Author: Rui Lin Zhang

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Project 3: Team 14 Kathlyn & Ruilin

About the sites

1. The CAMP site of Costa Mesa
2. North Financial District of San Francisco

Links to Google Slides

Part 1: Three  ideas to enhance the overall design of the sites
Part 2: Two options to build a self-parking system on the CAMP site of Costa Mesa

Part 1: Three  ideas to enhance the overall design of the sites

Idea one: Self-parking on the CAMP

Parking at CAMP has always been a challenge. The deficiency of the parking arrangement has turned away a lot of potential customers. Our first idea is to turn valet parking into self-assistant parking using an existing parking app “ParkMobile”. In addition, based on interview survey, most people do not like the idea of valet parking as they shared their concerns about having a stranger to possess their car keys while being away.

Self-assistant parking is very common in busy places. The CAMP has always been overly popular and lack of good parking system. Replacing valet with self-parking meters could help the site to direct traffic more effectively.

The city can put in meters to set up a self-parking system on the site. The apps works with most meters that takes credit cards.

Using an existing app “ParkMobile” which has grown tremendous popularity among mobile apps enhances people’s experience when visiting busy sites. The free app makes it easy to find and pay for parking without running back to feed the meter. And visitors can reserve spots ahead of time for events. With more than a million spots and 3,000 locations across North America, we can integrate CAMP’s parking system to work with the mobile app by asking the city for special zoning for parking.

Idea two: Eco-friendly kids zone on the CAMP

Most of the children’s places in Costa Mesa are designed to be indoors. The outdoor campground setting at The CAMP provides a touch of nature unique to this site that can encourage children to play and experience nature. Currently the retail campus lacks kid friendly spaces. We propose to the Orange County Urban Development special zoning for parks  a kids play area at The CAMP where kids can roam in the outdoor setting without leaving the urban area. The play area can be eco-friendly to fall in line with the mission of The CAMP, and can promote kids’ learning to support the city’s development.

Idea Three: Ally intervention in North Financial District of San Francisco

Part 2: Two options to build a self-parking system on the CAMP site of Costa Mesa

Option 1:
Setting up a self-serving parking system on the CAMP site to make parking more effective and to enhance people’s experience when visiting the busy site of CAMP.

Managing your Parking via self-serving meters
Moving in the park-it-yourself touch screen meters in the valet parking areas, to allow people manage their parking from the screen. First 2 hours are free, and after that the visitors can reserve the hours based on their anticipation of their time of visit. This is one option for those who do not want to download parking app to reserve time and manage their parking from their phone.

Managing your Parking via Mobile app
Integrating the self-serving parking system into mobile app to allow visitors to manage their time for parking before their visit. A lot apps offer free services to make it easy to find and pay for parking without running back to feed the meter. And visitors can reserve spots ahead of time for events.

Option 2: The CAMP Counselors

 

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Exercise 3.2, Personas: Ruilin Zhang

Scenario

Maria teaches math to 4th and 5th graders in a private school . She enjoys interacting with her students and always trying to find ways to make her classes fun and engaging. Maria shares the challenges she has when teaching math is that most children are not fond of math because they often feel stuck in the middle of solving a problem and are afraid of going further to uncover the fact and logic behind the science. She hopes to see an application that makes math-learning fun at the same time provides feedback to help the teacher with managing the students’ learning process.

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Exercise 2.3.2: Geographies, Ruilin Zhang

I very much enjoyed this exercise. It freed my mind and provided unlimited possibilities on the map I want to do. Just having a pencil and sketchbook I can explicitly express the view that’s presented in front of me, and the hidden map that I am going to include in my sketch. I chose the route I often take to go to Mitsuwa, a Japanese market that is near my home. To get to the market, I only need to walk two streets and cross one traffic light.

There are many single-family homes, apartments, and small shops on the road to the market. The houses on the streets all have distinguishing styles and are fun to look at. I also see cars parked along two sides of the street. The trashcans are out on trash days. The greenery has been thoughtfully included in the area. There are many shades of trees, and nicely designed landscaping. Every day, I hear noises from people mowing their lawns. Because the holidays are coming, winter decorations are up for the holiday season. Not until doing this fun and inspiring activity did I begin seeing plenty of details in my lovely neighborhood.

I counted my turns and realized this is rather a simple route I am taking. It takes me only a couple of right and left turns to get to the destination, the Mitsuwa supermarket.

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Information, Part 3: Rui Lin Zhang

Love

This sign cleverly applied a few design principles, such as colors, and highlighting that help the politician to deliver the right message he wants to send out. It has a good color contrast (the rule of highlighting) to expose the politician’s name and the role he is aiming for. The shape of State of California adds the politician’s commitment for what he is running for: the State Assembly.

