EDTECH506: Week 11 - Whitespace

My unit of instruction is designed to help new hires get to know the company and outline the items they need to complete within their first 30 days.  Our new hires range from newly graduated students to senior business professionals from all backgrounds and cultures.

The image I designed this week is a resources page, that once implemented will have hyperlinks to resources within our intranet.  When mapping out my design I wanted to have something int he middle of the image to anchor it.  I included my tree image from a previous week.  Using this as a base I chunked the four topic areas to the corners of the tree image, creating space between each to separate them (Lohr, 2008, p. 272).  I hope that by placing them in the corners of the image it still connects them to the image and extends the representation of the tree and growth.  
I also spaced the text and grey bars to be symmetrical to make the total image feel balanced (Lohr, 2008, p. 275).  The only item not symmetrical is the Collins Hutch logo, but I'm hoping it looks like a footer item and doesn't take away from the overall symmetry.  I've tried to ensure that all of the actual whitespace in the overall image is balanced and symmetrical.

The feedback I received was that this was nice and simple to understand.  They did suggest moving around the topic areas that had more text to be diagonal from each other.  I agreed with this and have made this update.


Reference:
Lohr, L.L. (2008). Creating graphics for learning and performance: Lessons in visual literacy (2nd ed.). Upper Saddle River, NJ:Pearson.

EDTECH 506: Week 10 - Organization

For my unit of instruction I'm designing a program for new hires.  The program will help new hires to become acquainted with the company and learn about resources and the activities they need to complete within their first 30 days of employment.  Our new hires range from newly graduated students to senior business professionals from all cultures and backgrounds.

This week I created a step-by-step guide for our new hires to help them with finding in-person and online classes they can attend.  We have a learning portal located on our intranet that allows employees to filter and find classes depending on their region, timing and their level.  When designing this guide I tried to show the most basic steps to finding a class and keeping the chunking for each process to no more than seven to nine chunks of information (Lohr, 2008, p. 125).  It was a little challenging as there are two ways you can search for a class and so many options.  So making it comprehensive enough yet simple to remember really made me trim it down to the basic steps.

There are two ways to find a class, so I tried to use color to differentiate between the two options.  I used different colors for the title and steps for each of the ways you can approach finding a class.  Hoping this will draw the eye of the learner and help them to realize the steps that are part of each process (Lohr, 2008, p. 128).  I also used a template from a previous step-by-step guide that following the vertical alignment rule of arrangement for Western cultures so the text is on the left and the image on the right reinforces and shows the visual representation of the text.

My user feedback indicated that they thought the colors for each of the different processes was nice but that it didn't necessarily add to their recognition of purple meaning Keyword search, or teal meaning Category search.  I will interested to hear my classmate's feedback about this.

Reference:
Lohr, L.L. (2008). Creating graphics for learning and performance: Lessons in visual literacy (2nd ed.). Upper Saddle River, NJ: Pearson

EDTECH 506: Week 9 - Color & Depth

The unit of instruction I'm designing is to help new hires get to know the company, the items they need to complete, and the resources they  need to know about during their first 30 days of employment.  Our new hires range from newly graduated students to senior business professionals from all cultures and backgrounds.

Image one

This week I designed a handout that can be printed in color and given to new hires on their first day during orientation.  This could be something they can pin up on their cubicle wall for a quick reference.  It outlines how to contact Human Resources and Information Technology.  These are the main two departments an employee will contact during their time with the company.  Lohr (2008) states that you can use color to late and differentiate information (p. 256).  In this image I've used a different icon and color for each of the ways new hires can contact the departments.  Yet for each contact mode I've used the same set of icons and colors so it looks consistent.
I've also used the same template of colors in this image that I have used in all of my images (Lohr, 2008, p. 269).  These colors are the main colors in the Collins Hutch brand and used throughout our marketing materials, websites and documents.  The color templates are accessed via color schemes that are automatically loaded onto computers by our IT departments.  By using the same color template across all of our material this provides consistency and brand recognition for our employees and clients.
This week I tried to tone down my use of color in the whole image to make the icons stand out. I wanted them to be the main focus of the image.  I created the icons to look like buttons with some beveling on the edges to add some depth.  

