Wireframing - OUGD504

Above is a layout to show how each page is accessed, the key is that from every page there is a way to get back to the app's home screen with ease.

Below are detailed outlines of wireframes for the app showing where content will be displayed and buttons. Each page is layed out to demonstrate how they would be accessed from each other using the map above this should give a simple understanding of the navigation for the app.

Mockup - OUGD504

Starting with a familiar design and layout helped to set a basis for the design and get everything into the correct places. The design used to create this familiar layout was the Spotify app. The design will not be copied but as stated before familiarity is helpful both for the designer and for the user. Mocking up the design meant not attempting to add colour to the design too early on as it could confuse or complicate processes, just getting the bare basics out was the first step. 

This process was also achieved without wireframing or planning out the apps navigation and instead comparing to something already known to work. Later wireframes will be mocked up to give a better understanding once the actual design has started, this was more of a test to see the idea come to life.

Putting the Idea into Practice (Rationale) - OUGD504

Problem

There isn’t a quick and simple way to search for and play your favourite film soundtracks. Without knowing the name of the song or the film you may not be able to find a song you have heard wishing and want to find again. Already there are systems in place to help find the track names or to play the songs but there isn’t a dedicated service to bring you this outcome seamlessly without having to search relentlessly or click through many other links to only find information rather than being able to play the song. The service would also appeal to directors and producers of films to easily find a certain genre of song to suit their projects.

Objective

Create a simple app to help movie goers and film buffs search and play their favourite tracks from films. Make an experience like no other to help directors find the right tracks for their films or simply for people to relive their favourite on screen moments with a few taps.

Audience

25-45 year olds, film goers and movie buffs.

Resources

IMDb - http://www.imdb.com/

Spotify - https://www.spotify.com

Apple (siri) - http://www.apple.com/

Google - https://www.google.co.uk

Shazam - https://www.shazam.com/

Key Considerations

The software has to feature a database of films and songs, you have to be able to search with ease and listen to the song or soundtrack you're looking for. 

Keep the idea simple - don't add too many complicated features.
Keep the interface simple - Stick to only a few clicks to get to the final goal.
Add new searches - search by, genre, song, artist, director, film, popular
Link to other intercase - consider linking to Spotify (but how will it differ)

Overall I need to focus on the good and the bad of already existing interfaces and how I can improve it but still keep some of the features. I need to look outside of this area of music and films and study interfaces all around also on the target audience, how they like to search and how they find the concept. 

Royal Opera House / AKA brief - OUGD503 Studio Brief 02

Brief:

The Royal Opera House and AKA, the international entertainment marketing agency, are challenging you to create a campaign that will encourage culturally engaged young people aged 20-30 to experience ballet for the first time.

Considerations:

• How to get people involved.
• How to show people ballet isn't an old boring artform just for women or the rich and elderly.
• Ballets can draw from a wide range of influences from fashion to literature and rock/pop music to full orchestral work. There are no rules. 
• Show ballet is exciting.
• You need to show how your idea will work as an advertising campaign – across digital, print, out of home and social media advertising.

Get an insight into ballet, look into ad campaigns and new looks on old ideas (how to refresh things). 

First Critique - OUGD504

The critique gave me some new ideas that I was already looking into and some that I hadn't thought about. Talking about the target audience, the searching issues and to look into systems that had tried and failed with similar intentions. 

Critique -

Appeal to film lovers

Appeal to music lovers

Issues for searching -

search by lyric

shazam/siri 

suggesting artists/radio on spotify

tie in interests between films and songs

look into spotify song suggesting 

tidal - fail

keep it simple not cluttered look at what to improve IMDb/Spotify

Problem -

No way to easily find soundtracks on IMDb and then can’t listen to them.

Spotify can play and find them but not specifically for that purpose.

Only - OUGD504

Only Studio came in to talk to us about designing for screen, I hadn't been too involved or invested into the current brief because it didn't seem to excite me in any way. After having the chance to listen to only and see some of the projects they have worked on my inspiration went through the roof and I wanted to get started straight away.

Below are some of the suggestions made by Only:

Phase 1, Research:

• Who wants it, users
• Target audience
• Problem

Phase 2, Wireframing:

• Mockups/Sketch out ideas
• What can be done
• How it works, no design just functionality
• Plan and organise
• Test

Phase 3, Design:

• Take over mockups
• Test again

Phase 4, Front End:

• Talk to developers about design
• 
  

Integrate brand into the project not just banged in the corner

Don’t ever offer an inferior experience

Come up with optimum design for any device

Device agnostic

Colour compliant

Make it accessible 

Distinguish what content fit with what - spacing

Find a way to make the design happen, despite developers

What will the application be used on primarily?

