Tuesday, November 15, 2016

OUGD504 - Studio Brief 02 - Interface Brief Options

In order to select an interface and write a subsequent brief, a problem first had to be identified. This problem could be a complicated system within a particular service, the miscommunication between a company and a customer, or the lack of a particular service entirely.


111 Service

Drawing from personal experience, a significant problem that exists within the emergency service is the outdated 111 non-emergency service. The NHS encourage individuals to use the service when seeking medical advice or guidance in non-emergency, non-life threatening situation. However, the workers at the call centre are not always medically trained and use a standardised series of questions to gather information and produce a generic response. More often than not the outcome is to go to A&E, which can waste the time of medical professionals and take up valuable resources. This service could be made more efficient by removing the need to call the service in order to access the evaluative questions. An interface such as a mobile app would provide the user with the same information at a much faster speed and whenever was necessary, reducing the need to use the limited resources of the NHS.


NEST Magazine Website

Working as Editorial Officer within the college has brought to light an issue that is often present in printed media. A printed magazine often loses a large section of it's audience if it does not diversify into digital and social media. Leeds College of Art's student magazine currently only exists in a printed format, but the aim of the magazine is to provide a platform to support students in their development towards a professional career. One of the most effective ways for students to network with industry professionals now is through the internet, therefore the student magazine should also incorporate these digital platforms in order to provide the best opportunities for young creatives. The magazine could expand into a responsive website featuring archived issues and alongside fully utilising all relevant social media channels.


ATM's

ATM machines are a universal service for customers to withdraw money from their bank in a multitude of locations across the world. The majority of ATM machines are branded to match the banks they are situated near, using a specific interface design in keeping with the bank's brand. However, some which are located in local corner shops or on high streets away from recognisable banks use a variety of miscellaneous interface designs, utilising irregular branding, mismatching typefaces. Often, the information displayed on screen does not correspond to the buttons on the machine and the colour schemes are not appropriate for use on an interface which is situated outside and in direct sunlight. This problem could be solved with a unifying interface design for all ATM machines run by the Bank of England, using a professional and neutral design to enhance user experience and aid the use of the service.



After presenting these initial ideas in a group peer critique it was concluded that the 111 non-emergency service would be an appropriate response to the brief as it is a genuine real-world problem that affects thousands of people.