Image two

Again I created two different versions of the image.  I'm not sure which one I like better, but I think I prefer the first image without the red pins as it looks a little cleaner.  But when I asked for feedback the responses were mixed.
I also struggled to find a strong font for the main text that didn't get lost on the page.  I wanted one that wasn't too overwhelming, but that also would not get lost in the whitespace.  I also originally had the text for email, phone and visit in the colors matching the icons, however, the colors caused the text to be illegible.  



Lohr, L.L. (2008). Creating graphics for learning and performance: Lessons in visual literacy (2nd ed.). Upper Saddle River, NJ: Pearson

EDTECH 506: Week 8 - Figure Ground

My unit of instruction is designed to help new hires get to know the company and the items they need to learn and complete within their first 30 days of employment.
Our new hires range from newly graduated students to senior business professional from all backgrounds and cultures.

This week I designed an info graphic about the history of the company and the different companies that have come together to form the existing one.
I ended up designing two images as I felt the figure-ground was not as distinctive in the first image as in the second one.  As Lohr (2008) states, the human mind forces us to focus on one stimulus at a time (p. 102).  In my first image I felt there was too much for someone to focus on initially.  The roots were not easy to get symmetrical and also aligning the text so it looked need was a challenge.  While I like the image, I felt it was too busy and doesn't force you to focus on one particular component of the image.  The figure-ground is competing with each other (Lohr, 2008, p. 102).

Image One

The second image, however, does make you focus on the zig zag component of the image.  It stands out and is the first thing your eye is drawn to.  Using the different points with circles also directs you to the different information at those points.

Image Two

I chose to use the tree imagery from one of my other images to create a sense of continuity among the images I'm creating for this unit of instruction.  While I could've design this in a different way I like how with both of the image it still creates the meaning that these are the origins and roots of the company our new hires are working at today.

The feedback I received from my user testing was that the second image did have a component that initially jumped out to them, however, they actually liked the first image better.  I also originally had all of the text in white, yet the feedback I received was the text was easier to read in black.




Lohr, L.L. (2008). Creating graphics for learning and performance: Lessons in visual literacy (2nd ed.). Upper Saddle River, NJ: Pearson

EDTECH 506: Week 7 - CARP

The unit of instruction I'm designing is to help new hires get to know the company and the items they need to learn and complete in their first 30 days of employment.
Our new hires range from newly graduated students to senior business professionals from all backgrounds and cultures.
This week I designed a step by step guide to take new hires through how to submit their time sheets.  This is one of the first tasks they will need to learn as they will be expected to complete this during their first week.  In designing our images we needed to take into consideration Contrast, Alignment, Repetition, and Proximity.

Contrast
To provide some contrast between the typefaces in the title and steps I used Arial Black which is a 'fat' font (Lohr, 2008, p. 201).  I used the regular Arial font for each of the step details to provide contrast between the title text and details text.  I also chose to use white text for the main title to contrast against the background teal color.  Then for the sub heading, which shows the path to the time sheets from the company intranet, I used the magenta/plum color to link in with the steps the learner will need to take.

Alignment
Each of the step details are aligned to the left for easier reading (Lohr, 2008, p. 201) and the step details and screenshot are aligned horizontally so it's clear that each step detail belongs to the corresponding screenshot.  As the learner goes through each of the slides each step and screenshot are in exactly the same place on the page.

Repetition
Each of the steps learners need to take are in the same format.  The screenshots are the same size, the areas in the screenshot are highlighted in the same way, and each of the slides have exactly the same title at the top of the page in the same colors.  This creates a sense of unity between each of the pages and helps the learner become familiar with going through the steps (Lohr, 2008, p. 203).

Proximity
In the images I've tried to keep the step details and the corresponding screenshots close enough together, yet not so close that they feel crowded.  

Using CARP elements I hope this design will provide consistency for the learner and help them to easily learn and navigate to complete their time sheet.

