1. What did you learn?: I learned how to construct and deconstruct a package during the lab when designing a gum package. For the first time I also made a 3D mockup for packaging which looks very professional when it comes to doing work for future clients.
2. What was easy?: It was easy designing the box on illustrator with the texture as a pattern for the background of the box. I also enjoyed compiling my ideas in a vision board.
3. What was challenging? I chose a complex design that was challenging. I think possibly simplifying the design would create a more professional and market ready look.
4. How could your submission be improved? My submission is not perfect. I do think the that pattern I made for the dinosaur could be even better to create a seamless look and everytime I went back to the drawing board I would change something different about the design. I would also alter the opacity of the fold lines so they were less visable.
5. How could the professor improve the assignment? I think the professor could help more when it came to construction and expectations for cleanliness.
6. How might you apply your knowledge in future assignments or work scenarios?: This construction was harder than I had planned it to be so making many mockup boxes to perfect the construction was a must. For the future I would make smaller prototypes to waste less paper and ensure the mockup worked.
7. How did a specific reading or video inspire or help you? When creating my mood board on Pinterest I was inspired by fun looking tissue boxes. The Kleenex brand itself had a whale inspired box with the tissues coming out of the blowhole. I could not help but think about all of the other animals that could put a smile on kids faces when they had a cold.

What was easy?: One easy thing was the design, including the color scheme for the app. Since I was catering my app toward the SPCA of Erie County, they already have colors in their logo, and I tried to stay with a simple, easily legible font.

What was challenging?: The challenging part of this project is how in-depth it gets by the end. Each flow ends up with many noodles, which can confuse you if you do not organize your labels. Also, timing the notification part in the taskbar was challenging, but it added a nice touch to the app overall.

How could your submission be improved?: My submission could be improved by creating the app around one of the specific dogs at the SPCA. My app created a hypothetical situation, but it could be even better to get an inside look into the adoption process for the outside viewer. Since I interned at the SPCA this summer, this app would be helpful for those attending the facility.

How could the professor improve the assignment for the next class?: This was the first time using Figma to do a project like this, but the video instructions and adding delay confused everyone initially. With us working out the kinks as a class this semester, it will be more straightforward for years to come.

How might you apply your knowledge in future assignments or work scenarios?: By creating this app, I learned a lot about accessibility. Through an app that guides you through a location, I can learn about problem-solving and accessibility.

How did a specific reading or video inspire or help you?: A couple of things that inspired the creation of my app was Migi’s presentation about his class at RIT. It was great to see how they helped an individual get through the hospital and how they problem-solved specific issues they were having. Lastly, the taskbar at the bottom of each app frame was an idea brought to me by Kyra. She found the example on Dribbble, and we thought it would be an excellent way for the viewer to navigate through our apps.

Here is link to my app description: https://docs.google.com/document/d/1nrMJaANYEU7SccvwTZ2uBjdrARmBx7GHJ9zPI0MdD3w/edit?usp=sharing

Here is a link to brainstorming project topics: https://docs.google.com/document/d/1h9i2haq4rU1XyqB_rgyJ2d55M557yzgEHy3jBRSoC80/edit?usp=sharing

What was easy?:  This project was not necessarily easy, but I was comfortable with the assignment because we had already worked on the topics throughout the semester. One other easy thing was picking a topic. My dad loves everything Buffalo, and it was fun to put these together with him in mind.

What was challenging?: One challenging thing was narrowing down the topics for the four stamps. There is so much you can highlight about Buffalo, and I struggled to pick only four ideas for my stamps.

How could your submission be improved?: I am happy with my submissions, but if I were to do it again, I might be more adventurous regarding font pairings. I used more clean-looking fonts, and a handwritten-looking font would add a nice look to my stamps.

How could the professor improve the assignment for the next class?: I have yet to make any ideas at this time. I enjoyed this project. I would like to know if we can turn our work into actual stamps. 

How might you apply your knowledge in future assignments or work scenarios?: This project was an exercise in applying what we had learned throughout the semester into one project. The information I knew about font, layout, and color will be beneficial in any scenario in the future.

