Saturday, February 13, 2010

DP: Timeline Redux

Week 4


2 / 15 — done: 1/2 finished with function of site

do: figure out how to visualize all the data & gather all the data necessary for mockups.

2 / 17 — done: finalize function of site

do: make sure all data is relevant & finish understanding the data visualization


Week 5


2 / 22 — done: begin branding logo & elements

do: begin making outline for task scenarios

2 / 24 — done: 1/2 finished branding & outline

do: wrap up the branding process and finalize and outline


Week 6


3 / 1 — done: finish branding & outline for task scenario

do: figure out what pages are going to be needed based on the task scenarios

3 / 3 — done: begin designing all pages & elements

do: continue designing pages and elements figure out how to resolve things that haven’t been accounted for


Week 7


3 / 8 — done: 1/2 done designing all pages & elements

do: continue to improve the design tighten up loose ends

3 / 10 — done: finish designing all pages & elements necessary to task scenario

do: begin task scenario mockup

________________Spring Break


Week 8


3 / 22 — done: begin task scenario mockup

do: finish one mockup and check timing

3 / 24 — done: 1/4 finished with task scenario mockup

do: continue working on task scenarios

Week 9


3 / 29 — done: 1/2 finished with task scenario mockup

do: refine task scenarios

3 / 31 — done: 3/4 finished with task scenario mockup

do: finish task scenario & test


Week 10


4 / 5 — done: test task scenarios to make sure they make sense

do: finalize task scenarios make outline

4 / 7 — done: have presentation outline made & images/materials collected

do: put presentation together & practice


Week 11


4 / 12 — 1st formal presentation

4 / 14 — done: revise presentation based on critique

do: prepare for 2nd formal presentation


Week 12


4 / 19 — 2nd formal preliminary presentation

4 / 21 — done: revise presentation based on critique

do: supplement presentation with research


Week 13


4 / 26 — final presentation

4 / 28 — production for show


Week 14


5 / 3 — install show

5 / 5 — install show


Friday, February 12, 2010

PP: Surprising

e-commerce websites cost $7500-18000. I thought it would be way more

kill fee or cancelation fee. I didn't know this existed.

comprehensive branding costs $50,000-250,000. I thought it would be way less.

Monday, February 8, 2010

DP: Timeline

Week 3
—presentation
—brian storm what the different queries will be for the task scenario mock ups
Week 4
—begin gathering all data for the different task scenarios
—continue gathering data
Week 5
—finish gathering data
—wireframe of layout
Week 6
—wireframe of layout refinement
—story board task senarios and gather any missing data
Week 7
—begin formal designing
—continue designing
Week 8
—still designing
—still designing
Week 9
—settle on a design solution
—design all pages necessary
Week 10
—design all pages necessary
—design all pages necessary
Week 11
—design all pages necessary
— start animating task scenarios
Week 12
— continue animating task scenario
— continue animating task scenario
Week 13
— continue animating task scenario
— continue animating task scenario
Week 14
— continue animating task scenario
— continue animating task scenario

DP: Paper

How can information architecture create a semantic web platform for the graphic presentation and organization of information which enables different user types to view and compare the global information climate; facilitating a dialogue between arguments existing in disparate web spaces for the purpose of informing decision making?

That is the question that started my research and experiments. It is long and complicated and has caused me many problems, so I simplified it.

How can information architecture create a platform for the graphic presentation of information which enables a range of user types to visually compare data for the purpose of informing decision making?

I also tried this

How can a web platform present information in a graphic way purpose of informing decision making?

I thought this was better, but I was still having problems with wrapping my brain around it even though I wrote the damn thing. So I tried to figure out what I was really doing. I thought maybe saying it a different way would help. But finally I realized my question was: How can I visualize data? Now, not to make things too easy on myself the question that immediately preceded that was: How can different meta data inform the visualization, thus informing the decision making and formal quality?

So my project, at least as far as I understand it right now is about taking web content and and visualizing search results and discrepancies among data. I have also decided that in order to engage the audience I have to make the solutions more poetic and human. I think so that this aspect of the design does not come about arbitrarily that the poetic aspect of the application will come from the meta data that all information carry with it. Typical meta data comes includes date/time of upload, location, originator of post, tags, file size, etc. So from this data other things can be inferred about the setting in which the data were created. For example if I know the time and location of a post, I can infer the weather of the location at the time of upload. At this point I’m not sure how weather would add anything to the data, or illuminate it further, maybe it doesn’t have to. However, what I can do is use this to inform the layout, in a way allowing the metadata to decide the form of the content. I define parameters for how the metadata is used and the design follows systemically as a result.

In sum my design solution will be the structuring and meta-designing of data.

Wednesday, February 3, 2010

DP: Thoughts

Human communication is the fundamental requirement for a semantic web. (Semantic Web for the Working Ontologist)


DP: Taggylicio.us

I found taggylicio.us and it is a really good reference to my degree project. It sources social media sites like flickr, youtube, digg, etc. to provide content for queries.


It isn't visual, or directly comparative.
The author seems to take the stance of passive collector, and makes no effort to share an opinion, but rather admits that the data exists, shows it to you and leaves it at that.
I like the image aspect, but I want the images to be used in some kind of way. Like paring them with an article.

What if a key word was picked from news headlines when searched, and assigned to articles creating serendipitous commentary.

It seems to me that my intent is for this presentation of information is supposed to be practical, and probably persuasive in a sense, but not skewed in favor of a persuasion.
What if the experience and presentation were more poetic? Early I asked the question what if it involved information about the provider of the data? (i.e. their facebook status or biographical information if available)

taggylicio.us seems to take the practical approach.

I'm going to brainstorm right here...
What if it was a chair?
I'm sitting in a chair right now, my posture is terrible so I'm slouching, I'm comfortable. A chair supports me, it can be leaned back it, you can break a leg off of it to kill a vampire with, you can shatter a window with it, you can stand on it to change a lightbulb, you can sleep in it,