Hate

I wonder why the politician chose to enlarge and expose his/her first name instead of his/her last name. This is a violation in naming convention in political campaigns. Secondly, I had a hard time figuring out what role this politician is going after as the tiny text of his/her target position is so easily missed in the very bottom of the sign (A lack of visibility) . All I can see is a pretty common first name with a blank blue background that has a lack of information.

 

 

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Project 2: Mappings, Rui Lin Zhang

Updated synthetic map based on the feedback

I updated my synthetic map based on the various feedback I have received. I think those critiques helped reshape my map to be more clear and self-explanatory.

Part 3, The synthetic map

I decided to take a different approach for the synthetic map after reading the critiques I received, and they all are very solid suggestions. I want to expose more of the forces in the map because I feel my outlines of the forces in the individual maps do not stand out as much. Since there is a learning curve for me, I decided to keep it that way and not to change my individual maps but to reflect the changes I want to make in my final piece. I want to especially thank Greg for pointing out a few things to help me improve my map for force 4, the fest. I feel I have improved it significantly because of his great critiques.

The PDF for Project 2, Mappings

Part 1, Observations
Bring Design to Life: The CAMP of Costa Mesa

The CAMP is located next to South Coast Metro, the heart of City Costa Mesa.  This place has been described a green, eco-friendly retail campus dedicated to an active, healthy lifestyle mindful of environmentalism and supportive of the local community.

Force One: The Ambiance

The architecture of the site is mimicking the atmosphere of a campsite. The floor design of the site does not simulate a typical layout of many shopping centers.The entire place has shown the wildness from the ground up, and definitely lives up to its name “The CAMP” . There are always streams of traffic flow through the site with great dynamics and energy. Even if someone is just looking for a place to kick it and relax, this would be an ideal place to come and enjoy the atmosphere of a nice blend of the urban and the nature.

Force Two: The Culture

The CAMP balances culture, sophistication, and functionality, blurring the boundaries between nature and everyday bustle of life in Orange County.  It’s a place for whoever likes a spot with lots of photo ops, hipster stores, and might be overpriced but strictly organic food. If you are seeking to find your inner hipster, this is the place cannot be missed. It’s not the biggest place to walk around, but the uniqueness of the shops and outdoor areas are enough to keep you entertained with friends. Random resting areas are placed in every corner, Plenty of hammocks, tables, greenery are built on the site.

Force Three:  The eats, spirits and hangouts

The CAMP has great selections of restaurants. There are wide variety of food and drinks for everyone. Whether you are a steak lover or a strict vegan or on a diet or not dieting, there is always something for you. From the famous Umami Burger to a healthy all natural vegan burger, or the mouth-watering tacos from Taco Asylum’s it’s hard to walk away with disappointments. The site also has several gourmet coffee shops, such as milk+honey to challenge your taste buds for coffees.  If you are a wine lover you also come to the right place. There are wine tasting spots such as WineLab for the wine enthusiasts, where people could discover and learn about wines while having a good time with friends.

Shopping at CAMP can be a lot of fun. So many cute little shops settled in on the site. Some of the merchandise may not be the best bargain, but definitely one of a kind. A lot of the stuff sell in the shops are oddly attractive, and super interesting. It’s fun to just look round in those shops.

Force Four:  The Fest

Throughout the year, The CAMP also hosts events, art shows, and exhibits to bring the community together. In fact, the site received great reviews for being one of the best venues for hosting shows and events in Orange County. The entire place has a very hip organic vibe. The site brings in a very conscious crowd, and creates great cultural dynamics.

Force Five: The amenities

Due to its high popularity, the parking in this place can be a real challenge. I have never found a time there was enough parking when I was there. The site reserves spots for valet, which is never a preference of mine when I visit places. The CAMP does offer free valet with validation. You can get it validated at any restaurant by handing over your receipt. Tips for valet are not required but definitely encouraged.

Part 2, The maps of five forces 

 

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Informations, Part 2 Singapore’s Universal Studio Attractions Map

The first time I saw the attractions map of Universal Studios of Singapore was in one of Jared Spools’ UX conference talks. In his talk, Jared addressed what was done right in creating a great user experience, and this map was one of his examples.

The first impression people get from the map is its 3D display and the color-coded sections to highlight different attractions the theme park offers to visitors. Unlike most maps, this one relies heavily on visual elements, such as the vibrant colors and vivid graphics to highlight the theme park’s unique sections. By doing this, the designers have applied multiple design principles to draw the attention of the users. Below are some design patterns I have noticed in this map.

Three-Dimensional Projection

People have evolved to see things as three-dimensional whenever possible—even when the things are clearly not three-dimensional. The Universal Studio’s attractions map illustrates this principle by creating a 3D effect to provide people with realistic images.

