Artist Model & Inspiration

Artist Model - Ray Harryhouse n
An American visual effects creator, writer and producer. He created a brand of stop-motion model animation known as 'Dynamation.'

I really like how his animations served as the "special effects" of his time. He also mastered movement and smoothness in his animations very well. I really like the aesthetic and colours he used (natural as to be believable.) Harruhousen also used realistic miniture models. Although my models won't be realistic as such they will be miniature and create very life like movements as to fool you that they are real.




Fantastic Mr Fox by Wes Anderson.
Artist Model - Wes Anderson
This animation consists mainly of stop motion. I really like the lighting and the way that the characters are animated in this. It's very smooth and life like. The fox's having real hair really gives them a more life like feel (as opposed to just using clay to make them.) The cinematography in this film is really amazing as it doesn't let the fact that it's a stop motion hold it back from getting all angles possible. I will definitely try to emulate angles and lighting used in this film in my own stop motion.

Examples of Icons

I have been thinking about the icons that I will use. They must be easy to understand for the user as their function is to serve as a type of short cut. Icons that are already known would be ideal to use. I can modify them to suit the style and aesthetic of my interface. 

I like how big and easy to read these are. I especially like the maps and places icon as they are commonly known to represent these things. I also like how the words of what they mean are included underneath the icon, so there is no time wasted trying to figure it out. The idea is that it should be quick and simple to use.

Commonly known icons. Such as the rubbish bin meaning to delete something and the top right hand corner icon is always known as meaning change the settings.

Some more very simple icons. I like the X one and the magnifying glass. That would be a useful one as people will want to search for destinations. 

The plus and minus magnifying glasses ones will be helpful for zooming in and out of the map. The arrows meaning go back one and go forward one will also be useful to go back a step if a mistake has been been or the user changes their mind about the location they have searched or route they have chosen. 

Very aesthetically pleasing due to colours and simple, plain white background. I may consider a white background for my interface rather than a black one which can seem more claustrophobic and busy. All these icons are commonly known and recognized by people so the user has no need to memorize any new icons, symbols or buttons. The refresh button here may be a good one to include (bottom left.) 

Navigation that I like

This is the navigation from waze.com. I really like the bright colours and use of the icons. This makes it very user friendly and would help with the game aesthetic that I want to create. Although, perhaps still a little bit overwhelming and could be made more simpler. I think that the colored road among the light grey makes it much easier to navigate the route in which you want to take. 

I like the idea of having an alarm type thing set into your cell phone as shown on the right hand screen. Maybe saying it's time for class and at the time you should start heading to class the map pops up onto the cell phone screen. I also just had another idea inspired by this! Each route could have an estimated time it takes to reach the location point, so students can time themselves carefully as to when to start heading to their next class.

This has split screen which I like. With 2d and 3d. Although this may get a bit busy. Might be best to keep it simple. I also like the colored line of the route. 

I like the colored line of the route to take. 

A nice, fun looking interface. Colours and large letters are very effective. I like how this tells you how much time you've saved by taking a particular route. I also like the icons. Nice, big and simple to read.

Another example of a split screen with 2d and 3d interface for navigation. Maybe not the best idea for the interface I want to design but can be explored. 

Mind Map

Made from: http://www.mindomo.com

List of all my ideas and thoughts at this stage of the development and research.

Waze Navigation

From: www.waze.com
What I love about this app is that it is set out like a game. It's a "social" game where you can see other Waze users on the road and earn points by hitting landmarks.http://gizmodo.com/5656790/the-best-navigation-apps

I think that this is a pretty cool aspect and would like to include this type of idea in the app I create. Perhaps students could earn points as they get to their destination and pick up other "points/coins" along the path on the navigation system. Then maybe they can share their results on facebook and compete with others to earn the most points. This would add an addictive type element to the interface. It would also make the application a lot more appealing to first years who will be the target market for an app such as this.

Research Navigation Systems

Some Screen Shots I took from the website : http://www.google.com/mobile/navigation/

"Google Maps Navigation (Beta)

Google Maps Navigation is an internet-connected GPS navigation system with voice guidance. "

Features I like about this navigation system: 

• Search bar - Search for a type of place you want to find on campus. For example, at ATM machine or cafeteria. 
• Search along route - Search for a type of place you want to find on campus along a certain route. For example, a cafeteria in the Kirk building.
• Walking navigation -  Get voice-guided navigation for walking directions. Device vibrates for turn notifications.
• Offline Reliability - Get continuous guidance and automatic rerouting, even if you lose your network connection after you’ve begun a route.
• Shortcuts - A list of Icons making it easier to find the option you want.
• Birds Eye View - When viewing the map.
• Alternative routes - showing the different ways you could walk
• Popular searches - showing the most popular searched for destinations at Kelburn.