How did a specific reading or video inspire or help you?: What inspired me the most was researching the topics for my stamps. When looking up different ideas like Cheerios, I was inspired by the look of the cereal box. Also, when searching the 1901 Pan American Exposition, the invitations and postcards to the event helped inspire my final project.

Below I have included my “mindmap” and my project.

What did you learn?: Throughout this project, I learned how to make an easily accessible website on both a desktop and mobile device.

What was easy?: This project was somewhat simple because of our experience with the Figma program. Making a website prototype had similar steps to the app we created, but it had different navigation aspects.

What was challenging?: One challenging thing was to make it so the mobile navigation “open overlay” on the screen you were on and did not just change to the navigation screen.

How could your submission be improved?: One thing that could be improved with my website is readability. I was trying to go for a “shabby chic” farm style and color scheme, but that may have compromised the accessibility of the project.

How could the professor improve the assignment for the next class?: I currently only have ways in which the professor could improve the assignment other than it was very similar to our first project. Maybe we could work on making them accessible and not just prototypes.

How might you apply your knowledge in future assignments or work scenarios?: One of the most important things I learned about this project was the layout and how they differ in mobile and desktop versions. I will keep that in mind for readability as the mobile version is more vertically oriented, and the content should reflect that. Also, I gained an appreciation for coders because that was one of the most challenging lessons of this project.

How did a specific reading or video inspire or help you?: The most helpful resource for me when making this project was looking at other styles of websites on Dribbble and looking at local farm websites around the area to ensure my website had all of the necessary information and the specific look I wanted to achieve.

Check out my Website here

What was easy?: The part of this project that was easy was the design component. When you are following a specific color scheme, you need to make fewer choices. When wanting to add a different aspect to the composition, I stuck with the colors making either a tint or a shade on the color wheel.

What was challenging?: The easy thing could also be challenging. I love to work with color, so working with the color schemes assigned could also feel limiting. I also had a little bit of a hard time with my “arid desert” composition. I wanted to make sure it was balanced when you looked at it, but because the physical desert is sparse, I had a hard time thinking of fun things to add to it.

How could your submission be improved?: My submission could be improved by sticking with a specific style for all my frames. I am very proud of the realistic look I achieved with the “outer space” landscape, but I don’t think my other frames look as sophisticated.

How could the professor improve the assignment for the next class?: I currently do not have anything I would change.

How might you apply your knowledge in future assignments or work scenarios?: In the future, I will be more mindful of the color schemes: complementary, split-complementary, analogous, and triadic, when working on future assignments. I already love the program Coolors, but now I will know why these colors pair together. 

How did a specific reading or video inspire or help you?: I liked the “Dribble” link to Brian Edward Miller’s work. This helped me identify how color schemes are used for specific landscapes to create their true feeling and mood.

What was easy? The part of the project that was easy was the design aspect. I was introduced to the website Coolors by both Caroline and Kyra. By creating an effective color pallet and determining my fonts, I was able to set the style right away for the rest of the app.

What was challenging? Creating each component was a tedious process. From creating a “hover” or making a “checkbox,” there are multiple steps, and if there is a mistake made at all, then the “button” will not work successfully.

How could your submission be improved? Through this prototype, I would like the text fields to be able to “work.” I know this wasn’t very clear when sending the app to family and friends to try when the text boxes are hypothetical.

How could I improve the assignment for the next class? I think the “how to” video helped me when trouble shooting when my components did not work correctly. Maybe, introducing a folder with short tutorials could be helpful.

How might you apply your knowledge in future assignments or work scenarios? When approaching this assignment, we were trying to make a unique “TODO” app that would be helpful to our life. In my future work, this brainstorming process with a group could be beneficial to refining my idea and making a useful “app” or product for consumers.

How did a specific reading or video inspire or help you? What helped me the most was looking at the “TO DO” app examples provided during class. My favorite website was todoist. It has a template section that allows me to see what people like to see in an app like this. 

Check out my app here: https://www.figma.com/file/9ZolsN0S0vf9ejhbykgBOK/dma217-project-1?node-id=0%3A1