Week 13

Q1) The internet is an amazing source of information, many resources can be gained from this one source as of all the millions of websites. Websites are updated and changed constantly as of the inevitability of changing information. The only problem with this is that not all sources of website are reliable as anyone who has access to the internet can display any information if they want to. “Credibility can be defined as believability” as stated by Fogg (2003. p. 122) in the reading. Credibility refers to how trustworthy and reliable the information in a website is. Credibility has four types of web credibilty;

 

• Presumed: based of general assumptions in the users mind e.g. a domain name that ends with ‘org’.
• Reputed: based of third party endorsements, reports or referrals e.g. a site that won award for PC Magazine
• Surface: based on simple inspection, first impressions e.g. a site that looks professionally designed
• Earned: based on first hand experience that extends over time e.g. a site that has consistently provided accurate information over the past year

There are some search engines out there that have credited sources such as Google Scholar, so you know when citing/referencing this text its reliable. As nearly everyone in Australia is using the internet and referencing it, however there are not to many free paying sites like Google Scholar to use and know it credible so we have to know how to tell what is a reliable source. 

The internet is used for many different and varying purposes such as lawyers, doctors and any of the public. The swine flu is a key example of this as everyone is trying to find the most up to date and informative information regarding this virus. I can even say that personally my own father has been looking it up on the internet as he saw on the television that there where tablets that you could take. 

Being a student it is probably one of the most important things to have credible sources as everything we look at and read has been made by someone or something and has a reference. With that being said we have to be careful on know what is a reliable source as I do not want to remember something I read about Picasso and then look at his paintings to then later down the track find out it was not really a true source just something someone made up. Using an unreliable source is not going to help you with an assignment or test as if the site is wrong and you re-literate what you read on that site then your answer will most probably be wrong. 

Q2) “Reliable sources are credible published materials with a reliable publication process; their authors are generally regarded as trustworthy or authoritative in relation to the subject at hand. How reliable a source is depends on context. As a rule of thumb, the more people engaged in checking facts, analyzing legal issues, and scrutinizing the writing, the more reliable the publication”. (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wikipedia:Reliable_sources).When it comes to pop culture or sports it is easy to find an unlimited amount of sources, however, when it comes to researching journals and sources for something more advanced such as topics in your university course resources diminish.Wikipedia is not an acceptable reliable source for an assignment as it is a free encyclopedia so everything that has been added could be for anything from any source, also anyone can add what they like to the site such as there is Angelina Jolie the famous actress, but you could add something about you friend with the same name around the corner. This means you could be citing information about two different Jolie’s. Wikipedia is a good starting point though as when typing a topic into a search engine usually wikipedia is the first thing to be on the list. It helps with moving from one step to the next.

Q3)

Due to the fact that the legitimacy of a web address cannot be guaranteed the following issues could arise in people’s minds when browsing web addresses:

• Is the identity of the person/group/organisation behind the web address true and credible?
• Unscrupulous people may use the identity of credible organisations to set up web addresses for their own purposes. 
• Web addresses may be used by criminals and fraudsters to gain money or services from people.
• Web addresses could be used to promote a product or service which is not credible
• Web addresses can be used to promote false information that can be harmful to people e.g. a miracle cure for cancer which has not been test or scientifically proven. 

Activities 

A1) 

 

Presumed

This website is presumed as it is any domain that ends with “.org”. This website is credible due to it’s references, being owned by its own organization and the information should be up to date as it was last updated January 19th 2009.

Reputed

As site that won an award for PC Magazine. This website is the PC Magazine website  so it has all the awards written on it and references. 

 

Surface

Site that looks professionally done. Nike is a sporting company that distributes its merchandise all over the world, but this site is more reputable as it have been designed purely for Australia. 

Earned

Site that has provided accurate information over the year.  ABC cover all basis’s of the news from weather, sport, radio, television, health, science and international etc. All of these articles have reputable sources with the names and date of publication attached. 

