SIP APP
You wanted it, now here it is. Your new drinking buddy. More photos coming soon.
A Collection of Logos
It is important for a logo to be able to stick. Not only in its differentiation, but cognitively humans need to be able to quickly understand the form, and develop a “schema” for you brand. It is easier for humans to encode, store, and recall simple forms than complex ones. Also consider association - and how we associate certain forms (or symbols) with a particular idea or belief. Some logo’s can be more overt, while others subtle with much more ambiguity. No user interprets the same form or symbol the same (see figure ground perception and classical conditioning) so much thought must be put into the psychology of viewing, and the interconnectedness of form, colour and brand.
See how many hidden meanings and forms you can recognize.
Viewing films and television, in one form or another, is something most of us partake in. My goal was to understand the landscape of viewing, and harness the advantages and disadvantages of the multiple platforms that we view movies or television shows on. Since the advent of internet TV, humans value content and search ability much more than before. Notice how classical cable television, doesn’t offer this search “flow”, because the physical tools related to classic cable do not afford searching (no keyboard on a remote control). The beauty of internet TV, is the endless content, and the ability to search for a specific show. With that in mind however, we can not negate the fact that browsing is innately fun. Flicking the “channel up” button on the classical remote offers a unique experience of discovery. Furthermore, some people know exactly what they want to watch, others don’t. Since humans will naturally “browse” for hours (without even watching a whole film or episode) I wanted to make this experience of browsing, seamless, fun, and relatable. By making the film covers very large, and giving them a limited amount of viewable results (that they can flip through), makes it very easy to browse, and omit certain content. They say to never judge a book by its cover, but humans always will. This is why the film cover is on top of the hierarchal layout. Also notice how the search bar is dead center on the page. Most sites have it hidden in the top corners of the page. Why? If search ability is the beauty of internet viewing, make it obvious. Also, with this system, users cannot only browse by title - but also keywords and tags. They could type in a directors name, a genre, actor, or a vaguely loose term such as “gross”.
The content on the page is displayed in rows and has 3 separate sections. The beauty of these sections is that the user can customize what they want to display on a specific row. To add a deeper level of interaction, I incorporated a blogroll for each show page where users can “like” user comments. If they “like” a user comment, that users film “likes” will be used to offer recommendations. This concept was built off the old movie store paradigm, where they had (on the wall) critique’s “picks”. When the user is looking through someone’s “picks” if they notice they like a movie that you like, it indicates that they share similar tastes, and their other picks should also be enjoyable. With MovieFreak, you could have “Joe_203’s” picks on a certain section - or even multiple users. In this way I am harnessing the old with the new, to create a simple solution that takes advantage of search ability, browse ability, and compatibility. Get your freak on, your Movie Freak on.
ZeitLight
Battling the Bulb Effect:
ZeitLight is a product that aims to solve the problem of a condition caused by what I call, the Bulb Effect. Since the invention of the electric lightbulb in the late nineteenth century, humans have been exposed to much more light than evolutionary accustomed to. Humans, as animals have evolved to deal with the natural world in its most raw sense - without the sun early hominid is virtually blind. Our physiological evolution has not prepared us for the massive technological explosion of the last 150 years, including the effects of artificial light on the body. The human body has evolved to work during the day and rest at night. The natural twenty-four hour light cycle of the earth was something that governed behaviour, physiology, and culture undoubtedly. One of the strongest influences on human behaviour is light, which governs key biological processes such as the production and secretion of vital hormones such as melatonin, seratonin, prolactin, and cortisol.
The problem is that since the invention of the light bulb, we are exposed to too much light. The body needs both light exposure, and periods of complete darkness. Zeit-Light is inspired by a German word, Zeitgebers, meaning “time-givers”. These are the stimuli, or environmental cues that aid our hormone production. The aim was to create a product that could mimic the earth’s natural transition of light to day to aid the human transition from wakefulness to drowsiness. In essence, it is a bedside product that mimics the positive effects of natural sunsets - connecting “modern” human with their physiological roots.
Co.Lab
THE COOPERATIVE LABORATORY
The Cooperative Laboratory or “Co-Lab”, is an application designed to aid in professional business development. Working with our client, IBM, the project involved in depth market analysis, user research, concept development, user testing, and final application screenshots.
The Co.Lab app focused on many problems including data fragmentation and incohesive transfer of information amoung group members. The goal then, was to create an application that gave users a seamless access to project data, while using intelligent systems to filter out irrelevant information.
WHAT DOES IT DO?
Acts as a intelligent “whiteboard”, giving users the ability to personally organize data, and filter information a variety of ways (rating, type, date, member). Emphasizes collaboration by giving users a constant “white-board” to inspire, develop, and omit certain information. Co.Lab also makes it extremely easy to conference, mass message, and add data to the server. Contact list provides live twitter feeds, access to social media, and advanced member status and other custom links.
HOVR: UX/UI - Brand Strategy - Creative Mentor
Why do we buy things? What do we buy? Where do we buy them? Who is involved? These were the questions I attempted to answer. Originally, the team didn’t understand that shopping is a very complex behaviour with factors rooted in capitalism, human nature, and politics. According to Karl Marx, it is the manifestation of man’s emotional deficiencies caused ultimately by capitalism. Regardless, learning the roots of shopping, voyeurism, advertising, exploration, and purchasing fully guided the insight and development of the product that sought to make every image comparable, to make every desirable “discovery” attainable.
What I did then, was designed an app that was fun to use with complex yet intuitive interactions . The style of interaction was then born through a 3D physical model, where the user could not only scroll through the x and y axis, but also enter the z axis. The type and direction of the scroll/flip would dictate the style, price, boutique,etc depending on the user’s setting.
SPOTfind Toronto Kioske: CONNECTING PEOPLE WITH PLACES
With the growing popularity of live media tools and outlets, companies should look for new ways to make sense of the abundance of data that is available to almost everyone.
WHAT WE FOUND
In the Toronto urban setting, we discovered that people are always looking for new venue’s, events, and people to interact with. The problem is that they are hesitant to test unfamiliar waters due to the possible failure of an experience. Some may lack the money, while others may lack the time and patience to embrace a new experience.
The application and kiosk is a way for individuals to find the places, people, and events that won’t disappoint. The system works by gathering info. from city venue’s, and offering users a abstract image, audio feedback, and other relevant information including price, size, and current population of reccommended places. Also prompts the user with a number of quick questions about personal preference, budget, distance, transportation etc. so the system can identify the best matches. The size and shape of the kiosk on the left, was designed so that multiple users could interact with it.
Stool Longue
From Stool to Recliner
ErgoBrush
With the growing concern of pesticide use in the food we consume, people will be looking for new ways to quickly, and comfortably wash their food. Taking into account the aging population, the goal was to create a comfortable tool that could both fit the hand, and the produce very organically, eliminating the stress involved in prolonged washing.
