User Experience
Friday, August 13, 2010
Grid Goodness for your iPad or iPhone
My earlier iPad sketchbook post got me thinking about what could be done to make my iPad sketching experience better than it already is. The answer, my friends, was hidden in a grid.
Here are two packs of grid “paper” background images (each with various grid colors and two grid sizes, 25px and 50px) that can be used on the iPad and iPhone/iPod Touch. Certain sketching apps (Adobe Ideas and Brushes (iTunes links) are two of them) will let you pull in photos from your iDevice’s photo library letting you draw on it or add the photo as a layer. Simply add the grid photo to your drawing and you can then add a layer above it and sketch out your idea. Works great for logo ideations, layouts, and anything else you can dream up.
Update: 12/28/2011
I’ve made available a premium set of gridded templates for those that wish to focus their designs on mobile apps and the mobile web.
iPad Grid Sheets - 25px
iPad Grid “Sheets” - 50px
iPhone/iPodTouch Grid “Sheets” - 25px
iPhone/iPodTouch Grid “Sheets” - 50px
If you want it all…
Happy sketching!
Thursday, July 29, 2010
How to make an engaging and dynamic desktop/wallpaper image.
I'm guessing that most of you have a wallpaper or desktop image on your computer. They let us express ourselves and customize what would be an otherwise bland experience. If you have a custom desktop image for your brand, there's no doubt that you'd like it to say more and do more than show off your logo. Below are some examples of how you can use your desktop image as a tool as well as a decoration.
Make a date with a calendar.
If you're like me, your always looking for a calendar to see what the date is or working to estimate a timeframe for a project. Adding a calendar to your desktop is a great way to help with that.
There are a few ways to add add dates to your desktop. There are software add-ons that will dynamically update the calendar to he current month and can also highlight the current day. These add-ons come in many flavors, so you're bound to find one that works for you.
If you're looking for a more customized look, you can add your own static calendar to your wallpaper. The only drawback is you'll need to swap the imaged out every month, but you can craft the calendar to match any look you choose (like your branding perhaps?).
Check out some examples.
To-do list or project board.
Another great way to benefit from your desktop image is to create compartments that can hold folders, apps, or whatever you need to help you with a project.
Taking this to the next, crazy step would be to develop something like
Panic did for their
project board. You could call it desktop image-ishe-sque, or you could just call it hardcore.
Create a mini-portfolio or a featured work board.
You've just designed an amazing Website and branding solution for a client and can't wait to show it off and generate more business. Why not create a scene, on your desktop, and make your recent projects the highlight?
By displaying your work on your desktop, you can quickly and easily give an example of what you can do to help an organization reach their goals.
I've even gone as far as posting projects that are in-progress to my desktop for critique and examination. One of the best ways to decide if a solution works is to see if you can live with it.
Add a QR code.
A new technology that is slowly crawling into mainstream view is the
QR code. Simply put, a QR code is a barcode that many mobile phones are able to read and decipher using a variety of apps. When the code is scanned, it can redirect someone to a web page, twitter profile, a SMS message, email address, or other forms of digital content.
In a recent project for
Escape Route, I incorporated a QR code into iPad and iphone wallpaper images. Now when the client is at a convention or trade show, they can display their iPad and let a prospective customer capture the code for later use. In this case, it will direct someone to the Escape Route site. Think of it as a business card on steroids.
I'll be the first to admit that QR code use in the United States is just in it's infancy and there's no telling how long it will take to catch on, but it's a great way to add some cutting edge tech into long-standing piece of static imagery.
Friday, July 02, 2010
Mobilizing Me
When I launched my new-look brand late last year, I had a list of goals that I'd wanted to accomplish. One goal at the top of my list was to create a mobile version of my site which would allow me to quickly display my work when on the go.
Even though most modern smartphone browsers can display a full-featured website without many issues, I think the user experience could be improved. The way people interact with touch-screen devices is much different than the point and click method that we've know for years. This is differnt, more intimate, more tactile (even for a digital medium).
Mobile just means smaller, right?
I'm a believer in the mobile platform and the future that it has for both creators and consumers of digital content. We're entering into a new era of user experience, and some changes are in order.
