Brand Book & Marketing Progress

I refined Aura's visual language, website, and brand book. I also designed business cards and swag for the launch party (including a balloon, tote bag, and sunglasses). To see the progression of the brand book with these elements…

With final review ahead next semester, here's what I intend to complete:

• split Kiss & Tell into two research books: First Date and Honeymoon.
• refine current video into a technical "how it works" video
• make a commercial for Aura that will serve as the presentation summary video
• produce tote bag, sunglasses, umbrella, and splash boards for launch party
• shoot own photography for visual language
• add press page to website
• complete brand book
• create PDF presentation

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Aura UI & UX Development

I went through Designing for Interaction to come up with a solid process to develop the user interface and user experience of Aura. First I reminded myself of the goal of Aura, the challenges that I faced, and the features it needed to include. I then did an assessment of Messages, the current texting app on the iPhone, by taking screenshots of different functions and designing its app map. This helped me to determine what was working and what was not. Turning to Aura, I listed lots of ideas for its tagline. I created three personas and scenarios for each about how they would possibly use Aura. The scenarios were inspired from the user journey maps that I created from the discussion party. I then listed all the tasks that users needed to be able to do on Aura and designed a task flow for a sensible order that these tasks would occur in. Looking at the app map for Messages and the task flow, I designed a map app for Aura (above). This helped me to design wire frames for the essential and unique screens and functions of Aura. I took the wire frames and sketched visuals for the placeholders. To see this process…

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Conceptual Exploration, Visual Development, & Storyboarding

I went back to my sketchbook to further refine my concept, brainstorm names for the app (which was very taxing), explore various visual elements, and make storyboards for each of expression within the weather concept using a visual language. At first I was thinking that my app should feel sophisticated and sexy for couple but had to remind myself of the purpose of my app: affective communication for couples using weather. Since affect is truly what I'm after, I feel my app should feel fluid, blurry, and personal like emotions. The front running names are Aura, Atmosphere, and Drift. To see the full process…

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Let's Chat Disscussion Party: Planning

This Saturday (September 27, 2014) I am throwing a discussion party / design workshop at 2pm. Participants will write breakup letters with text messaging, share stories of their frustrations and miscommunications over text, bodystorm how these stories could have been avoided or resolved had they been face-to-face, and sketch ideas of their dream app.

On order to prepare for the event I brainstormed concepts for the event; decided on activities, location, and items needed; sketched and designed an invitation; developed an itinerary and script; and sketched a floor plan. This PDF contains the brainstorming, sketches, and designed planning pages.

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Research Methods

Using Universal Methods of Design, I have decided up my research methods:

1. Design Workshop: I will organize a participatory design session to gain insights from the audience about their experience, feelings, and desires and foster their creativity in order to leverage a solution. The workshop will include three research activities:
   1. Directed Storytelling: I will ask participants to recount, share, and discuss times when they encountered miscommunication when texting their partner.
   2. Bodystorming: I will ask participants to act out ways that miscommunication would have been resolved had the communication happened face-to-face.
   3. Constructive Generative Research: I will ask participants to dream up and sketch ways a dynamic texting app would function and look like on paper that looks like an iPhone.
2. User Journey Mapping: From the directed story telling I will be able to map out each participant's experience to see similarities and identify specific moments where improvements are needed.
3. Affinity Mapping: Insights from bodystorming and generative research will be gained from clustering observations.
4. Crowdsouring: The insights gained from user journey mapping and affinity mapping will lead me to design various variables on how text message will behave. I will create a mediated blog for the variables to get feedback from a wide audience.

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Where This All Started

In the fall of 2012 I took GR 600: Visual Communication Lab. In this class I explored my perspective, viewpoint, and interest and found that I care very much about people and relationships, especially romantic ones. I found myself writing a lot about my relationship at the time and noted the frustrations of texting. Through research and visual explorations, including a  focus group discussion, I immersed myself in the topic and complied several insights. I used my recent breakup as the vehicle to deliver my insights in a concrete manner in my summary video.