Doubling your reading speed with a nifty design trick

Speed reading for dummies, thanks to a pretty neat design trick, proving that everything is a design problem.

As long as you view reading at the pace of a normal human being a problem.

A popular argument in the privacy debate

For the most part, my peers give a resounding, "We don't care!" in response to the ongoing internet privacy debate. Kevin Kelly argues that this is because our "human impulse" to share trumps our need for privacy. While the term "human impulse" bothers me (sounds a bit biological, doesn't it?), I consider myself in his boat. It's like over-sharing on a first date because it's been forever since you've had dinner with another human being, or standing in line for hours for the chance to embarrass yourself on live TV. It seems like people in my generation, and maybe, as Kelly argues, people in general, are just that desperate to feel heard.

Read the article here

Making a better banner ad

Over the next few years, I'm sure I'll be asked to produce many banner ads, and I'll do my best to create something fun out of them. 

After being introduced to edge animate in class, I look forward to bringing motion media into the equation. Here are a few fun examples of banner ads that do just that. 

 http://mashable.com/2012/05/28/10-insanely-clickable-banner-ads/#gallery/10-amazing-banner-ads/50bde059b589e45272000355

User Experience Predictions for 2014

http://uxmag.com/articles/the-top-ux-predictions-for-2014

UX Magazine released a few predictions for user experience trends in 2014

Mostly, they point out that it's smarter and smarter for designers to learn how to code. A rising trend that almost no students at SCAD want to hear. I'd love to master coding (as laughable as that might seem this quarter) but I'm a big fan of focus. I'd like to refine my design instincts before diving into code academy. I feel confident that with the resources out there, my education can continue after I get that glorious and expensive piece of B.F.A paper.

They also point out that business majors are going to want to focus on "customer service," that is, user experience. Most of the article seems to point out that user experience is extremely important and should be the focus of every design. I don't disagree.

Augmented Reality

http://www.digitaltonto.com/2009/incredible-world-augmneted-reality/

Augmented reality seems like it's sticking around the advertising world. The trick, of course, is how to make it useful. Most seem to use it incorrectly. How many people are going to wave their phone in front of the Shrek 6 poster to watch a character do a dance. It can, however, be very useful.

One of my favorite applications for augmented reality is for blinds.com. Their augmented reality app allows the user to virtually dress their own windows with different products. Simple, but affective.

https://itunes.apple.com/us/app/the-window-shopper-by-blinds.com/id470026177?mt=8

Parallax scrolling and storytelling

It's been around since 2011, but Parallax scrolling is going to stick around as long as the design serves the campaign's story. It would be nice to learn more about Parallax scrolling in class. 

Here's a great example, the making of Life of Pi: 

http://journey.lifeofpimovie.com/

Responsive Design Trends

http://zurb.com/article/1292/what-s-ahead-in-2014-for-responsive-web-d

Responsive Design Trends

Utilizing design tools like hamburger nav icons and off canvas panals can hlep optimize content for mobile designs. Definitions for design templates (tablet, phone, computer screen) will fall apart soon with the rise of google watches, glasses, and other devices.