Tuesday, March 17, 2009
Instructions for making toast
- Pick up Toaster Plug
- Put toaster plug into electrical socket
- Turn electrical socket switch on
- Pick up a slice of bread off the plate
- Put the slice of bread into the toaster slot
- Adjust toaster dial to set how light or dark you want the toast
- Push down the toaster lever
- Wait for the toast to pop up
- If toast starts to burn before it pops up, press the cancel button
- Once toast has popped up, lift it out of the toaster slot and put it on the plate
Information/Instructional Design Examples
GPS – Global Positioning systems are an example of information/instructional design, as they present a large amount of complex information to the user in a way that is simple and easily understood. The GPS has the ability to translate a complex map into step-by-step instructions with images to make the users journey much easier. A GPS not only informs the user where to turn but also how long the distance is before their next move, where speed cameras are located, and what lane they should be in to make the next turn easier.
Whereis.com – This site provides the user with step by step instructions on how to achieve their desired outcome. For example, the user may want to go from point A to point B, they are prompted to enter the origin and destination details into the site. The user then has the ability to customise their trip, for example, they can choose whether to use or not to use toll roads and they can choose a route that goes either by fastest distance or shortest route. The user is then provided with step-by-step instructions on how to reach their destination, with the end route, tailored to their needs.
Information/Instructional Design Definition
Effective instructional/information design, presents complex information in a simplistic, easy to understand format. When designing information, the outcome needs to be understood so that the information can be designed in a way that will effectively achieve this outcome. The designer needs to be able to break down large amounts of information, and decide what needs to stay and what information can be cut out, while still meeting the desired outcome. An effective information design will be able to guide a user through the steps of completing a task, in a way where the user will understand every step and achieve the desired outcome. Information design can be seen in web pages, PDA’s, GPS and more.
Tuesday, March 10, 2009
Great Web Design Examples
Rafael Nadal – www.rafaelnadal.com
The official site of world No.1 tennis player Rafael Nadal is an example of stunning web design. The site reflects the energy of the young tennis star through an inventive layout, creative use of typography and fun navigational techniques. As you navigate through the multimedia sectionof the site, Rafa himself is often seen running through the pages, playing tennis, often he hits the tennis ball and breaks apart the title of the section the user is viewing, this demonstrates a creative use of graphics and typography. When you are finished with one section, simply click the next link and the words of the previous article seem to crumble of the page making room for the new article. Even the loading page is creative and beautiful. Rather than watching a standard bar that tells the user the percentage of the page left to load, this site features tennis balls that seem to be served towards the user, the user can then click these and they bounce across the page while the user is waiting for the page to load. This site is a beautiful, creative and inventive example of great web design.
Design Snack – http://www.designsnack.com/
The design snack site gives the user control of what information they view and how it appears on screen. Visitors to the site can browse sites by colour, category and date added. This site is a good demonstration of interactivity and customisation tailored to users preference.