable with everything that we are learning: more so, my project for this class. Last week we discussed Moggridge’s chapter 10. One thing that was brought up in class is that when creating a prototype, we should keep people in mind. Moggridge (2007), states “I believe that if we think first about people and then try, try, and try again to prototype our design, we stand a good chance of creating innovative solutions that people will value and enjoy” (p. 643). I agree with his statement. My project has a personal touch to it. I thought about something that my husband and I needed. It deals directly with my husband, but not only can my husband use my project, other people will be able to as well, once it is published. I am also trying to get feedback from my husband as I am planning this project. By letting someone the project will directly affect give feedback; I am hoping to make the project more meaningful. As Norman (2004) said in his podcast, “Technology is only a part, you want to win their hearts and minds” to make a successful to design (n.p.). In order for my project to be successful, it must meet the needs of the people it is intended for.

                  Last week I looked at the program Captivate. I was really hoping to be able to somehow use this program to house my project.  After completing some tutorials on the program and investigating it more, I have realized that this is not going to be a program that is suitable for my project. Dreamweaver is going to be the backbone to my project. I plan to start looking at some of those tutorials and get started on creating my project. Some other programs that I might need to incorporate are Photoshop for pictures that I may take. I think it might be neat to use Animoto as well somehow. I can possibly incorporate a recipe into a video to make the site more engaging. As Norman (2004) says, “Make it pretty, fun, and enjoyable” (n.p.). Norman’s podcast was interesting in how he described how to make sure projects are loved. He stated that “Your design needs to have three components: visceral design, behavioral design, and reflective design in order for it to be successful” (Norman, 2004, n.p.). As I am working on my project, I plan to keep these three elements in my mind so that I am still focused on who will be using it and not just myself.

                 

References

Moggridge, B. (2007). Designing interactions. Cambridge, MA: MIT Press.

Norman, D. 2004. Emotional design: Presentation made at the 2004 O'Reilly Emerging Technology conference. Podcast retrieved from http://www.itconversations.com/shows/detail69.html

Journal Entry 1

                So far I have been pretty overwhelmed in this class; specifically with the project. As I started this course, I had no idea what the project was that the professors and second-timers were talking about. After reading the handbook, Dr. Clinton and Dr. Rieber’s essay, and having class discussions, I am starting to get a grasp on things. According to Clinton and Rieber (2010), “The goal of the first course is to learn broadly about the nature of design while acquiring proficiency with multimedia tools. Participants can choose any project topic they wish and there is no expectation that the project will be instructional in nature” (p. 8). I have gone back and forth about what I am going to do for a project in relation to whether it will be an instructional type of project or a more personal type of project. This brings me to the point that Clinton and Rieber (2010), make that “in keeping with this constructionist emphasis, they are explicitly advised to reflect on their values and interests and to choose a topic for which they are highly enthusiastic and devoted” (p. 16). So, I have decided that my project will be a more personal topic.

                My husband recently found out that he has gluten intolerance and this has been difficult for both of us when it comes to eating at home or even more so eating out. I am not a great cook when it comes to cooking. I definitely have to follow recipes and make accurate measurements. Now I feel that is even more critical since my husband cannot eat anything that contains gluten. My idea for a project is to create a site that I can refer to for recipes and restaurants that have gluten free menus. I would also like to incorporate some sort of discussion board so that people can leave comments about recipes and offer suggestions. I am still exploring tools in class and trying to get familiar with many of them. As of right now, I feel that I will be using Dreamweaver, Flash, and Photoshop for this project. I am only vaguely familiar with Dreamweaver, but I agree with Kapor (1996) in the fact that “students learn software design by practicing it” (p. 7). I am very much the type of person who learns by doing. I realize that this course will be challenging and very hands-on. I am looking forward to diving into these tools and learning as many tools as I can. I feel that these three tools are a good place to start for creating my project. Moggridge (2007), states “design wisdom has the power to please, but only in a context where the demands of all the constraints are obeyed” (p. 659). I feel like the disciplines that he discusses are falling into place. I am getting started with the basics and developing skills to become a designer.

References

Clinton, G., & Rieber, L.P. (2010). The Studio Experience at the University of Georgia: An example of constructionist learning for adults. Unpublished manuscript.

Kapor, M. (1996). A software design manifesto. In Winograd, T. (Ed.), Bringing Design to Software (pp. 1-9). New York: Addison-Wesley.

Moggridge, B. (2007). Designing interactions. Cambridge, MA: MIT Press.