Highlighting 

Highlighting is used in design to bring attention to particular elements or features. With this map, lively colors are used to highlight the most popular sections of the park . The first thing that caught my attention is the brightness and vibrancy of the colors that are used to highlight and call attention to the attractions.

Recognition over Recall

This Psychological rule shows that people can recognize things over needing to recall them. For example, the images of leading characters from a movie help people to remember the scenes in the movie, which brings back these memories. In the case of design, this translates to presenting a user with an interface that is immediately recognizable and intuitive for the viewer. 

Picture Superiority Effect

The picture superiority effect professes that viewers remember pictures better than text. Moreover, the effect is strongest when the pictures represent common, concrete things compared to more abstract ideas. By understanding this rule, the designers of the Universal Studios attractions map have created a large amount of graphics on the map. The image versus text ratio is extremely high in this map.

Many other design principles have been found in creating the Universal Studios attractions map of Singapore,  such as color for grouping similar elements, and iconic representations for finding important things that often are searched by visitors.

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1.2 Objects, Part 1: Rui Lin Zhang

A Product I love –
Amazon’s Voice-bot Alexa

One of my favorite products that I cannot live without (Ok, that’s an exaggeration, to only express my appreciation for the brilliant design.), Amazon’s voice-control system, Alexa. It lets you speak your wishes to an Echo smart speaker and see them fulfilled.  Using nothing but the sound of your voice, you can play music, search the Web, create to-do and shopping lists, shop online, get instant weather reports, and control popular smart-home products—all while your smartphone stays in your pocket. The product well applied several great design principles and puts the users’ needs into a deeply thoughtful consideration.

Let’s go over some of the explicit design reflections in Alexa.

1. User Intuitive and harmonious
The Alexa app provides simple and easy steps for a user to set up the voice-control system with his/her phone. The design of the product provides 4 buttons and a succinct instruction to minimize any confusion for an average person to interact with the product without requiring the extensive learning. The natural setting of the interaction between the system and the users provides a seamless and pleasant user experience.

2. Consistency
The only requirement of saying the word “Alexa” before sending out voice demands creates a consistently interactive process.

3. Accessible to all users
With only one single requirement of speaking to the device, the system provides access to a variety of users including people with certain disabilities.

4. Reversible
It is ok to say the wrong thing or giving the wrong requests, just shout out “Alexa, stop,” the smart voice AI is capable receive any updated requests.

5. Many more
Above is only a list of a few general features of Amazon’s Voice AI, Alexa can provide to its users. In reality, Amazon has developed multiple versions of their echo products to serve their target users groups for their specific needs.

A product I hate – Google’s Chromebook

 

 

My first impression of Google’s Chromebook is simply great: its sharp sleek look. It is fast enough for tab-heavy browser work. It provides a full workday of battery life; it supports Android apps, and it has a small, light body, and a bright screen. Most importantly, its very affordable price provides people with the pleasure of owning a laptop.

Not until after using it I was extremely frustrated by its missing Cap lock. The Cap key was oddly replaced by another function, “Search” in all Google’s Chromebook keyboards. Instead of locking caps, this key calls up Chrome OS’s search window. You can still do cap lock by having to hit the Search key while holding down the Alt key. The fact of those two keys being far away from each other has disabled the handling of the keys by the user’s left hand  without constantly repositioning. This missing function of locking Cap has violated so many areas in the principles of the basic design and user interactions. It takes away the consistency in the typing experience of the users and violates the fundamentals of the typing rules the users have adopted for years, which in my opinion makes the product unusable. This random update by Google is a violation of these two design principles: Design consistency, habituation.

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1.2 Objects, Part 2: Rui Lin Zhang

Chairs I have encountered in life

 

Bright and Right

When I was shopping for chairs for my kids, I have found those bright colored great looking children’s study chairs. The design combines function and ergonomics with good appearances. The chairs provide the kids the sense of being in their study environment just like their parents sitting in their offices, meanwhile add a homey feel that would blend in with the other furnitures. Apparently, the designer put thoughts in simple, airy shape and additional qualities a good work chair needs. The choice of the colors is a good reflection on the designs for children.

Less is More

I found this couch from an online furniture store. What I like the most about this couch is its leather surface: a preference I have over fabric. Another unique feature of the sofa is that it is also a convertible futon, which adds a hint of style and comfort to any room. Its backrest easily reclines while the side armrests are removable to be converted into a sleeping bed for guests. This chair is also built with an additional fold-down middle armrest with two-cup holders, it allows friends or couples to kick back and relax with their favorite beverages. So far, I really like my silky black leather chair; it adds the multifunctional lounging essential to my small-spaced apartment.