• Phone
• Desktop 
• Tablet

Look into brand guidelines

Designing for screen:

Not boring

it is design

don’t need to code

Spotify Research - OUGD504

I have included two examples of searches for a film on Spotify. The first shows a playlist that has been made by a fan who has had to research the tracks in the film and put them all together. The second shows the entire soundtrack as released by the film.

The issue with fan made playlists is that they don't always feature the versions of the songs made for the film therefore they don't sound the same or give the same experience. 

The benefits of this is that all the songs are in one, the only issue is this seems to be a rare case, the soundtrack featured is for Iron Man 2 but as you can see all the songs have been provided by AC/DC one artist for the entire film. When it works it works brilliantly and you can listen to the soundtrack you've been looking for but to get to this stage you had to know the film and know what song you actually wanted to hear. The whole process could be made a lot easier.

IMDb Research - OUGD504

Looking on the IMDb home page there is no way to search for a soundtrack for a film.

Once you have searched for the film you have to scroll down nearly to the bottom of the length page to find the soundtrack but this isn't the end.

You then have to click on read more and sure this only seems like 3 steps but that's only three clicks after typing, scrolling and searching for the tiny selection. After all these steps you don't even get to click to hear the song, you get information about each track, the issue is that to even do any of these steps you had to know what the film was and then once through you can't even sample any of the songs to check you have found the correct one which adds in another step to find the song on another interface. 

Designing for Screen Starting Point - OUGD504

I pitched my last ideas to different people and tutors, the consensus was the same that the first two ideas (Football and Comics) aren't close enough to me or haven't necessarily got a problem to work with. The IMDb/Spotify idea does have a market, a problem and I'm interested in the idea.

Things I need to consider:

• Target audience
• Problem
• How to implement
• How to market

For my target audience I believe it would be aimed primarily at 20-40 year old 'film buffs'. Or directors looking to study or find the right music for their films

The problem is that there is no quick and easy way to find a soundtrack or a song you have heard on a film and within a click or two you're playing it.

The idea could be linked to spotify to have the database of songs ready to play but the app would be a new interface with only the means to search soundtracks.

Sell to the target audience show the easy simple way and all the features you can use to search for soundtracks.

Designing for Screen Ideas - OUGD504

Below are some ideas that I have had a brief look into for this project:

Football -

Numbers on shirts option to highlight which player is which/who has the ball - see Fifa

focus 

Sports -

Slow motion to see the different statistics, power, shot type etc

not taught in a classroom

too broad

After speaking to tutors I have decided that this could be a good brief to stick to as I'm not too close to the idea. Another tutor suggested that this isn't really a problem for the spectators because generally people know who the players are and who is in possession of the ball.

Marvel Infinity -

Pastiche

Already done to almost peak

If I redesigned the idea of reading comics on a screen then I would have to think of a new idea completely. The only issue is, there isn't an issue taking the idea further could be bordering on animation not reading and already there are great ways to view comics in this way.

IMDb - soundtracks in films 

IMDb is a great service online to help you find your favourite films and actors but it doesn't offer much in terms of what soundtracks comes from where. Spotify is just as good for finding songs and you can also find soundtracks, the only issue is that both do not have an easy simple way to find your favourite soundtracks. 

Clicking through the IMDb site it was so hard to find a soundtrack after clicking through the film and you couldn't actually just search the soundtrack or artist itself. Spotify is the same you would have to know exactly what film you are searching for most artists aren't linked through their direct search to the soundtracks.

Getting started - OUGD504

As a group we came together to list lots of different interfaces we come into contact with on a daily basis and then talk about the good and bad aspects of each. We came to realise that nothing was perfect and everything had room to improve so this was something very helpful to us in this current brief. We now had to find a project that we could look at the good and bad aspects, break down the UI all together and put it back together with all the best aspects suited to it.

Student Design Competitions - OUGD503

Penguin Random House -

The 1st place prize offers a placement at Penguin and £1000. They also offer feedback to all shortlisted entrants which, seems very ethical especially with the others. Free to enter and brief is quite small.

YCN -

Still quite ethical, all winners are to be featured in the YCN annual and it is free to enter. The briefs are large.

Starpack

Quite large briefs, prize money and recognition.

ISTD

Free to enter, briefs don't seem to entice me as much as others.

RSA

Costs to enter, awards feature large amounts of money, large briefs.

D&AD

Have to pay to enter, pay to receive awards and not much in terms of feedback is given, not ethical, large briefs.