DTC476 - Writer/Designer Journal

1. Touchpoint
1. A touchpoint is anywhere in a process where a user has to interact with or make a decision concerning using a product or process.
2. Touchpoints should be considered carefully, because each touchpoint complicates a system and potentially makes it more difficult and frustrating for the user. Reducing choice and complexity and focusing on intuitiveness can make a system easier to use.
3. Examples of touchpoints are the steps necessary to created an MS Office document. First, the user must turn on the computer, then login with username and password. Next, they must open the application by clicking on the icon, or by opening the Windows menu and typing in the name of the application. Finally, they must click on File, then New, then select a blank document or a template.
2. Linguistic
1. Linguistic mode is the use of language, either written or spoken (13).
2. Linguistic mode can be used to generate complex ideas, but it can also be limiting, in that some level of fluency is necessary. Sometimes it can be used as a crutch too, as in a voice over that supplements a weak or unclear storyline.
3. Linguistic mode narration is used effectively to tie together the photo montage introduction to the Road Warrior. It sets the tone and backstory for what is to follow. 
3. Visual
1. Visual mode is what people see. It includes physical media such as flyers, billboards, lighted advertisements, and also things like websites and video (14).
2. Visual mode relies on things like color, layout, style, size, perspective, and framing (15). Visual mode is good at grabbing attention.
3.  This shot from Blade Runner captures effective use of visual mode to make a statement about the environment and power in the film. 
   
   
4. Aural
1. Aural mode focuses on sound. This includes music, narration, and sound effects. 
2. While sound can carry an immense amount of obvious information, aural mode is important for establishing mood as well, such as the music for a suspenseful scene in a movie. Poorly handled audio, such as out of sync or poor quality audio, can sour the audience on the delivery. Excessive volume (such as in advertisements) can do the same thing.
3. Ambient sound effects playlist. https://open.spotify.com/playlist/67PErg4GSuCoJBTl3tr1fP
5. Spatial
1. Spatial mode is about physical arrangement (16). In includes arrangement, organization, and proximity between people or objects. 
2. It includes no only layout on the page, but how a physical object interacts with the user and the environment. 
3. Spatial mode makes use of muscle memory as well, as we remember spaces and interactions with object through physical, spatial means. I think about this when designers don't follow industry norms, like putting the OK button on the right and the Cancel button on the left. For example, the Google Android guideline says “The dismissive action of a dialog is always on the left. Dismissive actions return to the user to the previous state.The affirmative actions are on the right. Affirmative actions continue progress toward the user goal that triggered the dialog.” And this means that for Android, ‘Cancel’ is on the left of the ‘OK’ button. Mac OS has similar guidelines. 
6. Gestural
1. Gestural mode includes facial expressions, hand gestures, body language, and interactions between people (19).
2. Gestural mode can contain more meaning than actual spoken words, because it adds nuance and weight beyond the words themselves. 
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7. Affordances 
1. Affordances are the 'strengths and weaknesses of media' (23). These include immediacy, emotional, detail, etc.
2. Affordances should help the designer consider the benefits of each, and how they work together. They should also help the designer consider how different audiences respond to each, and how particular media can be leveraged to make the message the most well-targeted for that audience.
3. When I'm walking someone through a problem, I prefer a verbal mode, which allows me to be detailed without unnecessary effort, and it allows me to get continuous feedback from the other person, so I can tailor my message immediately. Video with narration works really well for this if you don't need a back-and-forth. Add editing tools like captions and fast-forward to compress time, and you have a really powerful use of the strengths of video for a specific task. Check out this episode of the Essential Craftsman. 
   
   
8. Rhetorical situation
1. The rhetorical situation is the "set of circumstances in which an author creates a text" (35). These circumstances include the audience, purpose of the communications, and the context in which it will be communicated. 
2. Rhetorical situation is where so many politicians swing and miss, because they ignore the audience or context. Or, in many situations, their audience and context are a very small subset of their considerations, as in speaking directly to a small base. Writers can also miss out, but failing to consider the proper context and audience. 
3. Amanda Gorman's reading at the inauguration is a great place to look at rhetorical situation. The audience was all Americans and the international community, especially those despairing from four years of cruelty, ignorance, and abdication of responsibility (context). The message was one of hope and healing. 
    
9. Emphasis
1. Emphasis means stressing a word or other elements to give it more significance than others (44).
2. Size, color, and shape of typeface can be used to emphasize elements, and that will influence how a text is interpreted. You should use emphasis to ensure your primary goal or message is clear.
3. World Bicycle Relief emphasizes the donate button to make it stand out. 
10. Contrast
1. Contrast is the difference between elements that causes one to stand out (45). 
2. Contrast can be employed with color, size, texture, placement, etc. to mark a difference between elements. 
3. This image from the Red Balloon contrasts the balloon with drab background colors. 
   
