W4-Class exercise

1. Click “Project” on the right upper corner.
2. Click on “commercials”
3. No web video, so I click “interactive”
4. There are lots of texts and then I click on the left-hand down corner
5. A window popped out
6. next I click “back to project index”
7. It’s hard to find the main index. So I just click somewhere randomly.
8. Then I found on the right corner, there is a sign including information when the arrow closes to that.
9. And click “company” to find the branch locations.

I felt a little bit frustrated because it is hard to find the information I am looking for, especially in a beautiful website that I would expect it is user friendly. When I saw the web video, there was a lag problem. According to Gestalt theory, “flow” is the most important thing.

W4--Group 2 discussion

After reading the articles published in 1999, I think the most important idea was stressed on the potential of internet. Different authors all mentioned about how hyperlinks subvert hierarchy. That’s the seventh verse on the article “95 Theses: The Cluetrain Manifesto.”

Since 1996, the media landscape has changed dramatically. From mass marketing to demassification, internet brought the profound opportunities. It makes conversations more possible and takes business owners listen the consumers more because of the bottom-up function. Markets consist of human beings, not only demographic sectors. In other words, it is easy to let consumers involve in. This kind of communication model is more piercing. That is why sometimes we feel more bonded by the technologies.

As for the implications of internet or intranet, I would say the fort is “HYPERLINK.” It connects people so easy and the network seems more complete and borderless. However, it also can provide the enough space for specific groups or non-mainstreaming ideas. Just like David Weinberget said “Conversations occur only between equals.”

10 years passed, the characters of web are still influencing on life, work and studies. The revolution started and cannot be stopped. And we all engage in this.

Last, some feelings to share. When every business becomes 24/7, do we still have our own private time? What is the bottom line between real life and virtual life? To me, internet brings the illusion of hyper time. But it is a REAL illusion.

Why is IM not seamless as email?

First, I would point out the main difference is synchronous betweem IM and emails. As for the technical part, I think the eqipments that IM and emails need are the same.

Instant messages are more interactive than emails. That means both sides should get online in the same time just like telephone. It is hard for me to be on the phone and do other things at the same point. So emails would be a better choice if I don't have time or it is not a right time to chat or talk. Also emails are not so intrusive and more efficiently. Take me for example, I can check my emails in the meeting. However, not possible to keep replying over instant messange.

But with the time, IM will definitely become more common just like home phone. Both of them have unique functions that are not replaceable. So the adoption is moving to the last stage.

However, the spam emails really result in inefficiency. So far IM doesn't bother me in that way.

More websites!

This website is named “Love Apartment”.

Front Page: http://www.i-part.com.tw/index.php
Room: http://www.i-part.com.tw/room/room_picked.php?u=510748


The main purpose is like match.com or online dating website. They have many unique and featured designs regarding the same scene “apartment.” You will have the address of your apartment and also there is lobby for visitors and friends to wait or chat. In addition, your apartment can be arranged and decorated. Choose which kind of style you like in different seasons. To be sure that you will visit this website everyday, they use a little cut garden to keep you update by watering the flowers or feeding the pets. However, if you need to be away, you can tell the manager to take care of the flowers and only cost small money. That means the business model works.

They are so smart to attract young females first by designing many cute and sweet functions. Like babbie dolls, it satisfies the dreams of having their own houses and dressing themselves as princesses. Besides, you can live with your partner in that apartment. In many cases, many couples try to test the other in that virtual world and know they are Mr. Right or not.

Gucci’s official website
http://www.gucci.com/

This website is very smooth. When you use online shopping, you want to see the product image enlarge. And the bag or the wallet just comes out so graceful. It attracts me and makes me feel buying Gucci’s stuff is really prestige. They design the navigator in both sides to make users more flexible. Besides, the layers of website are very simple in the same color but visually deep. Each season they change the theme and the style to meet the taste of fashion.

But to be honest, from the perspective of consumers, I will check their website if I love that brand. So the criteria to evaluate are not really directly related to website design, especially not in online services.

W2: Exercise Two

Personal goals:
Design a website project that attract people in emotional way and make them feel free to respond and keep track the website over and over.
--Use the soft way to communicate directly with the consumers via virtual world that lacks of credibility in most cases.

Also, learn more programming languages such as CSS, HTML or embedding video. Those help establish the website more human-driven. For example, I don't want to leave the original website because I click a link that might contain some information that I might want to look at.
That is why Youtube provides the source code in the bottom of each video.

My interests are always in the field of consumer behaviors and audience analysis. That refers to the role of the project team is more like “usability lead”. According to the role description of information designer, it seems challenging but interesting.
As for other roles, I think production lead or production designer and programmer are just not for me.

W2: Exercise One

Building a concept of “we-ness” through virtual communication is a tough task. But also very interesting. No matter how people interact with people in virtual world, people still need to get in to the real world, in my observation. From match.com, you can easily find that internet is just the medium. You can reach more people not in your region or in your area. Convenience and efficiency are highly improved. On the other hand, it might result in in-effectiveness. Rich information does not represent RIGHT information.

So back to the topic, I would overlap the arrangement of people’s duties because more interactivities even conflicts can enhance the feeling of team work. Of course, the first assumption is under the same goal. I believe that everyone can agree the big impact that internet brought is connections. So taking advantage of that will be a method to develop the we-ness concept. For instance, divide the whole team into different sub-groups. Let each group come up the ideas about the work. This kind of small games and activities can help.

When I was a teaching assist for the distant learning course “media management”, students need to corporate a project and final presentation with students in different countries. They had a hard time communicating with each other. Not because of the language, but the time difference. However, IM technology and email as well kind of solve this problem. Those brought them in the same platform. I believe this experience is very unique, but necessary under the globalization.

07 W1-Define the project

According to S-M-C-R-E model, there are five fundamental elements in the communication process: sender, message, channel, receiver and effect. In Chapter 3, I also see the workflow of how to start a project from discovery, clarification to planning. In the “discovery” part, the authors emphasize on understanding the audience and industry. In other words, that is related to receivers. And in the part of planning, user testing is being used to know the feedback. That refers to effects. In my opinion, if communication cannot achieve the original goal, so-called “effect”, it is regarded as a communication failure.

In accordance with the above, establishing the project should know who they deal with and what they want to get. Take the website of DFS, a luxury retailing company for example. They sell the high-price products, but the point is their brands. So how should DFS redesign their website?
http://www.dfsgalleria.com

Firstly, I would think who their consumers are. What is their age? Which region do they live? (relative to languages) Social-economic status? What is the purpose when they surf on the internet? Shop or get information…

On page 58, Nathan Shedroff mentioned some features of online media and interactive media. The most important value is connectivity. Besides, customerization is the next stage. No more standardize mass marketing, but communicate with each individual more. The more real online media simulates the interaction, the more familiar and creditable customers are possible to use. Too many information to absorb and audiences will search for it more efficiently and effectively.

Back to DFS website, people who purchase luxuries are likely to have higher income or extra money to use. And if they choose to shop in duty free stores, it implies the discount is an incentive to them. Therefore, if DFS wants to increase the traffic browsing their websites targeting on their customers, providing coupons or giveaways will be good. If DFS wants to offer the brand-new online shopping experience, they will consider to offer the virtual tour and connect with floor maps. Just like Goto and Colter proposed in the book “Web Redesign 2.0”, determining overall goals can help clarify and make sure the right direction.