With mobile, you're dealing with a whole new way of thinking. Designing for traditional PCs (Windows, Mac, Linux, you name it) has always relied on the use of three things: a monitor, a keyboard, and a pointing device (mouse, trackball/pad, what-have-you). With the latest trend in mobile devices, these separate units have morphed into a more compact space. Devices running Android, the iPhone OS and other touch-screen reliant systems are changing the way people interact with their chosen content.
Designing a mobile site for point-and-click use won't work. Let me rephrase that, it will work but the experience isn't as great as it could be. The contact points are small and usually, there is too much content crammed into a compact space, so you're left to zoom in and out to find what you're looking for. This is what I wanted to avoid when building my mobile site.
What stays and what goes?
With many of the distractions stripped away in a mobile site, you can put your content "under the microscope" and focus heavily on it. The question is, what do you keep and what do you leave off? You don't necessarily need to transfer every bit of content from your standard site over to your mobile site, but that's up to you. It also depends on the size of your site. With the mobile sites I've done in the past, I relied heavily on the usage stats from the traditional site. What content were people consuming using mobile devices? Once I had a clear understanding of what people wanted, I began building the mobile counterparts.
This mobile site is different. For starters, I don't have a lot of content categories, so everything that's on my standard site would fit on a mobile version. Secondly, I've designed my mobile site with certain goals in mind, namely the ability to show my work, contact info, and articles quickly and at any time I choose. That settled it, I threw everything I had into this site. Literally.
Another fresh start.
Mobile Web sites are relatively new and with the wide array of devices that can view them, there are many new ways to conceptualize a site and how people can view it. I see room for experimentation in the navigation and presentation areas of a mobile layout. It takes me back to my time in college when anything was possible and the Internet had yet to be tamed. Fast forward a few years and there is even more ground to be broken in this area. This is my sandbox, and I'm bringing all of my toys. Without further introduction, I give you
m.tiglu.com.
I've already started working on version two.
Friday, January 29, 2010
Pondering the iPad
Aside from the presentation on Wednesday, I was also looking forward to seeing what new product Apple would release at their media event. If all of the rumors were to be trusted, we could expect a tablet computer that could cure all disease, save the world from destruction, and would allow for easy integration into our digital lifestyles. What we got was something else entirely.
I want to get this out of the way before I go any further. Contrary to popular belief, I don’t own every Apple product ever made. I don’t have the Apple logo tattoo. I don’t have a shrine to Steve Jobs in my basement. I do like the occasional shot of apple-flavored Kool-Aid, but only because I find it refreshing and delicious. While it may seem to some that I’m an Apple fanboy, I’m not. I’ve come to that realization over the past year, noting many areas that I’d like to see Apple improve not only their products, but some of their practices. That being said, the idea of an Apple tablet computer didn’t interest me at all. Until yesterday.
I have yet to watch the full video from the presentation. Wednesday night was the earliest opportunity I had to dig into the details a bit more and talk to a few people to get their impressions of the new device.
After a spirited Twitter conversation, and reading reviews and thoughts of the iPad, I had written the device off for my own use. Apps are limited to those found in Apple’s App Store (as opposed to being able to freely install anything I’d feel like installing on a typical computer), no Web-cam, no multitasking, no replacement value for any device I already own. I didn’t need it. It was too restrictive. I didn’t have this and it doesn’t do that.
I quickly found my feelings for the device changing. Between some more conversation in the hallway at work and listening to other thoughts on the device, my interest is turning around. I also stopped focusing on what the iPad couldn’t do and turned to what it can do. While it still doesn’t replace anything that I have or fit into any area of my life that isn’t already covered by an iPhone or laptop, I can think of many people who’s lives it does fit into.
- The Traveler - With a screen that’s larger than a smartphone as well as many GPS units on the market, this may be a perfect device to take with you in the car or on a hike. Not only can you find your way with it, but you’ll be able to entertain yourself and others along the way.
- The Educator (and the Student) - There will be a time in the future when paper books will no longer exist. I’m not going to venture a guess as to when this will happen, but we’ve already seen the beginning with the Kindle and Nook. Take that a step further with a device like the iPad. Teachers can have their plans and itineraries on them while their students can use them as text and workbooks. When working in groups, the tablet style is much more inviting than that of a laptop, making conversation and technological tools great partners rather than awkward neighbors.
