Our First Meeting – Thursday 28th February 2019
On Thursday, we met with three BA Graphic Communications students (GCS) and their tutor to introduce ourselves, the project, and the work we had carried out in Stage 1. We kicked off the session by going around the circle and talking about our past experiences in University, the creative industry and what excites us about the project. It was nice to hear the background stories of the GCS because I started my artistic career as a graphic designer in 2015. Even though I love my chosen career path as a UX designer, I can’t help but think about what could have been. They are all excited, as are we, to see what this collaboration unit holds. When my turn came, I spoke about my background as a graphic designer and that I was looking forward to welcoming a fresh perspective.
My tutor briefed the GCS on the project and locations and historical knowledge that we have learnt so far. He brought up images of the Angles Way, the brief provided by the Norfolk Broads Authority and other relevant articles on the projector to add more context. This presentation acted as a refresher for my course mates and me.
To our surprise, we were then handed centre-stage and asked to run through our presentation we prepared for The Norfolk Broads Authority. I was taken aback at first because I feared I wouldn’t remember what to say, but when we got into the swing of things, it was productive for both parties. I enjoyed delivering the presentation again, and the impromptu nature of the situation proved to myself that I know the subject extremely well. I felt very confident in my practice. When we had finished, the GCS expressed their concern in that we had already completed so much. They weren’t sure where their place in the project was. We reassured them that their presence is significant and beneficial for the visual design and branding of the project. This whole time we have been struggling to connect the app to the real world, and this is at the heart of this digital experience. Having people on board who specialise in branding and visual identity, I believe, will help to tie the whole project together.
“At every turn, we face problems that are simply too big to solve alone.” (Brause, 2017)
Now that we were all up to speed, our tutor briefed us on the schedule for the upcoming weeks.
Project schedule
- Week commencing 25.02.19 (20): Brief field trip
- Week commencing 04.03.19 (21): Functionality consolidation
- Week commencing 11.03.19 (22): Wifi test
- Week commencing 18.03.19 (23): Ecology and biodiversity meeting
- Week commencing 25.03.19 (24): Make stuff!!
- Week commencing 01.04.19 (25): On-site testing
- Easter break (3 weeks)
- Week commencing 29.04.19 (26): Present to the client
- Week commencing 06.05.19 (27): Hand-in
The dates above are general schedules for the weeks, and we agreed to dedicate Thursday mornings and all day Fridays to group work. It will be beneficial to have scheduled sessions to talk about our progression in the project.
With the field trip the next day, we needed to prepare. More importantly, the GCS had to be briefed on what to wear and bring. We ran through all the essentials, but hopefully, due to recent warm weather, it will a pleasant sunny day fit for trainers and a hoody. A warm day out would be a special treat for my course mates and I as our previous outings have been exceptionally wet, rainy and cold.
At the end of the session, I reflected on the topics discussed and felt very comfortable. I enjoyed Stage 1 of the project, so I expect Stage 2 to be just as stimulating. Being able to share ideas with another group, especially now there is an equal female presence, along with the broad range of our combined skill sets, I have every confidence that the skills we learn in this unit will benefit us throughout our whole career.
My biggest challenge will be the evolutionary prototype. This will involve hard-coding skills in HTML, CSS and JavaScript. My speciality has swayed heavily towards user research so I have put coding on the back foot. I am anxious about how I will tackle the challenge but as long as I keep calm and take one day at a time, I expect to come out with a functional prototype.
Bibliography
Brause, C. (2017). The Designer’s Field Guide to Collaboration. New York: Routledge, Taylor & Francis Group, p.9.
Field Trip – Friday 1st March 2019
Unfortunately, I can’t write a full blog post about the field trip because I was unable to attend. My car broke down the night before and due to lack of sleep and energy, I needed to rest and recuperate. I have spoken to my collaborators about their day out and have collected quotes regarding their thoughts and performed secondary research for each location.
Herringfleet Marshes
Herringfleet Marshes is in Lowestoft, Suffolk. The Norfolk Broads explain it as “an area of grass heath surrounded by bracken, low scrub and woodland.” (Broads National Park, 2018).
It is protected as part of the Environmentally Sensitive Area government scheme and is grazed by cattle regularly. This traditional method lets it keep its rugged, rural feel and is also extremely encouraging for the ecology and biodiversity of the area, particularly marsh plants and wading birds. Walkers, if they’re lucky, (or not) can also expect to find grass snakes and lizards. This site is where a lot of creatures unique to the Norfolk Broads call home, so it welcomes dogs if kept on their lead, as to not disturb natural habitats.
Across the Marshes, walkers can expect to see exquisite views of the 100-year-old Somerleyton Swing Bridge. This was an innovative piece of architecture at the time of construction and stood proud in the beautiful Suffolk countryside.
Quotes about the day:
- “There’s more than meets the eye.”
- “It’s a pretty environment where nature conveys tranquillity and calmness.”
- “I found the area beautiful. The Mill and the train track had an interesting history. However, it was not easy to get too and would be a problem for those less able.”
- “The first of the three sites we visited had the potential for a location that could be popular among families. Though the trail could most certainly be improved, both in quality and way-finding, the site itself has a strong history that would appeal to individuals looking for some form of interaction on their walk.”
- “Herringfleet marshes was one of my favourite locations we visited, although not specifically a section of Angles way it is said to be made into a circular walk by the Broads Authority. This will be great for people walking along The Angles Way or people wanting to do shorter walks along the path. History relating to the mill I found fascinating and thought the flat land was magnificent to photograph.”
