Client Project: Brief for Sonic Machines

This is the full brief for the client project I am doing.

• A portfolio website that features a selection of his best work for self-promotion. 4-5 pages.
• An online blog where he can keep an archive of all his work, content, bits and pieces and post new updates/information, e.g. current projects, performances. 
• Have all his external networking sites (Facebook, LinkedIn, blog) to be connected to his website (badges)
• Use his Facebook profile for advertising performances or events
• He’s keen to make the website responsive for tablet and mobile use to 
• get ahead with the latest web trends.
• Sonic machines is about a collection of different objects. He wants a set of icons that reflect a “package” (with coherent unifying style, like 
• adobe software icons)
• He’s keen for me to rebrand his logo, he doesn’t have an official one but usually uses the company name in lower case, black
• He would like me to make recommendations on the latest blogging and social networking tools/technologies
• He would like me to recommend him on a web hosting company
• This is under discussion but a way for him to share his resources with other people. To allow users to download his “refill” format sound files for personal use.

Quality Criteria

• His design should reflect “doing a lot with a little”. His approach to music is to create music in an “explosive way”. He’s interested in what you can do with an instrument and getting the most you can get under defined rules. He will try to get every possible sound he could possibly get from a certain object. It’s about taking something simple and seeing what you can do with it.
• His website is self-promotion and allowing potential collaboration or job offers from other musicians.
• If possible, make the website somewhat easy to update for someone with no css/html knowledge.
• His target audience are people who are interested in experimental music.
• His website should reflect in some way how he makes music. He would record for example, the different sounds a washing machine makes under intended use. And then extract the sound, manipulate the sound to create music. It’s about taking something simple and seeing what you can do with it.

Negotiated Client Project: Owen Baxter, Sonic Sounds

https://myspace.com/sonicmachines / / http://sonicmachines.blogspot.co.uk/

My new project is working with Owen Baxter aka "Sonic Sounds", an experimental musician. I think this will be good because it is something a bit different and I have room for visual experimentation. I've met Owen to find more about his work, I think I have a good understanding of Owen's style and work processes. In summary these are:

Define your project

Portfolio

• 5 page website showing his best work
• Responsive
• Integrate his social media (badges); social platform

Personal online blog

• A separate blog to upload his latest work, projects etc

Purpose of the Project

Self Promotion 

• His website is self-promotion; to put himself out there. Seeking potential collaboration or job offers from other musicians.

Target Audience

• People who are interested in  “Experimental” music. (underground genre)

Branding and Identity

• Rebrand his logo, he doesn’t have an official one but usually uses the company name in lower case, black
• Sonic machines is about a collection of different objects. Each object needs a icon. He wants a set of icons that reflect a “package” (different icons but with unifying style, like adobe software icons)

Most important thing to say

• “It’s about taking something simple and seeing what you can do with it”
• “create music in an explosive way ” 
• “Limited Palette.”

Research project: Artefact 1 Results

Results

Q. Which one was easier to use? (Navigating around the site, knowing what to do next etc)
Traditional website (40%)
Sliding layout (60%)
The same (0%)

Q. Which interface was more natural/intuitive to use? (Which one you found more comfortable using)
Traditional website (40%)
Sliding layout (33.33%)
Same difference (26.67%)

Q. Which interface did you find more interesting/ engaging to use?
Traditional website (20%)
Sliding Layout (66.67%)
Same difference (13.33%)

Q. Which interface would you find more memorable? So if you had to recall this in several weeks’ time, which one are you more likely to remember?
Traditional website (26.67%)
Sliding Layout (73.33%)

Q. Overall, which interface would you prefer to use over the other?
Traditional website (53.33%)
Sliding Layout (46.67%)

Feedback

• “the traditional website was self explanatory.”
• “there was no confusion, very simple and straight forward to navigate though”
• “it was easy to follow and all content was visible”
• “It wasn't clear how to go back to the default home screen.”
• “the slider was a much easier and quicker way to navigate through the information”
• “just did not looked right”
• “I had to follow the story of the wives in sequence and could only see one name at a time whereas the traditional let me see the bigger picture.”
• “I preferred the traditional to this, its a cool effect but personally I prefer the content to be laid out in a simpler layout as its immediately easy to understand the information presented.”

Findings 

• A traditional  (non liner) website is more natural for people to use
• People are clever they know how a (linear) scrolling website works, some people were comfortable in using this. 
• A traditional (non linear) website is generally preferred  and easier to use
• However, a linear sliding website is both more engaging and memorable 

Research project: Artefact 1 Preparation

I’ve just finished making my 2 web interfaces for my research project this evening.

I’m going to ask people to try out the 2 different web interfaces and then ask questions about which one they prefer/ find easier to use. This is to test website structures (linear vs non-linear narratives) and how they affect user experience/usability.

I will post an update on the results soon.

non-linear narrative

linear narrative

Questions

Q. Which one was easier to use? (Navigating around the site, knowing what to do next etc)

Traditional website

Sliding layout

The same

Q. Was there anything on the traditional website you found confusing or got stuck on?

-Enter comment

Q. Was there anything on the sliding layout you found confusing or got stuck on?

Enter comment

Q. Which interface was more natural/intuitive to use? (Which one you found more comfortable using)

Traditional website

Sliding layout

Same difference

Q. Which interface did you find more interesting/ engaging to use? 

Traditional website

Sliding Layout

Same difference

Q. Overall, which interface would you prefer to use over the other?

Traditional website

Sliding Layout

Same difference

Q. Which interface would you find more memorable? So if you had to recall this in several weeks’ time, which one are you more likely to remember?

Traditional website

Sliding Layout

Same difference

YCA: Formative feedback submission

Good news, I got my work assessed over the Christmas holidays and I am pleased with the results! Overall I got a formative grade of: 2:1!

The comments and feedback  received from my tutor/s are below. I plan to keep working hard and improve :)

UPDATE: Also I have submitted this as an entry to the official Nottingham Young Creatives Awards! http://www.youngcreativeawards.org/

Presentation:

The presentation did cover all the required components although the requested order was slightly revised. There were a good selection of sources. Well justified and commented on and a good description of target audience.
Time management was well considered but placed a bit early in presentation.
Research was very good and keywords correct.

Prototypes:

A very good selection of prototypes investigating different ideas. However they were mixed into research resources which made presentation a bit disjointed.
Conclusion was weak and did not sum up investigation clearly enough this needs to be considered in future there was no description of how work so far informed your evaluation of project.

Reflective Journal:

Your self-evaluation on blog is excellent and whole reflective journal is being used correctly and is informative. Keep it going!

Client YCA: Finalised Mobilisation

The final designs for my project working on different devices.