Category: The Nature Disconnect

The Nature Disconnect was one of the most fun modules where I could see all my skills come into place, however that only seemed to be the case for Digital Interaction personally. The beginning weeks were confusing, and I caught on too late with what was going on. However, nearer the end I was able to see how the whole thing was coming together and could then create boards that met the requirements of the first few weeks. I was proud of the outcomes such as the PowerPoint presentation and eventually the four boards I did yet I felt they could have been done better. Nonetheless, I was still pleased with them and thought my graphic skills had come on a little from plain white box-like designs.

Moving on quickly though, I enjoyed the second part of the module where we were split into our own disciplines. Although I didn’t take forward my initial Digital Interaction idea, the brief was very precise with time management help and I was comfortable with being able to start from the beginning.

Having a clear brief with the end deliverables presented right at the start really helped as I was able to know what I was working towards, instead of questioning if what I was doing was going to benefit me later, or towards my final deliverables. Even when knowing what I had to do at the end, the brief was still open and allowed our group to expand into many other variations of what was expected so it was not hindering our creativity and instead of blinding us to disperse, we were able to do that without the messy uncertainty.

Thankfully, this was the key moment I needed in the year where I knew my discipline choice was the correct one. Especially for this project and each altered brief, I was a lot more passionate and creative in what I could do with my task and therefore felt I produced, what I feel, was some of the best work I had done all year.

Although I had such an expansive idea, talking it through my mentor (Laura), I was really able to zone in at what area I wanted to target and this also hit the brief right on the bullseye, as it revolved around exactly what I fell our products were to achieve: connecting more people with nature.

One of my favourite parts of the design process is the visual language board and how the product/idea is branded. I feel it is such a necessity because it is the first judgement barrier that people put your idea through when they look at it, if it doesn’t hit the right target market, there won’t be one. Having the right balance in colours, typeface etc, was something I felt a lot more comfortable doing as I have learnt a lot over the past year.

When creating my visual language board, I had learnt from all my previous mistakes and created a simple but effective poster. One thing I had learnt was I needed to do much more extensive planning than just jumping straight into it like I previously had done and build up slowly using grids, outlines and setting up of typefaces and themes beforehand. I had never used Adobe InDesign before joining university and feel my learning curve had been very extreme, so I am now very comfortable creating a variety of visual displays.

For my storyboard, I was learning Adobe Photoshop for the first time teaching myself and being taught things such as: how to upload sketches and use a variety of editing tools on them like adding colour, changing saturation and scales, brushing over rough areas, cropping out un-needed things and a lot more that I just wouldn’t believe I would be capable of doing when I first joined. It was the most time-consuming task surprisingly but now that I know how to upload and edit properly, I will be able to carry out the task a lot quicker in the future.

The Experience Prototype was another additional thing I had no experience doing too, so the final weeks were very much a first for everything apart from the design ‘laws’ that have been taught to me over the past year. I was quite comfortable with it early on, seeing the many benefits straight away as to why people used it to cut down time consuming tasks and the tools that add an extra professional look. Although it took a lot of time, it was very fun to test the possibilities and I was learning all the way through.

To conclude, if I was asked to carry out the same brief in the amount of time I had, I would have never been able to complete it making it look anywhere near as good. Although I was aware that I was improving throughout the year, this was where I noticed the main difference, where I was able to take each learning point from every module and demonstrate it within my finished project, which I am very proud of. Every bit of the course has attributed to my knowledge attained over the academic year. Having the deliverables all set up in the exhibition, I am certain I have taken my work up a level and there is a clear improvement in my abilities that I only hope to improve greatly in the next few years.

Storyboard:

Here are the final outcomes that appeared in my exhibition display, any areas missed previously in the other blogs have been described below:

Visual Language Board:

Concept Summary Board:

For the concept board, I left it simple and used the darkening of the background only at the top to create an easily readable 100-word concept summary, as if it was a pop up, therefore, making people look at that first before moving down. Below, I had the background easily visible showing the first stage of the app where the person takes a photo of an area, while imagining the possibilities of it (the planks being replaced along with the rope swing). The image is briefly described at the end of the description so works well with giving the viewer a good enough understanding.

Exhibition Display Slides:

For my exhibition display, I wanted to keep it minimalist and use size to drag in readers to certain points of the display:

• On the easel, I had the concept summary board which would attract the most attention due to its height.
• Behind the concept board, I placed the visual language board behind as if showing the details in behind the visuals and individuals would hopefully notice this after they had seen the first board and could look further for extra information.
• I placed the story board flat alongside my sketchbook and placed flower pots (ideally in one of the utopic colours: light blue) so that the display balanced out vertically with the propped-up board on the other side of the display.
• Finally, I left my laptop open with the app ready for people to interact with.

