Overview• Major principles of designing

digitally: consistency and hierarchyo And their relationship to the design

principles

• Layout• Break• Grids• Expectations for next week’s assignment

Recall….• Consistency was a means to create unity• Hierarchy is related to emphasis and

focal point

Consistency• …for “the mock user”• = rules for placement and treatment of

interface elements o Setting and maintaining expectations

• Visual language

Three types• Internal

o Receives the most attention from designers

• External: consistent with other similar productso Design patterns

• External analogic “or metaphoric correspondence of a design to features in the world beyond the computer domain1”

1989: Grudin: “The Case Against Interface Consistency”

Internal• Type

o Is the typographic alignment consistent?o Are the typeface choices consistent?o Is the typographic navigation predictable across pages?

• Thesaurus

o More on type next week

• Graphic/imageryo Do the images convey a consistent mood?o Are the sizes of the images consistent with the overall structure

and each other?o Are the website’s icons of the same family?

• Coloro Are colors used consistently across pages?o More about color in week four

• Motion

External• Follow known conventions when possible• A design can be internally consistent, yet

conflict with other similar interfaceso Other interface may itself be internally

inconsistento Other interface may be internally consistent

but incorporate different choices (e.g., different names for objects)

o Other interface may only cover some of the same functionality and thus differs in the distinctions that it needs to make

Caveat• You probably cannot make everything

100% the same everywhere o Be clear about what the user can do o Use the same tools the same way as much as

possible

o At what point do you move away from consistency? Microsoft Ribbon:• http://www.techsupportalert.com/content/dont-ms-office-

ribbon-bring-back-proper-menus.htm

• Consistency is about learning NOT necessarily the best user experience

• Windows-8o http

://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ohg_oBFKliI&src_vid=qIMuJTrxuhQ&feature=iv&annotation_id=annotation_40836

o http://mobileopportunity.blogspot.com/2012/05/fear-and-loathing-and-windows-8.html

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rT_OmTMwvZI

Too far? http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=25DKXGKblOw&feature=player_embedded&noredirect=1

Beyond operating systems….

Documenting consistency

• Style guides exampleso http

://design.canonical.com/brand/D.%20Ubuntu%20Web%20Guidelines.pdf

o http://issuu.com/bondo/docs/netflix_style_guideo http

://wiki.seeminglee.com/bank-of-america-ui-style-guide

• For more:o http://www.creativebloq.com/branding/great-ex

amples-design-style-guides-3132070

Visual Hierarchy• Perception/interpretation of the relative

importance of objects • ==about communication

Tools• Position

o How western readers approach pageso Alignmento Proximity

• Repetition v. contrast• Size• Color• Density/whitespace• Style/Texture

Position• Gutenberg diagram

• Hierarchy: Position: Alignment

http://themeforest.net/item/stuff-template/full_screen_preview/127580?ref=WebPremium&ref=WebPremium&clickthrough_id=155808949&redirect_back=true

• Hierarchy: Position: Proximity

http://net.tutsplus.com/

• Hierarchy: Repetition v. contrast

• Hierarchy: Size

http://getactive.sj-stmk.org/

• Hierarchy: Color (and value)

• Much more in week four

http://www.pojeta.cz

• Hierarchy: Density/whitespace

• Hierarchy: Texture

Failed hierarchy• Hierarchy can be used for both good and

evilo E.g. flashing web bannerso “Good visual hierarchy isn’t about wild and

crazy graphics or the newest photoshop filters, it’s about organizing information in a way that’s usable, accessible, and logical to the everyday site visitor.” Brandon Jones

To establish hierarchy• List the key information• Assign values (1-10) according to their importance to

the average user• Now, look at the actual design again.• Assign values (1-10) according to the actual visual

importance as you see it in the live design.• Consider: Does the expected importance match up

with the actual designed importance?

• From: http://webdesign.tutsplus.com/articles/design-theory/understanding-visual-hierarchy-in-web-design/

Personality• First impressions happen automatically,

consciously and unconsciously • Don Norman = Emotional Design: Why

we love (or hate) Everyday Thingso (1) Visceral design – appearanceo (2) Behavioral design – pleasure and

effectiveness of useo (3) Reflective design – self image, personal

satisfaction and memories

Involving users• You cannot really create personality –

people interpret it through their own filters o Do the visual characteristics appeal to your

audience?o Does the interface represent what is necessary

for successful use?o Do the attributes that convey personality work

across platforms and devices?

How has the personality changed?

Overview• Major principles of designing digitally:

consistency and hierarchyo And their relationship to the design principles

• Steal like an artist• Layout• Break• Grids• Expectations for next week’s assignment

Where do we get ideas?• Learn how to

steal like and artist

•

Nothing is original• Most the time…people just do not know

the source• Good artists know that creative work

builds on what came before• Andre Gide (French writer): “Everything

that needs to be said has already been sad. But, since no one was listening, everything must be said again.”

It is about the remix through you

• Become a hoarder of good ideaso Collect good ideas – keep them in some sort of

organization

“Steal from anywhere that resonates with inspiration or fuels your imagination. Devour old films, new films, music, books, paintings, photographs, poems, dreams, random conversations, architecture, bridges, street signs, trees, clouds, bodies of water, light and shadows. Select only things to steal from that speak directly to your sol. If you do this, your work (and theft) will be authentic.”

---Jim Jarmusch

Family trees• Chew on one inspirational sources – artist,

designer, writer, thinker - that you love • Study everything you know• Find three people that the source loved

o Rinse and repeato “See yourself as part of a creative linage”

You have to start somewhere

• Jump in and start making things o Imposter syndrome is expectedo “You start out as a phony and become real” –

Glenn O’Brien (American writer)

• Sometimes you need to start by copyingo The Beatles were once a cover bando …..but it is about the remix THROUGH YOU

• ….for more…get the book• For now – start your inspiration files for

portfolios• Post them on the Wiki = your name +

screenshot + link

Overview• Major principles of designing digitally:

consistency and hierarchyo And their relationship to the design principles

• Steal like an artist• Layout• Break• Grids• Expectations for next week’s assignment

Layout• Sets stage for screens to communicate: helpful,

appealing• Application interface design almost always involves

modules (not discrete pages)

o Core principles apply regardless

• Basic terminologyo Alignmento Proximityo Scaleo Whitespaceo Grid

• Space between graphics, columns, images, text, margins and other elementso Not always white o Associated with elegance/sophistication –

means to control emphasis and organization

Horror Vacui• A tendency to favor filling blank spaces with

objects and elements over leaving spaces blank or empty

• It can be beautiful

http://www.greenteadesign.com/thedesigntree/culture/whos-afraid-of-horror-vacui/

http://www.co-opbranding.com/ - responsive

http://www.chrisboddy.co.uk/ - non responsive

http://upperquad.com/ - responsive

Macro v. Micro whitespace