St. Mary’s Church
This 13th-century church is located in the quaint Suffolk village of Ashby, near Lowestoft. My peers described it as being very secluded and set in the middle of nowhere. My efforts to find information about the church online have proved unsuccessful. I keep stumbling upon web pages created in the early 2000s that feature no relevant historical data and are poorly written and designed.
While walking through the Church, the students bumped into a group of walkers (potential users). They stopped to speak to them, explained the general gist of the project and performed some light, unplanned ethnographic research. The group consisted of four middle-aged men and women from East Anglia. Two were from Suffolk, (Lowestoft and Bury St. Edmunds) and the others Norfolk (Great Yarmouth). They were set to complete 30 miles in one day, starting their journey in Great Yarmouth and walking along the Angles Way to Bungay before taking public transport back to Great Yarmouth at the end of the day. Even though they had previous experience of the walk, they were still using Apple maps (on iPhone) and a Norfolk Broads Authority Angles Way map for guidance.
The map had POIs on so they were particularly interested in the way the app could show these along the Angles Way. As nice as it is completing a walk, it’s also great to have checkpoints to meet and a pub or historical site to look forward to. This idea has cropped up in our research before as a way of linking all of our experiences. While ideating the information architecture of the mobile app, my tutor and I had a long discussion about the placement of a POI map that incorporates a “You Are Here” symbol. The user can view their location on a map and can skip forward or backward one POI to explore their surroundings if they so wish. I wouldn’t want this feature to be too prominent, so they remain immersed in their current location, but I believe it should be a “background” option. I suggested this map appears as soon as the user scans the QR code so they can gain a better understanding of their whereabouts. My tutor didn’t agree with this and suggested we have a fourth option after the landing page (along with the three themes). I thought this might add too many options and could be an overload of information. This issue was slightly resolved in Stage 1 as a map was included in one prototype, but I would like to see this as a global navigation option in Stage 2.
Quotes about the day:
- “The shape of the church was intriguing because of the round base and octagonal top. I was also interested in the church’s World War 2 history.”
- “I felt like I had taken a journey back in time.”
- “The church at Ashby was interesting due to its circular shape and we came across a user group who were interested in the app. I felt as though the area didn’t have enough to it other than the church for it to be a major POI.”
- “I would say that the church would be a walking trail and no signage would be needed out of respect to the site as it is.”
- “Ashby St Marys was my least favourite part of the trip, although we got to speak to a potential user group the church was in the middle of nowhere and the story behind its function as a circular church tower was ambiguous and possibly not as interesting as I would have liked it to be. Despite this, the church was along the Angles way and did have good signal and many photo opportunities as well as a brief history in WWI which could be elaborated on.”
Geldeston Lock
Part of the River Waveney, The Locks Inn is situated close to Geldeston Lock in Geldeston, Beccles.
During the 16th to the 18th century, the River Waveney was a transportation highway used by merchants of coal, grain and malt. Wherries would carry products from Lowestoft and Great Yarmouth, through Geldeston Lock, to Bungay to cater for the busy malt and brewery industries. During this time, tradespeople and locals were known for causing trouble for the Norfolk and Suffolk constabulary because it acted as the border between the two counties. A local tourism company says “it was a haven for cross border smuggling and illegal prize-fighting.” (Bigdogferry.co.uk, n.d.) The Locks Inn is said to have been built in the 1560s as a mill keeper’s cottage until it changed hands to a lock keeper. It was then ‘modernised’ in 1666 and the 17th century was awarded a public house license.
Fast forward to the 1930s; it was a booming tourist chill-out spot. A pub next to a body of water in the Norfolk Broads was ideal for the typical holiday maker before the days of affordable aviation. This roaring trade ended in the 20th century but the area still brings in its fair share of customers, albeit only in the Summer. With better road access to a pub that serves beer and food, hosts live music and locals who can tell a good ghost story; The Locks Inn is still an attraction for walkers, boaters and birdwatchers alike.
Quotes about the day:
- “I was unsure of the reason for the visit other than it is the most Southerly point of the Broads. Even though it is a cool little place, I didn’t find it particularly interesting for this project.”
- “A location rich with history.”
- “In Geldeston as a design student, I found the signage awful! It had comic sans as well as the layout being overcrowded with too much info. The actual area was so quiet and beautiful by the water I felt this has a lot of potential within the app and walk.”
- “This site was more off of the beaten path, so to speak, and would appeal to those looking for privacy and tranquillity along their walk. This above all other sites we visited would be the best for those hoping to use walking for personal well-being and inspiration of the senses.”
- “Geldeston Lock provided great potential for tranquillity, the walk was quite secluded and possibly not assessable for all but the scenery was beautiful and you could physically imagine how it changes through the seasons with the boating location being busy over the summer and the pub coming to life towards the end of spring. Not many artefacts were visible but the location had a real sense of serenity and peacefulness allowing us to fully immerse in the ‘Escape to Explore’ scenario the UX students had visualised.”
Reflection
I’m annoyed that I couldn’t make it out on Friday because it sounded like I could have benefited from meeting the walkers. It would have been great to have a day with the GCS as well, but due to planned regular meetings, I don’t see this being a problem.
In terms of app ideas and development, I find it difficult to envision any significant improvements at such an early stage. Hopefully, when the GCS are all caught up and present their findings to us, we will be able to have a more unobstructed view of the future of Stage 2.
Bibliography
Broads National Park. (2018). Herringfleet Hills Walk. [online] Available at: http://www.visitthebroads.co.uk/things-to-do/walking-and-cycling/walking/product-detail?listing=3&key=704981 [Accessed 5 Mar. 2019].
Bigdogferry.co.uk. (n.d.). The Locks Inn. [online] Available at: http://www.bigdogferry.co.uk/the-locks-inn.html [Accessed 6 Mar. 2019].