May 14, 2010
Noise Joys Customer Feedback A
The Noise Joys customer has provided feedback on the current version of the site. Feedback is listed below:
Header
- Generally likes the layout and the game pieces along with the placement of the iPhone and the application information to download on the home page.
-Would like the header to not define site so much (application artwork should). In order to simplify this go with a single pawn with the noise toys logo, no black splatter, and a traditional navigation (straight across).
Home Page
-In the middle of the page, would like to have news, software updates, company updates, etc.
-Take out Song of the Day for legal reasons
Site Map Updates
Would like a simple version of the site to start out and then release it in phases. First phase is the barebones version.
Noise Toys Home
- 404 Error page
- Twitter Feed
About
- Who we are
- Team profiles
Games (instead of Apps)
(display games somewhat like the tapulous website)
Blog (link to current blog)
Press Room
- News
- Gallery (App images and artwork)
Contact Us (feedback@noisejoys.com, info@noisejoys.com…)
Support
Noise Joys Mobile Application
Noise Joys Application (Home)
Overview of Application:
- Application will have content available that is on the website but tailored for a mobile device application. Main website categories drop down into more details.
-Greatest benefit to current subscribers of Noise Joys will be the ability to navigate and view status on all the various Noise Joys applications that they have from a single location (instead of having to open each application individually).
-User will then also be able to switch between the Noise Joys application and the game that they select (highlighted in blue). They can toggle back and forth between the Noise Joys application and the game application by using the switch buttons at the bottom of the screen. This is not currently possible with the iPhone OS but this capability will be present in a version that is going to be released in the next few weeks.
-The switch button on the right will automatically have the application name on that is selected by the user.
-For each Noise Joys game that the user has downloaded, they can see how many messages they have in their inbox, their current points/money and a go button to go to the application.
-If the user does not have any Noise Joys applications installed, they will be prompted to download it or go to iTunes to get it.
April 23, 2010
Midterm (Competitive Analysis)
I took various competitive sites for this company and did a quick survey of their basic features and pros/cons. One main thing I noticed was most of the sites use Flash and the client for this project does not want Flash to be used on the site. One of the tasks for this project will be figuring out how to achieve a dynamic, fun and interactive feel to the site without using Flash.
Midterm (Client Survey)
For my midterm, I will be doing a site design for NoiseToys which is a company specializing in making applications that combine gaming and music.
Client Survey
I surveyed one of the founders of the company that this website is for to gain a basic understanding of what the motivation and components of the site should be.
General Information
1. What is the name of your company and your current URL? NoiseToys and www.noisetoys.com
Audience/Desired Action
1. Basic Demographics :
- Young adults (18-30) who are musically oriented.
- Non-typical gamers who are interested in music discovery
-Tech savvy
-Those who use iphones and iphone applications
2. Primary “action” on site
-If the user is on the site for the first time, the primary objective would be to become a player of the game.
-If the user is already playing the game, the primary objective would be social participation with the game and others who play it via the website (forums, leader boards, etc)
3. Key reasons why the target audience chooses the company’s products and/or services?
-Entertainment
Perception
1. Few adjectives to describe how your site visitor should perceive the site?
- Fun, inviting (but not too cartoony)
- Music undertones
- Clean look (focus on functionality and game artwork than site having its own personality)
2. How does your company differentiate itself from competitors?
- The games are more music focused and the company provides a gaming and music experience into a single application (sits somewhere between its competitors)
3. Competitor URLs
- Zynga.com
- Tapulous.com
- ConduitLabs.com
-Pandora.com
Content
1. Basic Structure of the Content
-Home
-About
-Applications
-Forums
-Leader board
-News
-User Dashboard (this will be a personalized dashboard for the user which will incorporate music news, application information/leader boards, music/gaming statistics, song ratings, trending, etc as related to the various applications available from the company).
3. The logo will be used from the current site
Technology
1. Target platform and browser?
- Mac and PC. Safari, Internet Explorer and mobile devices.
2. Specific technologies that you would like to use on the site?
- Do NOT want to use Flash since the website should be compatible with iPad and iPod considering the application itself is for the iPhone.
3. Will you have database functionality?
- Yes. Music statistics and user information will be stored on a database.
Marketing/Updating
1. How will most people find out about the site?
- Via playing the game on the iPhone
- Social networks (Facebook, etc)
- Word of mouth
- twitter status updates
Assignment 5- CSS Box Model Exercises
For these exercises, I completed option 1 and have posted my files to the class web server :
April 9, 2010
Assignment 3 – 2 column divs
For my 2 columns CSS/HTML divs assignment I chose to digg.com as my inspiration. Digg fits the two column structure well – it has a header, footer, main content area, and a right column. Changes I made to the original CSS given in the class notes included:
1) Changing font styles for header and paragraph text
2) Changed the position of the navigation from left to right
3) Height of header
I grabbed images from the website and used text from pre-existed articles for the content. Here is a screenshot of the final product:
April 1, 2010
Assignment 2 – Wireframe for Monday May Design
In order to design the wireframe, I used the template Illustrator template provided. It initially took some effort to get used to using it, but after some practice I became more efficient. I found that sketching the layouts on paper first and them translating it into the Illustrator wireframe was much more efficient than playing around in Illustrator first. I started by drawing various sketch layouts and then chose the ones that I liked best to turn into the wireframe.
Homepage
Who We Are
Assignment 2 – MoMA Redesign
The redesign of the MoMA webpage included incorporating the following suggestions :
1) The original design put focus on the twitter feed box instead of the main content due to placement and color of the box. The twitter feed box was moved to the bottom left to help mitigate this and put more focus back on the main content of the page.
2) The gradient along the edges of the page was unnecessary and actually took away from the modern style of the page. This was removed.
3) Typically, it is best to leave a really recognizable logo just the way it is. I replaced the re-created logo with the original logo.
4) The social networking buttons on the page were in different locations (some on the left and the twitter box on the right). All social networking icons were moved to be in the same area on the page.
5) The address in the original had type that was too large. The font size was lowered and the information placed on the bottom right.
Here is the redesign :