I went through quite a few changes during the design of these images.  I couldn't quite get the Collins Hutch logo and main title looking how I wanted as I wanted the logo to stand out a bit more.  It's still now exactly how I like, but I think this works for now.  Also I had originally had black borders around the screenshots, but the feedback I received was that it was too harsh and actually took away from the highlight boxes.  As such I changed the borders to a dark gray.  I also had the highlight boxes in my Collins Hutch orange, but the feedback I got was that didn't stand out enough.  There wasn't enough contrast.  So I changed these to red as I knew they would stand out more and draw people's eye to them.

Reference

Lohr, L.L. (2008). Creating graphics for learning and performance: Lessons in visual literacy (2nd ed.). Upper Saddle River, NJ: Pearson.

EDTECH 506: Week 6 - Design Process Model

For my unit of instruction I'm designing a program that helps new hires know what they need to complete within their first 30 days of employment.  New hires range from newly graduated students to senior business professional from all backgrounds and cultures.

The image I created this week was designed to show the main tasks each new hire needs to complete, and the recommended timing by weeks.  The aim was to make the objective of the image very clear, display the information in an organized manner, and encompass it within the context of the timeframe the new hires are meant to complete all tasks (Lohr, 2008, p. 75).

Before starting to work on my image I compiled a list of everything I wanted to include in the image (Lohr, 2008, p. 77).  Using these details I sketched two different drafts to see how the information might fit and if it made sense.  My first draft used a large circle with segments representing each week.  I was hoping it would look like a clock to reinforce the meaning of time.  However, when I tried to list the tasks to be completed in each of the segments they wouldn't fit how I wanted. It also made the image look messy and it didn't end up looking like a clock.
My second idea was to use a timeline with chevrons or arrows to show the progression of time by week.  From my sketch it was apparent this design was clearer and made more sense.  By using the arrows my aim was to show the movement from each week's tasks and guide the new hires so they know exactly what they need to complete and when.  The use of color also aligned the weeks tasks with the arrows.

I originally had the heading in black, and I also had a color border around the  outer rectangle.  However, the feedback from user testing was that the black heading looked too stark.  They also indicated the border didn't really add any meaning to the image.  As such, I changed the heading to a dark grey color, which softens it a little.  I also took out the border.




Lohr, L.L. (2008). Creating graphics for learning and performance: Lessons in visual literacy (2nd ed.). Upper Saddle, NJ:Pearson

*The company's name has been changed for this unit of instruction

EDTECH 506: Week 5 - Shapes

The unit of instruction I'm designing is to help new hires get to know the company and outline the items they need to complete within their first 30 days of employment.  Part of the unit of instruction is to familiarize new hires with the segments and lines of business of the company.

Our new hires range from newly graduated students to senior business professionals from all backgrounds and cultures.

 

This image was designed to graphically display the different segments of the company and the corresponding lines of business under those segments.  I used circles to show unity (Lohr, 2008,p. 250) and display the elements of the business and their sub-elements.  I wanted to use an image that represented life and growth so I manipulated some of the shames to form a tree trunk that each of the segments connects to.  This reinforces the sense of unity and connectedness between the segments that form the company.  I feel the tree is representative of the continual growth of the company.  As it continues to grow additional branches will be displayed.  The shape of the branches also represent the flow and direction of the segments as the larger groups and the lines of business expand out from the tree trunk (Lohr, 2008, p. 250).

I originally had the segments and lines of business in shapes that looked like leaves.  However, when I did my user test, the feedback received was the text in the shapes was not easily legible.  I also had a color key at the bottom of the image indicating which shape was a segment or line of business.  As a result I changed the title colors to mirror the colors of the segments and lines of business.

