IxD301 – ELE
After reviewing a lot of different ideas I have been having for the elements project, I realised after a discussion with my sister, who is 17 years old, just after completing her GCSEs and found chemistry to be her most difficult subject. I realised that I felt the same when I was in school. In my opinion, this was because the information was given to us in a boring manner, one which made it harder for the information to be consumed and remembered. I remember staring at that awful periodic table, and it would all just be a huge blur.
The challenge I have set myself is to discover a way which allows the periodic table to be understood more easily, without it loosing it purposeful form of course. I am aware that there will be challenges with this, as the periodic table is laid out strategically, meaning that I will not be able to rearrange elements etc. I am going to start looking on pinterest and looking for other well designed apps which could ignite an idea…
The target audience will be aged 14-19, i.e. the ages of people who will be using the periodic table in school. I want to design an app on the iPad, as I feel it will give me more room to be creative, and I always normally tend to stick to webpages or phone screens so this will be interesting to see how I react to different dimensions.
Content Planning…
Before I started any designing, I wanted to ensure I had a clear sight of all of the content which I was going to have to include. I used a chemistry textbook from home, which gave me an idea of what information these students of these levels of study would need to know. Obviously, I am no scientist, so I am not going to be going into grave detail. I want this app to just be there for them with accessible basic information on each element of the periodic table.
I really enjoy collecting data and information. I use Number on the Mac book, to create a spreadsheet of my data. I have broken it down roughly into sections which I am thinking of applying to my app. This could change, however it’s good to make it concise and organised.
Inspiration…
The WWF app is so beautifully laid out. I am highly inspired by the delicate design. When going through the app, you truly feel like you’re on a journey, whilst learning as well. This is how I want users to feel when using my app.
Inspo from Pinterest…
For a closer look at my miro collage, click here.
I really love magazines and how they lay out their text. I have screen grabbed soo many different layouts I have found on pinterest and would love to reflect this in my app design. I initially came up with the idea ELE, when I saw the ELLE magazine in a shop. This then triggered inspiration for how I could lay out the info. I am excited to see where these ideas could take my design.
Reflection…
So far, everything is going well. I just need to get talking to some people who will be able to give me some direction and awareness. I am going to set up a survey and some interviews, before I get to the sketching and designing as I want to be fully aware of my users. I am very excited about my concept and have some great ideas, so I am motivated to get sketching!!