More than just a chair

 

I saw this edgy looking chair while shopping chairs for Maggie and Meimei at IKEA. I didn’t end up buying it, however, the design of this swivel chair really caught my eyes. It brings the spun, hidden and cozy space for the children, which to me is beyond what a chair could offer. The inspiration for the swivel chair comes from the designer, Monika Mulder ’s own childhood. It was not allowed at home to spin around in her father’s large swivel armchair in leather – to Monika’s great disappointment, but also an inspiration from her creative mind to craft something that provides a fun imaginary world for the children.

 

 

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Team 10: Principle #2 Symmetry

Symmetry adds balance to a design. When elements are the same on both sides of an axis, the design feels harmonious. A perfect symmetry occurs when two mirrored sides are exactly the same. Symmetry is found everywhere in natural. A butterfly’s right and left sides are identical. Our left hand and right hand are highly similar (although never identical). “Symmetric faces are perceived more attractive than asymmetric faces [Universal Principles of Design].”.

Symmetry is categorized into three major types:

Rotational Symmetry – It requires a central point. The object is designed to be rotated around the center point and appears the same, which creates rotational symmetry.

Translational Symmetry – Translational symmetry occurs whenever we can move (translate) an element in a design without causing it to lose its symmetric properties.

Reflectional Symmetry – If one half of the image is a mirror image of the other, you’ll be looking at a case of reflectional symmetry. This is the strictest kind of symmetry.

From a design point of view symmetrical design does not depend on identical mirroring. It’s only important to get close to the effect; a designer can manipulate the user’s eye to have a symmetric effect in his or her design by utilizing the design rules of symmetry and balance.

A visual depiction from my cited source


Different types of symmetry effects

An example image was found online but Not from my cited source


This woman from a small town of UK was claimed by the scientists the most beautiful woman in the world. How did these scientists decide that she was the fairest in all the land? Symmetry is their answer. That was the science used to determine that she has an almost perfect face.

My realistic drawing in life is a symmetric reflection of what I see in the face of the real person

Citation and References
http://iggyjingles.com/design-principle-symmetry/
https://www.interaction-design.org/literature/article/symmetry-vs-asymmetry-recalling-basic-design-principles

 

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Team 10: Principle #1 Face-ism Ratio

The ratio of face to body in an image that influences the way the person in the image is perceived. When the person’s face taking up most of the image, the attention of the perceiver is drawn to the person’s intellectual attribute. This is what we call high Face-ism Ratio. When the Face-ism ratio is low, the message of the image intends to deliver physical and sensual affects from the image.

So what does this mean for you? Well, if you’re designing a flyer for a graduate school program, you probably don’t want to use full body shots of students (although this happens a lot). Intelligence and personality won’t shine through to your viewers; you’ll want a larger face-ism ratio. It isn’t that the full body shot will necessarily be anything sexual, but it won’t deliver a message about intellect and getting to know students. If, however, you are creating a flyer to advertise a gym, larger body shots, a small face-ism ratio, is probably your best bet.

Let’s take a look at the cover image from the Time Magazine and the cover photo from Vogue. When the cover photo is just a face, the photo editor is trying to tell you an insightful story that reflects the character’s personality, intelligence and ambitions. If the cover photo is mostly body, the story is about how cute the person looks in that dress. How physically attractive she or he is and how active that character is.

 

The example images from my cited source:


The example images not from my cited source but precisely applied the design principle of Face-ism Ratio:

LinkedIn is a business networking website where people offers their skills and knowledge in reflection on their intelligence to connect with others. Whereas, the VS site promotes the sales on lingerie and other intimacy wears which often connects to sensual effect.


The example of a kid’s drawing unintentionally applied Face-ism Ratio 

The drawing on the left has a higher face-ism ratio which shows more innocence of the character.

Citation and References:
https://candacecrowe.com/blog/about-design/

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Histories: Rui Lin Zhang

origami.me

The Art of Origami

This link will bring you to one of my favorite websites: Origami Me. The website posts a rich content of what you need to know about Origami.

Origami is the art of paper folding. The creation of Origami dates one thousand years ago, and yet is still well recognized in the society of modern arts. The fascinating part of Origami is that its output of all folds is extremely symmetric which has taught the folders the importance of learning the geometric principles and shapes.

 Origami. me  created a neat online community for their fans to exchange ideas and showcase their crafts. This site is artistically designed, yet still keeps the fundamental features of being an open channel to provide people with the wide variety of resources. Their goal is to provide the support for their members and at the same time to help to promote the artists by showing their great creations.  You will also find many video tutorials on the website to learn the paper folding and become a master folder.

If you go to look at their collections under the Blog, some masterpieces are so amazing and could take your breath away. Because of the complexity of the folding techniques, most items require a designer and a master folder.

“Origami is a branch of art that only uses geometry, which is the same base for mechanical structures.”  –  Soroush Kamrava

Soroush has spoken the truth: Origami is the perfect coalition of art and engineering.