user experience / user interface
UX. UI. Interface Design. Usability. Call it Banana Monkey Sparkles if you want, it comes down to the same thing. There is a layer between Jo User and Jane Technology and if you screw it up, Jo leaves and Jane gets lonely in the corner waiting for someone to dance with. I don't like to see Jane lonely. I make an interface layer that welcomes Jo User in, introduces Jo to Jane, and teaches a few comfortable moves together. Whether single page interfaces, full program experience flow, mobile devices, or interactive game design, an interface shouldn't step on your toes, it should make the dance feel effortless. Get off that chair, wallflower. Let's see some sparkle.
Solar Cell
Designing a user interface for one complex application on iPhone and Android at the same time can get a little confusing if you don't stay alert. Solar Cell is an application designed to calculate a user's time to sunburn and vitamin D production. With phone screenspace and lots of detailed information to display, we had some unique challenges. By combining the standardized user interactions with clear visual cues, we were able to develop two applications that put the user right into the flow, allowing them to focus on the output, not delayed by learning how to use the application. As an added bonus, we were developing a separate WM6 app for a smoking cessation program at the same time. I'm getting a bandolier to carry my test phones.
Party Planner
Good judgment comes from experience. Experience comes from bad judgment. Working with our partners at UNM and the Center for Alcohol, Substance Abuse, and Addictions, I developed this Party Planner activity to allow users to make horrible choices for a party, and then see what the result would be. The biggest challenge was finding a way to manage all the choices without boring or overwhelming the user. I wrote the concept, spec and drafts for all copy. I also authored and programmed the functionality of the activity in Flash and ActionScript 2.
'09 Portfolio
Admittedly, I am fascinated by London's Underground system and the map that describes it. So with a portfolio containing many different intersecting topics, it made the perfect fit. They say there are no new ideas, only rehashes of old ones. I totally disagree, but I'll use it to rationalize my Underground obsession this time. "They" should really get out more and stop being so lazy. Take a look >>
Move to Improve
You can read more about this project under project management, but it deserves a spot here, also. Move 2 Improve is an exercise tracking program that combined several different technologies. This web site was the central storehouse for all the users' data. Keeping track of number of steps and ten minute blocks of activity was easy conceptually, but making the interface simple enough for an extremely wide range of user styles, computer experience, technical needs, and motivation was a little trickier. With a lot of communication and testing, we were able to make a site that was intuitive, helpful, and interesting, not to mention gliding through the technical ballet that evolves when you work with a third-party corporate IT department 1,200 miles away.