Liana Gemmiti’s Blog

Learning Portfolio Item One

Question One

• Design………………………………………….Design is “the act of of working out the  form of something” (wordnet.princeton.edu/perl/webwn). It can be said to be the decoration on the cake, however it is really the foundation of any webpage, document or powerpoint presentation. According to Reynolds (2003), “the best designs are so well donethat the desin is never even noticed. The way in which one designs is based upon the topic, objectives, key messages and audience (Reynolds, 2003)

• Story……………………………………………………………Storytelling according to cognitive scientist Mark Turner is “narrative imagining” a key instrument of thought.
• People are “wired” to tell and receive stories. (Reynolds, 2003)
• Storytelling became synonymous with fiction but can also be based on real events
• Presenting learning material in narrative form can make learning  illuminating, engaging and memorable.

• Symphony………………………………………………………………………..”in the ‘conceptual age’ synthesis and the ability to use seemingly unrelated pieces to form and articulate the big pictureis crucial even a differentiator” (Reynolds, 2003).
• The best presenters can illuminate the relationships that we may not have seen before such as the “relationships between relationships”.
• Symphony requires that we become better at seeing-truly seeing in a new way.
• Symphony requires people to recognise patterns and be skilled at seeing nuances and simplicity. (Reynolds 2003)
• Symphony is about utilizing “the whole mind-logic analysis and synthesis, to make sense of our world” (Reynolds, 2003)

• Empathy……………………………………………is about putting yourself in the position of others.
• It involves an understanding of nonverbal cues of others and your own
• Good designers put themselves in the position of the user, customer or audience
• The empathetic presenter can make adjustments based on higher reading of the audience.

•    Play………………………………………………..the conceptual age is about play
• Playfulness and humour can go along way toward makinng a presentation more palatable
• According to Kataria, laughing people are more creative people. They are more productive people (cited in Reynolds, 2003)

• Meaning……………………………………………making a presentation is an oppertunity to make a small difference to the world or community.
• Sharing your expertise your story with others, connecting with someone by teaching something new or sharing that which is important to you with others can be rewarding.

“Design is a visual language that is built on fundamental principles and elements” (Evans and Thomas, 2008, p.1). Powerpoint presentation design is an important aspect of any presentation. It is the foundation from which the presentation is built upon. Presentation design determines how effective one’s powerpoint presentation is. From colour to shape to graphics, design plays an important part in emphasising the meaning, messages, objectives and topics to your target audience. When designing an effective presentation it is  important to outline a few aspects.” state the main message of yyour presentation, list the objectives you hope to acheive via the presentation and describe audience characteristics thatcmay influence the presentation” (McGraw, 1992, Appendices A) It is also important to consider, template or grid application, typography and graphic elements and special techniques such as bullet points and space utilization. Incorporating effective design technique can yield effective powerpoint presentations.

References:

Reynolds, G. (2008) Presentations in “The Conceptual Age”. In Presentation Zen: Simple Ideas on Presentation Design and Delivery Berkeley, CA: New Riders. pp. 14-19

McGraw, K.L. (1992)Creating Desktop Presentations that work. New Jersey USA Prentice Hall. Appendices A

wordnet.princeton.edu/perl/webwn

Learning Portfolio Item One

Question Two

My assigment 2 powerpoint presentation met two to three of the six aptitudes. For example design is met through the application of visual design element of colour, repetition through the utilization of rectangles and typography for headings and body texts, graphics ,in terms of pictures of fruits and vegetables matched text and convey  the message of healthy eating and heirarchy -title at the top of the slide, then body text and pictures.

The presentation tells a story with an introduction, maqin body points and conclusion. It introduces the audience to healthy eating, then explains why healthy eating is important, what are the benefits of healthy eating and provides some tips for improving one’s diet and exercise regieme before restating the main points of the presentation.

 the presentation did not address the aptitude of symphony as it was a simple matter whose relationships i.e. exercise, diet and preservation of health are simple relatonships.  When designing for a specific audience the designer when designing powerpoint presentation the designer puts themselves in the position of the audience. For example designers may utilize the audience point of view to determine the number of dot points per slide, the length of the presentation and the number of graphics utilized in one slide.

The concept of Playwas addressed in the phrase “Summer is a great time to get fruity”. It adds a touch of humour to the presentation. The message or meaning of healthy eating was adequately portrayed by the text and graphics. The messages conveyed in the presentation give greater meaning to the powerpoint presentation.

Learning Portfolio Item Two (Activity)

 A new slide theme design was applied to make the powerpoint more interesting and visually appealing. The summer theme matches the content of the powerpoint presentation.

This nokia mobile phone meets the aesthetic-usability effect principle

Learning Portfolio Item One Question 2 and Learning Portfolio Item 2 (Activity)

Aesthetic- Usability Effect

Product 1: The Ferrari

The Ferrari meets the aesthetic-usability effect principle as its sleek, sporty design entices the audience to think that it is a fast car with superior handling and gets you from point A to point B more easily than ordinary car such as a Voltzwagon. The aesthetically pleasing design of a Ferrari means people form relationships with the car even giving it a name (Lidwell, et al., 2003, p.18). The design of a car is important in the relationship that the consumer has with the product and the relationship other people have with the consumer in relation to owning the product.

Ferrari meets the aesthetic-usability effect principle

This digital camera meets the aesthetic-usability effect principle

Mobile phones such as this Nokia mobile phone meets the aesthetic-usability effect principle. “Aesthetic elements such as colour covers and customizable rings… create a positive relationship” with the consumer.(Lidwell, et al., 2003, p.18) This makes mobile phones more than a device but also a device which makes a personal statement, an extension of the individuals personal effects. Mobile phones  can become trendy making them seem easier to use and carrying ability more tolerable.

 

 

Week 10 Learning Portfolio Item

Question One

Aesthetic-usability effect is a phenomenon which  has been around since technology progressed. “The aesthetic usability effect describes a phenomenon in which people perceive more-aesthetic designs as easier to use than less aesthetic designs.” (Lidwell et al., 2003, p.18) For example some mobile phones or cameras are perceived to be easier to use based upon their aesthetically pleasing designs.

Aesthetic designs are perceived by people to be easier to use and have a higher probability of being used as opposed to design which are not aesthetically pleasing in design. Although the usability and design fults may be the same between aesthetic designs and non-aesthetic designs, people develop a more positive relationship with those products which are more aesthetically pleasing than those which are not. This may make people more tolerant of design faults and influence long-term interactions regarding quality and use. “Positive relationships between a person and a design results in an interaction that helps to catalyze creative thinking and problem solving.” (Lidwell, et al., 2003, p. 18)

References

Lidwell, W., Holden, K., & Butler, J. (2003). Aeshtetic-Usability Effect. In Universal Principles of Design. Massachusetts: Rockport. pp.18-19