- The Businessperson - Right after my hallway chat, I found myself needing to print out a booklet for an afternoon meeting. With a device like the iPad, that could go away. Relying on email and the built-in PDF reading capability, countless reams of paper could be saved. Drawing from the earlier student “group-work” example, I have a feeling a tablet device would be received better in a meeting environment than say, a smartphone or laptop. I’ve tried using a laptop in face-to-face meetings before. The key word there is tried. Not only was it an awkward experience for all parties involved, I felt like I was alienating a person that I wanted to share ideas with, simply because of the monitor that was propped up in between us. Imagine running an app like Bump on an iPad during a meeting, and quickly exchanging information in an interactive way.
- The Doctor - Saw this one coming a mile away, didn’t you. Monitor patient information as well as get any other type of info you’d need on something that’s slim and relatively lightweight.
- Families - One minute it’s a digital photo/movie frame, the next minute you can pick it up and take it with you to read the latest news or share photos with family members.
All that being said, I’m excited to see where this device goes, and who takes it to new heights, whether it be developers or consumers. Regardless of the vehicle, I can see many paths that the iPad can take, and most of them point upward.
Posted on 01/29/10 at 08:39 PM - Categories:
Apple
Design
User Experience
User Interface
Saturday, December 12, 2009
Hungry Geek - Reviewing Chipotle’s iPhone App
Earlier this year, I discovered
Chipotle Mexican Grill, a wonderful restaurant with a bare-bones menu, great interior design, and most of all, great food. As soon as I learned about
their iPhone app, I knew I'd have to try it out.
After a month passed of me having the app on my phone and not taking advantage of it's time-saving graces, I decided to take the plunge a little over a week ago. A friend of mine (and a client) had set up a lunch meeting and settled on Chipotle as the meeting place. This was the perfect time to test out the app. Not only could I test out the before-mentioned elements, I could add a second order to the app, not only testing it's ability to keep items straight, but to also test the interaction with the restaurant once we got there.
An in-app experience
With my stomach and taste buds anticipating the research reward that lie ahead, I launched the app. The interface was very intuitive, giving me options to view the menu, to place an order, find the nearest location and learn more about the company. Having been there before, I knew what I wanted, but looked through the menu anyway. When I found my menu item of choice, I pressed the "order" button. I expected to have my selection carry through to the next phase of the process. This, however, wasn't the case. I still needed to make a menu selection from within the "order" section of the app. I'm holding out hope that this will be corrected in a future version.
From that point on, the process was very smooth and intuitive, which is a great thing if you're looking to put burrito to mouth in a short amount of time. After I had set up my order, I put together the order for my friend and proceeded to the checkout.
And how will you be paying today?
At this point of the lunch selection process, I had two lingering questions about the remainder of this process. The first question dealt with payment. I was hoping that I would be able to pay for everything from within the app, although paying in person wouldn't be the end of the world (it would just gum up the entire process). My first question was quickly answered when I was asked for my CC info. One down, one to go.
I'm here to pick up an iOrder.
After a short drive, we were at the restaurant, ready to experience the second leg of the experiment. My biggest concern now, was how cumbersome the in-store experience was going to be. One of the last messages in the checkout process informed me that I could go right to the checkout to pick up my order. That's when my overly-nice nature kicked in and said "what about all of the other equally hungry people that I'll be cutting in front of?".
As it turned out, there weren't that many people in line that day, so by the time I got close enough to the front counter, I would have been just as well off ordering in person. Regardless, I indicated that I was there to pick up an iPhone order, and was then instructed to wait by the cash register. A minute (less actually) later, my order came out, neatly bagged and ready to go.
Takeout takeaways
It wouldn't be a true experiment if I didn't learn something, so here's my breakdown:
- This app is truly intended for larger, takeout situations.
- While there were a few hiccups in the ordering flow, the overall UX from the app was smart and enjoyable.
- While the "interface" with the restaraunt itself was good, it could be a bit better. Maybe include an iPhone order line or "outside order" line.
- Chipotle makes a darn good burrito.
Posted on 12/12/09 at 07:57 AM - Categories:
Apple
Design
User Experience
User Interface
Page 3 of 3 pages < 1 2 3
