Matthew Gallagher

RSS Feed

2008-03-19T21:45:00.003+11:00

An RSS (Really Simple Syndication) Feed is used to publish frequently updated content such as blog entries, news headlines and podcasts. An example of an RSS feed is the news headlines on the right hand column in this blog. Some RSS feeds are incompatible with older Internet Browsers, however the majority of new Internet Browsers support RSS feeds.

Information/Instructional Design

2008-03-17T18:43:00.003+11:00

Definition:
Information Design can be regarded as an attempt to create order out of chaos. It can be described as natural, and it refers to the visual method of explaining and interpreting complex information and data to help the user achieve a particular object.

Information Design:
1. Develops documents that are comprehensible, rapidly and accurately retrievable and easy to translate.
2. Designs inteactions with equipment, that are easy and natural.
3. Enables people to find their way around.

Information Designers have combined skills which derieve from many different sources to come up with the designs that we see today. Todays designers generally think about the ability of users to access information, the ability of users to understand the information, and the ability of users to feel comfortable with the presentation of the information.

Examples:
- Maps
- Graphs & Display of other complex data

Interactive Design

2008-03-13T19:37:00.002+11:00

Definition:
Interactive Design defines the behaviour of products and systems that users can interact with. It generally centers around complex technologies such as software, mobile and electronic devices.

"People seemed to regard "interactivity" as the unique cultural discovery of the electronic age"
Laurel, B., 1992. Computers as Theater. Reading, MA: Addison-Wesley.

There are generally 6 steps in interactive design:
1. Design Research
2. Research Analysis & Concept Generation
3. Alternative Design & Evaluation
4. Prototype & Usability Testing
5. Implementation
6. System Testing

Interaction refers to any communication between a user and computer. Interaction Design refers to designing the medium for this interaction, and the Interface that the user will use to communicate with the computer.

"By interaction we mean any communication between a user and computer, be it direct or indirect. Direct interaction involves a dialog with feedback and control throughout the performance of the task. Indirect interaction may involve background or batch processing. The important thing is that the user is interacting with the computer in order to accomplish something."
Dix, A., J. Finlay, G. Abowd, R. Beale, 1998. Human-Computer Interaction, second edition. New York: Prentice Hall.

Examples of Great Web Design:
www.marks-and-spencer.com
www.goldeneggs.com.au
www.abc.net.au/children
www.rottnest.wa.gov.au

Web 2.0

2008-03-08T15:11:00.004+11:00

Definition:
Web 2.0 refers to Second Generation Web Design. Such websites include social-networking websites, blogs and other websites which allow a regular user to upload and manage the content on a website.

"Web 2.0 is a knowledge-oriented environment where human interactions generate content that is published, managed and used through network applications in a service-oriented architecture."
Dario de Judicibus. World 2.0. [Retrieved on 8th March 2008]

Rather than simply allowing users to retrieve information (such as in Web 1.0), Web 2.0 provides a platform for users to own and control data over the Internet. This is a change from the limitations of Web 1.0 where only the owner of the website was able to modify information on the website. Web 2.0 provides a user friendly interface which provides easy access for users. Perhaps the most popular forms of Web 2.0 at the moment would be the social interaction websites such as Bebo, Myspace and Facebook. These websites have millions of users worldwide and are growing at a rapid rate. They allow a user to maintain a profile over the website complete with functions to communicate with other users, and display content and images to the world.

Examples of Web 2.0:
Myspace
Facebook
Google Maps
Napster
BitTorrents
Flickr
Wikipedia
Blogging
Wikis (Content Management Systems)

Web 2.0 examples using Information Design