PROJECTS

See Some of My Student's Works Here

Works | 01

Build-a-Bug

Prompt — to design a solution that would assist fly fishers in their understanding and application of entomology.

Research — I began the project with a series of interviews with fishers and a number of readings pertaining to insect live cycles in the context of the feeding habits of fish. Several maps were created to analyze the data that was collected and scenarios were written to better understand how such an app might work in various contexts of use.

Insight — novice fishers have some difficulty and frustration identifying insects and then determining what artificial flies might to used to to simulate them

The Design Challenge — how might we design a mobile/tablet app that aids fly fishers in identifying insects and matching those insects to appropriate artificial flies.

Iterations — several ideas were explored. The final was selected as it seemed to more directly and clearly address complexity and The Design Challenge.

Left Bottom: Two rough, preliminary design ideas Above: Final design concept

Works | 02

Poetry for Tweens

Prompt — to create a design that would engage middle school student in a literature topic they may other-wise not be interested in.

Research — we began the project by meeting and spending an afternoon with a middle-school class. We followed this meeting up with a cultural probe that was designed to gain more in-depth data. In addition to this primary research we also read several articles by cognitive psychologists about the social and learning development of subject at this age.

Insight — at this age students like making and sharing things, they are influenced by popular culture

The Design Challenge — how might we design a mobile/tablet app encourage tween to learn about poetry by allowing them to create poems and audio adaptations of poems.

Iterations — after exploring many directions by creating low fidelity sketches we decided to design an app that leveraged visual characteristics of poetry and spoken/audio productions that could be shared across the platform or exported for use to social media.

Works | 03

Diagramming Storylines

The Design Challenge — this project began by looking for a design problem. I focused on designers on multi-disciplinary teams and how team members collaborate. I began doing research into this and over time developed this problem statement or "design challenge" — How might a system for the dynamic diagramming of user-experience support the work of an interdisciplinary team in an interaction design problem? Sub-questions were also developed to help focus and clarify my efforts —

- How might such a system facilitate and reflect ongoing input from multiple users with different disciplinary perspectives?

- How can activity theory inform the scope of issues represented by such a system?

- How might such diagramming accommodate and reflect change over time, re-configuring elements dynamically as conditions change?

- How can such diagramming communicate past, present, and future conditions?

Research — interviews were conducted with designers. But, much of the research was secondary and was spent trying to understand the nature of user-experience, systems, activity theory, design process, diagramming/mapping techniques and collaboration.

Insight — a collaborative research tool that could be shared from different locations and that is visual in nature could add value to the discovery phase of a design project

Iterations — after exploring many directions by creating low fidelity sketches I decided to design an app that would act a repository for collected data and means of analyzing that data.

Works | 04

Rivers of Type

The Design Challenge — this project was a self initiated experiment that was an off shoot of project 1 above. What would an interface with constantly moving type be like and how might it be applied to an app for fly-fishers?

Works | 05

Visual Ethnographic Field Study

This project was a bit of a personal experiment. I am a very visual person and so as I collected interviews for my research I wanted to find a way to do it visually. I think there's much more to be gained by having a audio AND visual record of a research interview. This looks a bit rough to me now — but, I think it shows that I can do it and that there is value in it.

Visual Ethnography

Works | 06

NC State Graduate Design Symposium —

"Design, Community, and the Rhetoric of Authenticity"

I conducted several explorations focused on understanding the nature of authenticity. I then generated a series of "sketches" speculating on the similarities between genetic mutation and the creation of the authentic (two images - to the left). This culminated in presentation/talk titled "Mutation Breeds Authenticity" on the main stage — see below and pdf below/left.

Works | 07

Indiana University New Experience-Design Undergrad Program

Development Committee — as a primary committee member for the design and development of a unique new BS program in user-experience design one of my tasks was to develop information graphics that would help people understand experience design and the goals of the new program.

Works | 08

Seattle Aquarium Summer Advertising Campaign

I acted as designer and art director working with a copywriter (Dennis Hinton) and an illustrator (Damon Brown) to develop this campaign. Our campaign played a key role in boosting the aquariums traffic by more than 10% over the previous summer.

Works | 09

NikWax — P.O.P. Cube, Tradeshow Pull-Ups & Postacrds

I worked as designer with copywriter Chas Fisher, to develop these pieces. For the P.O.P I used their unique bottle cap as the key element. The tradeshow items are inspired by 70s pop-culture.

Works | 10

Montrail — Folding Self-Mailer and Dealer Kit

I worked as designer with copywriter Jill Avey, to develop these pieces.

Works | 11

Sage — Product Catalog and Advertising Campaign

I worked as designer and art director with copywriter Lori Hinton and creative director Dale Lantz, to develop these pieces. Together we developed the "HomeWaters" concept.

Works | 12

Journal Anywhere — Identity and Advertising

I worked as designer to create the identity and as designer / art director with copywriter Lori Hinton to develop the advertising pieces. Together we developed the "Buried Treasue" and "Postcard to the Future" concepts.