About
I received my master’s degree in May 2010. Before that, I received a bachelor’s degree from the University of Michigan in Economics & Classical Civilization. I like to think that the unrelatedness of these two majors represents my diverse interests. In such a multi-disciplinary field like HCI, even if you focus in a particular area, I don’t believe you can be successful without having passion and abilities in a number of areas.
“Design is an art of situations”
Without the ability to evaluate and utilize research methods, your designs will not be as good as they could be, no matter how good of a designer you are.
Without an understanding of interaction design methods and processes, you’ll have a hard time transforming user feedback & research into great ideas.
Without appealing to visual design, even the most usable items become uninteresting.
Without mastering language and the ability to organize content in meaningful ways through Information Architecture, nobody will be able to find what they’re looking for, or find it again.
…and so on. I’m not really a fan of the overused term “many hats”, but it does kind of explain User Experience Design. Sometimes people may not notice good experiences because they expect them, but that doesn’t discount its significance in making our lives better through technology.
Images
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- Creating Whiteboard Concept in Tandem
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- Discussing Design Exercise With Partner
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- Completing Whiteboard Design for Presentation
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- Working Toward a Solution…
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- Design Exercise Ideation in Progress
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- Whiteboard Design Exercise in Progress
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- Presenting Our Affordance Exercise
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- Analyzing and Giving Critique to Others
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- Mechanical Sketch
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- Foreshortening Sketch
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- Sketch Exploration in Shading
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- Contrast Sketch
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- Sketch Illustrating Interaction
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- Comic Interpretation of “1984″
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- “Good Morning Vietnam” Comic Interpretation
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- Depth Perspective Sketch
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- Sketching Interesting Design
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- Sketching Hair Texture
Currently Reading
The professional book I’m reading:
The Information Design Handbook
by Jenn & Ken Visocky O’Grady
Recently Read
…and before that, I finished reading:
101 Things I Learned in Architecture School
by Matthew Frederick
The Language of Things: Understanding the World of Desirable Objects
by Deyan Sudjic
About Face 3: The Essentials of Interaction Design
by Alan Cooper, Robert Reimann and David Cronin
Don’t Make Me Think: A Common Sense Approach to Web Usability
by Steve Krug
Thinking With Type: A Critical Guide for Designers, Writers, Editors, & Students
by Ellen Lupton
Sketching User Experiences: Getting the Design Right and the Right Design
by Bill Buxton