Content:

This was week 1 of IXD301 with Kyle Boyde where we covered what we will be doing this semester, programs to use and workflow and the amount of work to expect.

We started with a module overview and covered the current task which is designing a portfolio website with the intent to use it for a placement application for the following year. This is important at the moment as many firms are beginning their search for students already.

Content Design:

We covered content and design and the basics of organisation. In short, content should be created first, then the website for example should be created around this content. Currently, a lot of content is being crammed into designs that make it unnatural/ forced, which lead to bad design outcomes and stiff websites. The way to get around this is to do a content audit and collate all content beforehand.

This includes:

• images
• text
• links
• videos

Content Wireframes:

We then had a look at content wireframes and the use of them in larger web/app design and how they can be useful in working out what content is required and how the content should and could be structured.

What I learnt:

I found this quite interesting as I have found myself falling into the trap of cramming information into a design that is not built for it. I definitely think a content audit and content wireframe are super useful when it comes to designing for content. I also thought that collating the content beforehand and having it easily available reduces stress later on and allows the workflow to be quicker and easier. This really highlights the need for organisation and time management.

Notes:

Research:

This week we were asked to research websites and portfolios that we liked, enjoyed, and took inspiration from. So here are some of mine with what I enjoyed, disliked, and what I might “borrow”.

1. Moritz Oesterlau

I found Moritze’s website on a youtube account that reviews portfolio pages of UX/UI and product designers.

Things I love!

First of all, I love the use of white space but at the same time how compact everything is. This is achieved by leaving the sides clear and empty and compacting information down the centre. I really enjoy how short and concise the page is, showing only three case studies and then minimal info at the bottom. Moritz does a great job of injecting his personality into his website. This was achieved through the use of emojis, informal text, and funny gifs.

Things I dislike.

There’s not much about this website I dislike, the only thing I could think of was the spacing of the case studies and how these were presented, however said that I couldn’t think of a solution better than what he has. I also personally found his case studies suuuuper long and lacking the same vibe he previously had on his greeting page.

Things I might “borrow”

I really enjoyed the meu bar he had at the top and the continuous repetition of ways to get in contact with him. I also enjoyed how short the page was and the simple colour scheme he went with and matched each of his case studies pages to the study itself. His webpage also makes me think about incorporating my own gifs and emojis to insert my own personality. I loved his link highlights and definitely think I will use them in the future.

2. Olivia Truong

Olivia has a clean colourful website with great use of colour and images.

Things I love!

Olivia does an amazing job using colour and planes to make her work stand out, her website remains uncluttered with text but remains easily navigatable. I love the use of imagery to attract the viewer’s eye to specific areas and pull viewers into certain case studies.

Things I dislike.

Although the colours are amazing at some parts they can be distracting and make navigation hard. alongside this the links for the case studies can seem lost within the presentation of images and colour. Although this is the case for the greeting page she maintains a professional and simplistic design for the case studies themselves.

Things I might “borrow”

The use of colour in her greeting page is something I aspire to be able to pull off, however, something I could easily use and recreate is the display of information in her case studies. She uses fun but legible font with a modern simplistic layout that remains functional and professional.

3. Elizabeth Lin

Elisabeth is a product designer and UX/UI designer. Her website is a great amalgamation of her playful outgoing personality and a great showcase of her work.

Things I love!

I love the use of planes of colour in the background to create a separation between her content, adding to the personality. Her use of custom cursors introduces a fun playful style and portrays her personality perfectly. this is all complimented perfectly with her choice of fonts. I love the use of animations on the corners of images with sparkles and fun shapes and think this adds a lot to her website.

Things I dislike.

Personally, I’m not that much of a fan of her menu bar that follows you down the page on the side however it fits well into the design and informs the placement of the rest of the content on her greeting page. This is definitely less relevant for my own portfolio website as I wouldn’t have enough tabs to make this look balanced and purposeful.

Things I might “borrow”

Out of all the websites I have seen I love the display of her case study and work. her about me page is one of beauty displaying her personality perfectly along with any interests she has outside of work and design. I also love the idea of adding comments to the case study at the side annotating how this felt/ any difficulty overcoming a task. I think this is a great way of injecting personality and showing the viewer and thoughts you had. I also personally found them useful as I ended up reading them more than the text as it was almost a summary.