dma217 – Alex Rozbicki Digital Media Arts

DMA217 – Project 3 – Augmented Reality

rozbicka — Sun, 11 Dec 2022 23:16:24 +0000

What did you learn? I learned how to use Figma’s design & prototyping tools to create an augmented reality app which combines traditional video footage and design features with the real, outside world by manipulating the timing in which designs pop up on the screen and how they can be interacted with. We learned how these elements are applied to games like Pokemon Go and to hospital apps.

What was easy? Working with the video was probably the easiest since I have a lot of experiecne from ther courses working with Adobe Premier Pro. Although, it was a very time-consuming process.

What was challenging? Getting my videos to work in Figma by cutting down the size and working with the prototype tools took me a while to get used to. Also, I changed my idea a bit from the start and I did not really have a solid idea of how I wanted each flow to work going into the project. I kind of just figured it out as I progressed. The videos were not hard to do, but they took me forever since it was my first time working with sprite animation. I had a hard time finding free-to-use sprites for each animal and I’m not a expert with animating it. I did it becuase I wanted my app to look nice, so I didn’t just want to have every element just fade in because that would be lazy and would not look good. I challeneged myself but I am happy with the results.

How could your submission be improved? Time was the biggest factor holding me back in this project. I had to balance this massive project with final projects for other courses and final exams. If I had more time, I’m sure I would have some better ideas and the design choices would be a bit better. For example, I used picture slideshows for flows 4, 5, and 6, but I did not have many better ideas and I was racing against the clock due to other things I had to get done. However, I think I applied my skills well in this app and I am proud of the work I did since it was not easy and every piece was very time-consuming. I did not expect this project to be so complex but I am happy with it overall.

How might you apply your knowledge in future assignments or work scenarios? I understand Figma prototyping much more clearly now and I am much more confident in my skills. This will definitely be useful in the future if I ever decide to design an app, which I have thought about before. Not only that, now my design skills have improved. Before taking DMA217, I was still unsure of my Figma design skills and I barely knew how to use the prototyping tools effectively, but now that I am at the end of the course, I know a lot about app prototyping and I have created an awesome and creative app prototype that works.

https://www.figma.com/proto/44IeNGNf1UJ2jpD9EUbtE5/project3_rozbicka_DMA217?node-id=27%3A32&scaling=scale-down&page-id=0%3A1&starting-point-node-id=27%3A32

DMA217 – Project 2 – Web Design

rozbicka — Tue, 01 Nov 2022 19:01:29 +0000

What did you learn? I learned how to design a mobile and desktop website prototype in Figma. My design skills were tested as I constructed the elements of the site as well as the layout of the content. I learned how to set up the nav systems for each site type and link the site elements together to get the prototype to function.

What was easy? Building the nav systems and setting up the components as well as the design choices for the site and addition of the content was not very hard. Basically, it was not too hard to build the parts of the site, it was a bit difficult to get it to function properly in the prototype.

What was challenging? Linking the nav links properly to each tab of the mobile and desktop sites took some time to perfect. I was struggling with getting my headings to function properly in the prototype because I was originally linking everything from the master frames, something I should not have done for every single component. Not that the other parts were really hard, it just took some time to get used to since the capabilities of the prototype are complex.

How could your submission be improved? I probably could have added a hover and pressed variant for the mobile site headings, but I felt like it was not as necessary there as the desktop version and I forgot about it until the end of the project so I did not want to accidentally mess up my prototype. My desktop portfolio tab looks a bit sloppy because I added a lot of content to it so maybe I could have made it look better, but like I said before, I did not want to accidentally mess up my prototype by changing something at the end that is not much of an issue to begin with. Also, maybe the light blue I used combined with the large headings and GIFs make my sites look a little unprofessional, but I personally think they added a little personality to the sites.

How might you apply your knowledge in future assignments or work scenarios? Building prototypes in Figma so far has been fascinating to me and it is something I see myself messing with a bit in my free time. Being a DMA student, having a strong portfolio is crucial, so if this knowledge could lead me to taking my already made portfolio from Adobe Portfolio and turning it into its own site created by me, this could impress employers or open new opportunities for me in the job field. My understanding of Figma is being increased by these projects, so I look forward to creating in the site in the future without coming across as many technical issues. Overall, a slightly challenging but a fun project this was.

https://www.figma.com/file/kyq2HpbXkm51niGJFRUHG2/DMA217-project-2-starter-(Copy)?node-id=0%3A1

DMA217 Project 1 – ToDo App

rozbicka — Tue, 27 Sep 2022 06:49:46 +0000

What did you learn? I learned how to create an app prototype in Figma. I enjoyed this because I was already used to the design side of Figma, but now I got to see a whole new side of it, prototyping. I learned how to link buttons to different tabs and I learned how to better create and use components & variants.
What was easy? Coming up with the idea for my TODO app was easy since I pretty much stuck with the idea the whole way through. Since my app, MindJog, is brain/intelligence themed, I knew from the beginning it would be good to use a pink/red/purple brain-like color scheme. Creating the design was not nearly as challenging as workking with connecting the noodles in the prototyping phase.
What was challenging? Staying organized and making sure every single button, icon, etc. connected to the correct thing. My Figma started getting all over the place full of frames and the noodles were becoming harder to control as the page got more full. Coming up with good ideas to differentiate my app from others was hard too as was creating the logo since I didn’t have many original ideas.
How could your submission be improved? I could have spent more time choosing the designs, like the fonts, colors, layout, etc. but there was so much stuff in my Figma I was easily becoming overwhlmed so I focused a bit more on the prototyping rather than how the design looked. However, I don’t recommend not fixing the design when possible.
How could I improve the assignment for the next class? It took me a while to understand components and variants, so it maybe working on that a bit more in class would have been good. Also, although the guidelines were mostly straighforward, I was a little unsure of whether or not I had enough content in my app to get a good grade at the end. Overall, I could sense some of my classmates & I were a bit overwhelmed and stressed since what we learned from this project is very different than typical DMA design work, so maybe allow for more time for the project to be completed next time.
How might you apply your knowledge in future assignments or work scenarios? I can definitely see myself creating another app prototype in the future. It is actually really cool and I keep trying to think of ideas in my head for potential apps that are original. I may try this again sometime soon as it would be something useful to add to my portfolio as a backup.
How did a specific reading or video inspire or help you? Refer to a specific reading or link for this; do not reference a class video or lecture. I had to research a bit some brain exercises, games, tips, etc. to make my app come alive and so that I would know for certain the info on my app was correct. It helped me draw inspiration for my project and reassured me that just a little research goes a long way into making something better.

https://www.figma.com/proto/axmcf0Ne7dHcKkvWwQrnTm/dma217-project-1?node-id=2%3A26&scaling=scale-down&page-id=0%3A1&starting-point-node-id=2%3A26