11. Color
1. Color can be used to great effect for emphasis, as well as to 'elicit emotional reactions in audiences' (46).
2. A standard color palette is an effective way of establishing a common theme and setting a professional, coherent tone to your media.
3. The bright colors in this image highlight the psychedelic nature of the topic. Credit: Lauren Kolesinskas (The Stranger)  
   
12. Alignment
1. Alignment describes how the edges of text or graphics align, whether center, left, or right. It can facilitate ease of reading, or it can promote a certain mood or trust in the document.
2. I prefer a strong left alignment for most text heavy documents; anything else makes reading difficult. It is useful though, to break up large amounts of text with graphics or block quotes, which makes the document more interesting to they eye and a little less tedious. Alignment of individual text or graphical elements add order and a sense of professionalism to a document. 
3.  Really cool way of aligning staff photos: https://pushcollective.com/people
13. Proximity
1. Proximity can be used to associate elements with one another, indicating that they have a common purpose or theme (52). For example, headings for a site menu might all be grouped at the top of a page to indicate common functionality or purpose. 
2. Proximity can be effectively used as a cue to steer users to the information they are seeking. It requires effective use of blank space to create clusters and to avoid clutter. 
3. The header menu of the U.S. Coast Guard page uses proximity to create similar purpose links, as does the social media menu in the page footer.
14. Genre
1. Genre is the type of medium (newspaper, album, movie) or a category within those mediums (horror, documentary, sci-fi) (63).
2. Genres set user expectations about using the text. It may require a certain type of consumption (listening in the car vs reading on the bus) or it may generate interest in the user based on the appeal of the convention). Genres can be useful in communicating to others as to the type of content to expect, especially for those who share a love of that genre. 
3. Sometimes I find that specific characteristics of media can be more helpful than a genre. I like comedies, but I prefer they be quirky/offbeat, and/or pose existential questions. Simply looking up comedies will bring a lot of unappealing results that is more low-brow than I enjoy. So, yes to Bored to Death, Baskets, Rick and Morty, Future Folk, and Solar Opposites, and no to Talladega Nights, etc. 
15. Convention
1. Genre conventions are common attributes of a specific mode or genre. 
2. Web pages have links, and those links are historically highlighted in a different color than surrounding text to indicate the link. There is a also a convention of showing the target URL when hovering over the link. 
3. A convention of recreational cannabis shops in Washington State is to use green in the sign color as a visual cue to customers. 
   
   
    
16. Subgenre
1. Subgenres are more specific categories that fit under one genre (65). The subgenres have different conventions from one another, but they all fit into a similar category, for example a map, or jazz music. 
2. When a designer breaks conventions, they may create their own subgenre. They may do so for purely creative purposes, or because the new conventions have a specific purpose, such as better user interaction. 
3. One of my criticisms of subgenres is that some are so far down into the weeds that they are not useful except for other current fans. Genres require a shared vocabulary to be useful, so very obscure labels can have limited returns on establishing a shared meaning. One subgenre that I think is fairly clear & obvious is nerdcore, hip-hop about nerdy topics. 
17. Static vs. dynamic genres
1. Static genres don't change. This includes printed books, magazines, posters, statues and clothes. Dynamic genres do change, often with time, and may require interaction. They include modes like video, audio, websites and performances (67).
2. Genre dynamism should consider designer intent and the purpose of the text, in addition to the needs of the audience. To me, static genres are useful for reference, while dynamic genres are either more entertaining in general, or meant to be used by the audience to make something different. The engagement mode can change dramatically for the user depending on genre type. 
3. https://www.amazon.com/ is a great example of a dynamic genre. Visits can be change based on your language, recommended items based on recent product views, and there is additional contextual content if you are logged in. 
18. Linear vs. non-linear
1. Linear is consumed in sequence. We read one word at a time, in sentence and paragraph construction or watch a movie from beginning to end. Nonlinear includes things like flashbacks and flashforwards (69).
2. Nonlinear presentation adds an additional layer of meaning that must be sussed out by the reader/viewer, but it provides rich opportunities for juxtapositions or comparisons. 
3. Nonlinear films that use it effectively include The Usual Suspects and Predestination.
19. Representation
1. "Representation is re-presentation, or re-designing and re-communicating the purpose of a text through multimodal elements" (70). This can be implemented through a guiding metaphor, like using a boardgame layout as an analogy for learning by playing games.
2. Representation can be a powerful way to reframe a topic and to offer a new perspective that can make it accessible to a new audience. 
3. This graphic of the Genderbread Person is helpful for reframing a gender continuum. 
   
   
    
20. Association
1. Association uses ideas or concepts related to the main purpose as a stand-in for the whole. 
2. Association usually employs a recognizable portion, such as an iconic building or feature to represent a city, for example. 
3. The Space Needle is often used to represent Seattle. 
21. Feedback loop
1. "The feedback loop is a method for checking your work with your stakeholders" (94).
2. Feedback is essential to ensuring your design fulfills its purpose, and it can provide direction for revisions. It can also be useful in spurring ideas, and it saves work by keeping the work on track early on.
3. Usability testing is a type of feedback that is used in software design before it is released to users. Bugs and confusing menus can be discovered, and users can provide suggested improvements or point out pain points in a design.