Posts Tagged ‘iphone’

• Xcode – The Good and The Bad

  Date: 2013.03.18 | Category: DJ32013 - Social Mobile Apps (12/13) | Response: 0

  Last week I started prototyping the Poetry in Motion app. I decided to work with xcode since I used this last year when making an iPhone Application and it worked quite well. What I love about xcode is its interface since its like Dreamweaver it allows us to work with code and a friendly section that allows us to design without to much coding knowledge. It also has a strong online presence so if you get stuck on some code there is a good chance someone as posted the solution online. Here is screenshots of a couple of pages I have made so far:

  

  

  

  

  However I have not used this software in over a year so remembering things is tricky. I am having problems with getting buttons to work and change the page on the app. Thats what I am going to be tackling this week and creating some user content to show what it would look like if used by a student. This is the last week so its a busy times ahead but its also exciting to see what I can do in this short space of time.

• Eyes-Free Interaction

  Date: 2012.10.01 | Category: DJ31035 - Interaction Design - Physical Digital Products | Response: 0

  

  Friday’s session was very interesting because we had a visitor who discussed what it was like living with a visual impairment. Amar Latif has been blind since he was 20 and as a class we discussed with him his achievements, problems and what his desires are(which may or may not be achievable with technology). Latif mentioned that he he can use his iPhone because of voiceover and Siri has been a very useful addition. He said that he believes blind people use there ears more than sighted people and that sound is more helpful than touch. Braille is becoming less significant in the blind community because of technology improvements. Such great new additions are improved radios, talking scales, vibrating watch(manufactured by Tissot) and audio describers at the cinema or theatre. However using the web could be problematic because some designers forget to design for the visually impaired. Also he feels frustrated that he can not play computer games.

  

  Amar suggested some ideas for our project that included: personal talking weather reader, cinema and theatre audio description times and availability, currency reader, entertainment news reader, deals in stores/restaurants, using a printer that would print out raised inks and some sort of sensor reading out the best before dates on food items, thus creating a shopping list.

  Amar also pointed out that speed is key for designing for the blind and using contrasting colours and bigger text can really help. Describing shapes has more impact on Latif than saying colours.

  I would say this session has been in lightning and has giving me new knowledge of what being blind is like. It has opened up new design possibilities for me and I am now going to try and focus my project towards this.

• Developing the App

  Date: 2012.03.25 | Category: DJ22011 - Interaction Design (media products) (11/12) | Response: 0

  

  Last blog post I mentioned me and my group where looking at the design side of this app, for artist Gemma Mathieson. This past week week we have been busy developing the app on xcode, which is software that lets you develop apps for iPads and iPhones. We allocated tasks and held meetings regularly to achieve a high standard iPad app for showcasing Gemma’s work. The image above is a screen capture of our app.

  

  The image in the middle is scrollable and when a button is clicked the image will break apart showing video, audio or an image. We wanted to create a journey effect to this app by creating a timeline as Gemma believes that the journey of creating artwork is just as important as the outcome. With that knowledge we wanted the app to better reflect her creative processes.

• App for Artist – Design Process

  Date: 2012.03.13 | Category: DJ22011 - Interaction Design (media products) (11/12) | Response: 0

  Yesterday we continued with our project on the app for artists. We were instructed we have to design and prototype the app for the artist, this is the last part of the semester. We started this process of by watching our individual D&AD concept videos to give us some inspiration. We then took notes and drew little ideas of what we wanted to achieve. We wanted to have a good understanding of what our app will do, its functions and how it will behave before we got into the whole aesthetics. We made mind maps to help us with this.

  When that was agreed we moved onto the design. We like the idea of having the one of the artists work constantly moving across the screen and a timeline at the bottom with pin drops. Our artist believes the process/journey of an artwork is just as important as the actual art itself so we wanted to make the app design tie in with this belief. There would also be a subtle menu at the top. The menu and timeline will be a greyish metallic colour. We also had a good idea where when run, the app will start at the end and run everything very quickly right back to the start of the app. Then there would be a video of the artist telling you a brief description of herself and the app. We had discussions on what the app would be more suitable for: an iPhone or iPad. We all came to the solution that the iPad would be best as it will clearly portray the artists journey and with a bigger screen this would be the best solution.

• Pressure Project

  Date: 2011.10.30 | Category: DJ21012 - Screen Based Interactive Media 2 (11/12) | Response: 0

  

  At University I was giving a pressure project task to complete during reading week. The project was about creating an iPhone App that makes good use of gestures in Xcode. Gestures such as swipe and tap are extremely useful in interacting with your iPhone. I started researching app designs and looking at their information structures, layouts and colours.

  Soon after I roughly sketched out layouts of each app page and thought about transitions and how they would all link. The app was originally about the Marvel comics movie The Avengers. However when I was doing the digital design part of the process I realised I did not really like this idea. I changed the idea to Michael Jackson’s Thriller Album. I did the same design process as before and then made Photoshop designs for each page and buttons.

  I was pleased with the outcome of my app and that it made use of swipe, tap, shake and other gestures. The internet came in very useful for providing me lots of tutorials in Xcode. I would suggest to anybody creating apps to put your ideas on paper first before you start to code as you can easily change ideas and the quality of your app will reflect your design process.

• The Similarity between Apps and Clothes

  Date: 2011.10.19 | Category: DJ21012 - Screen Based Interactive Media 2 (11/12) | Response: 0

  

  Clothes are a necessity, everyday life activities are surrounded by them: shopping, having a quick jog, going to work, sleeping and so on.  We decide which clothes are suitable for each activity we are about to take on and we inspect what clothes are worthy to be put on over our skin.  Technology today has given us a new item of “clothing” with Apps.  Apps dress up our iPhones and iPads with sophisticated designs and fancy gestures to make us look classy.

  Apps don’t just look great they can perform everyday tasks.  Going out to buy new clothes or DVDs doesn’t necessarily mean for you to leave your house for the shopping center just pick up your iPhone and press a few buttons and shazaam.  Apps don’t just stop there they can record your performance levels while running, provide you with ultra fun games on a lunch break from work or become an alarm clock.  The boundaries for Apps don’t seem to have any limits, just another part of modern day life.

• What Life Could Have Been Like!

  Date: 2010.09.22 | Category: IM11002 | Response: 1

  Hi all,

  Digital Technology has really advanced very quickly over the last few years, with new gadgets like the iPhone and Microsoft’s Kinect.  About ten years ago these pieces of technology would never have been thought of.  Just imagine what the world would be like today if there was no iPods or mobile phones.  Would the world today be completely different and would it be a greater place to live?

  Well I do know one thing, I certainly wouldn’t be doing Digital Interaction Design. 

  Here is an interesting and factual video that gives an example of what life would be like with limited technology.