Lohr, L.L. (2008). Creating graphics for learning and performance: Lessons in visual literacy (2nd ed.). Upper Saddle, NJ:Pearson

* The company’s name has been changed for this unit of instruction  

EDTECH 506: Week 4 - Typography

Typography

My final project for EDTECH 506 is to create a new hire program that will take new hires through the activities required to be completed within their first 30 days of employment.  Unfortunately I would not be able to use this in my current company as the Marketing department have strict guidelines regarding typography.  However, I could use some of these images in classroom training programs that allow for more creativity and could be used as part of an activity.
This first image displays some of the key themes in the unit of instruction.  The top right image reinforces the 30 day timeframe with the use of a clock webding as the zero.  For this image, and two of the other images, I've used sans serif fonts as the program will be administered via a computer.  Sans serif fonts are believed to be easier to read if used on a computer screen (pg. 232).
The image on the top left represents the lines of business the employee will learn about during this instruction.  I decided on this image over the previous one as it's a bit more cryptic which hopefully will prompt the employee to engage with this image as they try to figure out the meaning.  Again I used sans serif font, and underlined the words to reinforce the lines.  
The middle image represents compliance, as employees will need to complete all of the compliance training modules within the first 30 days.  The topic of compliance can have a negative connotation associated with it so I wanted to represent this with check marks to make it a little more positive.  I did use a serif font on this as my original idea was for a stamp that read compliance.  When I looked at stamp images a lot of them use serif fonts.  I wanted to soften the message though and used the check marks to hopefully accomplish this.
The bottom image represents the segments of the business the employee will learn about in the program.  I found this the easiest image to create as word art allowed for the transformation of the word easily into the shape of a segment.  Similar to the segment of a pie chart.  Again I chose a sans serif font so the text is more legible.  Depending on feedback I might make this more cryptic and change the text to be business so it represents the business segments.

Alternate Images

I had originally  designed these images but after receiving feedback decided not to use them in my final image.  The feedback I received for the Lines of Business was that it was too obvious.  

The feedback received on the compliance image was  that it was too negative and   portrayed the image that it was  constrained between the signs on each side.    Also the font was not  easily legible.

EDTECH 506: Week 2 - Universal Design

Universal design can be defined as “creating environments accessible to as many people as possible” (Lohr, 2008).  This includes overcoming language skills, user experience and knowledge, making the instruction widely applicable to any user who may be using the design.

When looking for a business application of universal design I thought of IKEA assembly instructions for their products.  IKEA sells their products in 40 countries around the world and employs the same instructional design technique in all of their assembly instructions.  The assembly instructions employ universal design principles so regardless of whether their consumers live in Norway or Japan they can use the same set of instructions to assemble their products. 

Each set of instructions uses images of the individual components of the product and the tools required for assembly.  These provide the visual cues for end users.  At the introduction of the instructions it visually displays all the parts included in the product to provide familiarity with the parts used.  The assembly instructions then take the user through the progressive steps to assemble the product correctly by showing the image of the part and using arrows to show where they need to connect.  It also indicates visually through the use of arrows when parts need to be screwed into other parts and when certain tools need to be used.  At times when the connections are quite specific, the instruction highlights and shows in greater detail the connection point for the end user.  There is no text included other than referencing product numbers and steps in the assembly.

These instructions overcome language barriers and do not require end users to have any prior experience of assembly of their products.  All assembly instructions are available to be downloaded from their website.

The design of these instructions applies to some of the universal design principles outlined by the Center for Universal Design (CUD) at North Carolina State University.

1. Equitable use:  Assembly instructions can be accessed easily on their website and are not language specific
2. Simple and intuitive:  Through the use of graphics and images the assembly instructions are clear so any end user will be able to understand and follow the instructions.
3. Perceptible information:  The instruction highlights some areas where closer attention may be required in joining specific parts.
4. Low physical effort:  Instructions are provided on large sized paper enabling end users to easily use the images of components.

References:

Bohr, L. (2008). Creating graphics for learning and performance: lessons in visual literacy (2nd ed.). Upper Saddle River, N.J: Pearson/Merrill/Prentice Hall.

Universal Design: Process, Principles and Applications: http://www.washington.edu/doit/universal-design-process-principles-and-applications

IKEA. (n.d) In Wikipedia.  Retrieved September 3, 2015 from https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_countries_with_IKEA_stores