Skechbook Tour:

I found the editing harder than normal as i encountered problems which I didn’t know how they had appeared or how to fix them so it was a challenge along with all the program not responding too. Nonetheless, I feel I created a short and cute video that still gives a good view of what my sketchbook is like for this project.

To acces the video, click on the link below:

https://vimeo.com/331708016

The video can also be found by searching my profile: Harris McFie, on Vimeo as the privacy is set to public.

To continue my development, the visual language board I created allowed me to zone in on typefaces and colour themes. This is an essential part of branding as it gives the whole product an identity and a reoccurring template so that the whole app and any spin offs (a physical product) can be identified as one group/product.

The aim of this stage was to continue with our chosen discipline for next year hence mine being Digital Interaction Design. However, I realised my idea was crossing over with what somebody else was doing so I changed as I felt I was able to carry forward another idea that I had.

Before coming up with the name and a precise area of focus, I wanted to create an app that allowed individuals of any age to be able to take a photo of an area and propose an idea that could be crowdfunded, similar to Kickstarter but with much more emphasis on community.

Firstly, I slowly refined upon what I wanted to specifically target which is described in my 100-word concept summary:

‘’The product and/or app allows any person with any design ability or skill, to visualise how they would like to create a social space that interacts with nature and the outdoors.

After using simple and easy to understand software to create their proposal, the individual or group can share the idea for funding and support.

This could rally communities to re-invigorate run down, or un-used areas and get interest from people all over the world.

Just like making a rope swing or den in the woods, any person of any age can make their social space a possibility.’’

To follow up, I wanted to create a theme and logo that tailored for who I was wanting to hit with my target market, which was everyone, so I had to create a good balance and not aim more towards one area (children for example), and make it too ‘childish’ so that adults were put off it but also vice versa.

In my visual language board, the balance is described in detail.

For my story board, I wanted it to not be sleek and have a more friendly appearance so that it could show the ease of how you could still show what you wanted to propose if the drawings were clear enough. I used a simple black sharpie to draw out the visual pieces then used photoshop to make them clear and add colour so that it looked sleeker and appeal to adults a bit more, while also highlighting key areas I wanted people viewing to see.

Warm-Up Project

To give us a basic understanding about what companies are already having a similar approach, we were to make a quick presentation on four companies or groups have taken it upon themselves to cut down on their own environmental impact, or help out our environment through adding positive additions to the world such as trees or removing negative objects such as bottles.

After we had a more solid concept of what we had to create, ideas that we were already beginning to build up would contribute towards the four board we had to create.

Inspiration and Personal Manifesto Board:

My Manifesto board consisted of three areas which I identified within the photos I had taken on our trip to Tentsmuir. I already had a good variety from my presentation when it came to what other people were doing so, I decided not to re-use them within my board. Un-suspecting to me, I was subconsciously interested within perspective and imagining what could be done with unique and interesting areas I had found within with wildlife conservation park. This therefore led to my final project but that is for further on in my blog.

Product Design Board:

For the product design board, we were instructed that we had to create a product that consisted of one or more found objects from our trip to Tentsmuir. I didn’t have a firm idea on what I wanted to create, there were three lighting pieces which experimented with different forms of lighting: a small lap projecting from a cone, a mood light consisting of a hollow plastic piece on a rock then a more luminescent strip that winds through the cracks in the bark. My favourite is the small pot as it looks quite rustic or quaint: consisting of a pebble, wire, a smashed bottle head and popsicle sticks.

Interior Design Board:

In the Interior task, we had to create a mobile structure intertwined with nature. I returned to my first board (Personal Inspiration) and concentrated on perspective and how a structure could channel someone’s line of sign or block out external factors that prevent you appreciating an individual line of sight or sense. I experimented with how lighting would spread or disperse but also how structures could intertwine or take shape from nature on every scale.

Digital Interaction Design Board:

For the Digital Interaction Board, we were instructed that a camera had to be involved, so this could also include audio if people wanted to expand into that area such as me.

The idea was that people within the city or their stressed, filled lives could escape and use an app to transport them to a peaceful area and let them focus on a specific, calming aspect. By entering into a 360-degree image, the user could move around and focus into what they wanted to listen into: looking up at the trees from a camera placed in a forest and have a receive live audio of just the leaves rustling.