CREATING THE
CONCEPT

class 1, sketches of 'quick and dirty' ideas.

class 2, three typographic sketches























working with the excercises in class (see below),
i discovered that playing with letters, the hierarchy, drawing it multiple times (even in a short time), helps with finding the right kind of typography.

i'm still not sure how to integrate this class into my project, but i will use the trial and error practice in designing my interface.

YOUYOU'S SKETCHES

MY
SKETCHES

testing class, making a plan

What are you going to test? (tasks/questions)

if the prototype inspires to go outside
if the prototype makes sense to use, is it understandable?

What prototype are you making?

little cartons with small illustrations and different categories.
categories are divided by color
the categories i'm testing are:

- company

(friends, yourself, strangers, a date, etc.)

- weather

(rainy, sunny, 'very dutch', etc.)

- activities

(canoeing, playing games, daydrinking, etc.)

- location

(the city, the forest, the harbor, etc)

- time

(sunset, sunrise, midday, midnight)

Where will you test?

the prototype is small enough to test anywhere with a flat surface.

Who will be your testers?

ideally, international students. i also might ask other young internationals or other students.

How will you document your test?

by photographing the process, and asking a few questions about the test. The questions asked will be:

- was the concept and game clear to you?
- would this little game inspire you to go outside?
- would this design inspire you to use the interface?
- if no, what needs to change for you to be so?

TESTING YARA
Dutch student, 25

FIRST ROUND

OF TESTING

kimmy's feedback on the bottom two (my favourite) sketches:

maybe combine the flowchart and the fridge magnets? the concept was clear, so keep it like that. try what would work best for the interface to work.

i explained the 'rules' of the game, and told Yara to just combine some of the cards for herself. She combined the cards to end up as her 'ideal' day.

was the concept and game clear to you?

'yes, it's a clear concept and a clear design. i did want to combine multiple cards from the same category; i don't know if i was supposed to do that.'

would this little game inspire you to go outside?

'yes. but it'd mostly just bring me to ideas of fun stuff to do sometime; not today specifically.'

would this design inspire you to use the interface?

'the design is clear and that makes it very nice to play with. if it were to be on the fridge in my house, i'd certainly use it.'

what needs to change for you?

'maybe more locations in that category? a neighbourhood, maybe? i also think that if i were to pick the 'rainy' card, there wouldn't be too much to do seeing the possible activities.'

TESTING ASTER
Dutch student, 24

just like with Yara: i explained the 'rules' of the game, and told Aster to just combine some of the cards for herself. She combined the cards to end up as her 'ideal' day, just like Yara did. Aster asked if she could leave out some categories and use multiple of the same.

was the concept and game clear to you?

(long pause) 'yes. although, some sort of explanation card or legend for the categories would be nice.'

would this little game inspire you to go outside?

'yes. but not immediately. the first thing i'd do with this concept, is create my 'ideal' day.' then, i explained that she could also use the weather, time and company categories as to 'observe' what you could do on thát day. she reorganized her cards.

Aster also said that she'd especially like to be inspired by what others do to the interface. 'maybe, my roommates come up with something i'd never have thought of'.

would this design inspire you to use the interface?

'i really would like this on my fridge. even if it's just for the bright colours. the combination of icons and the tekst makes it clear and nice'

what needs to change for you?

'maybe more locations. i also don't really identify with the harbor, as i live in utrecht. maybe change that to something more common, like 'the water'.'

WHAT I GOT OUT OF
FEEDBACK & TESTING HERE:

- make an 'explanation' card (or magnet)
maybe include the words 'observe your surroundings/your day/how you're feeling' to clear up the concept
also include a legend in this card/magnet

- add 'neighbourhood' location
- change 'harbor' location into 'along the water'
- think of a name

- keep design very clean, also keep the icon and text combination

- maybe test a bit more (also with an instruction card)
- get detailed with the project

feedback Arjen:

positive feedback! Arjen said it's nice i was already able to test. he mentioned the 'roommate'-aspect of the project specifically (this being fun in a house with multiple people using it); how does this add to the concept? could you test it in a house and 'monitor'? could you test it with just the 'rule-card' next time, instead of verbally explaining?

do i want to keep the actual goal (to actually go outside that day, or to 'create your ideal day') clear, or do I want to keep it open for interpretation?

Arjen said that it's nice that it's a simple concept. It makes it simple to get into the details further. After this feedback round, I'm inspired to get into designing the rule-card and maybe test some more.

DESIGNING

THE MAGNETS

selecting the font

final decision:

i decided on making fridge magnets as an interface. these fridge magnets have the goal to remind the (international) students to go outside.

combining the different fridge magnets should form the idea of what the user will do outside, with what company, where they'll go, and when.

it's fun to have in your house;
it's entertaining, playful, colourful and happy.




first sketch of the magnets:











































'final' prototype:

the final colours:

selecting the colours:

feedback from Kimmy:

if getting the user to go outside is the goal; wouldn't they need a more specific activation to actually go? "start at the nearest mailbox", for example. also: don't forget to link this interface with Staatsbosbeheer!

DESIGNING

THE PACKAGING

THE CONCEPT

feedback from Maytal:

she liked the idea, but got stuck on the part where the user would combine the magnets: and what happens then. is the user supposed to be motivated to organise their own route and go out after playing with the magnets?

writing the instruction card (after feedback Kimmy)

WHAT I GOT OUT OF THIS
FEEDBACK 'ROUND':

.- change 'time' category to an 'starting point' category. for example: 'nearest mailbox', 'something yellow', etc. to motivate and make it more clear for the user.

- maybe change the approach a bit (!). the goal doesn't have to be for the user to immediately go outside and do the route; it should mainly inspire and be fun to play with.

- then, if the user would want to do an actually organized route (because they're so inspired to do so; i can link to www.staatsbosbeheer.nl/routes!

- that i should see this interface as something that could be in a 'welcome to the city'-pack expats could receive when arriving. to get to know the city.

- make sure i have a few magnets with something that links directly to a staatsbosbeheer route. (cycling, hiking, canoeing).

= feedback


= conclusion