A2)

Myself as a caricature

 

Road Sign

 

Assignment 2- Front Cover

References for Assignment 2

Assignment 3 is shown above in learning portfolios questions with power point assignment version I have handed in and the new version i had to do for the week 13 question.

 

 

 

References;

1.Fogg, B. J. (2003). Credibility and the World Wide Web. In Persuasive Technology: Using Computers  to Change What We Think and Do (pp. 122‐125). Amsterdam: Morgan Kaufmann Publishers.  

  

2.Fogg, B. J. (2003). Credibility and the World Wide Web. In Persuasive Technology: Using Computers  to Change What We Think and Do (pp. 147‐181). Amsterdam: Morgan Kaufmann Publishers.  

 

3. Weber, J. (January 19, 2009). Taming Opening Office.org. From; http://www.taming-openoffice-org.com/newsite/

 

4. … (2006). Nike. From; http://www.nike.com.au/g1/au/index.asp

 

5. … (n.d.). PC Mag.com. Ziff Davis Media. From; http://www.pcmag.com/

 

6. (different authors for different sections of articles e.g. sport, current news, global news..), (same as the date as of when the article was published.). ABC. From; http://www.abc.net.au/ 

 

7. … (July, 2007). Stanford Web Credibility Service. Stanford University, Stanford. From; http://credibility.stanford.edu/

Week 12

Performance Load

Q1)”Performance load is the degree of mental and physical activity required to achieve a goal”. (pp. 148). If the performance load is high then time and errors will increase, which means the probability of successfully accomplishing something the goal decreases.If it is low it is the exact opposite as of time and errors decrease and goal’s increase. 

There are two types of performance loads; cognitive load and kinematic load.

Cognitive load

Is all about the mental activity required to accomplish a goal this can be done through perception, memory or problem solving.”The structure of human cognitive architecture, while not known precisely, is discernible through the results of experimental research. Recognizing George Miller’s (producer) research showing that short term memory is limited in the number of elements it can contain simultaneously, Sweller builds a theory that treats schemas, or combinations of elements, as the cognitive structures that make up an individual’s knowledge base”. (Sweller, 1988) An example of this is early computing systems and having to remember numerous amounts of information. Over time computers have improved vastly and people do not have to rely on the cognitive skills as much as of the commands in menus. 

Kinematic load

Is the physical activity of the number of steps, movements or amount of force to complete a goal. This being said an example of this would be the telegraph as it allowed people to communicate. It was made through a serious of taps on a mechanical armature. As of the task it was a kinematic load. Morse code was then invented by Samuel Morse which reduced the load of kinematic as of the physical effort. This can be done through reducing the number of steps to complete a task, minimizing range of motion and travel distances and automating repetitive tasks.

A design should reduced the kinematic and cognitive load as much as possible for the reasons stated above. 

Q2) Chunking

Another aspect of cognitive load theory is how much information can be retained in our short term memory.  Chunking refers to a strategy for making more efficient use of short-term memory by recoding information. Herbert Simon (American phycologist) used the term ‘chunk’ to indicate and obtain long term memory structures. It is very useful for communicative purposes. An example of this can be phone numbers that are seven digits as the theory is that most people can only retain seven “chunks” of information in their short term memory. 

Q3) I do think it is necessary to have a background in phycology to come forward with the idea of performance load as it is all based on the cognitive load; capacity of what a human brain can remember and obtain and the kinematic load; the physical activity. Without having a phycologist who knows the field of what a human brain function like we would really just be ’stabbing in the dark’ as they say, as most people have no understanding behind they way the brain works. Phycologist would know what visually stimulates us; colours, shapes and styles. They have studied what people are like e.g. cognitive and kinematic.  

Activity

Image One

iPhone

The iPhone is communication device through phone calls, e-mail, messaging and the world wide web. Having just one device makes it so much easier through all of the kinematic tasks; number of steps to complete a task, minimizing range of motion and travel distances and automating repetitive tasks. With the cognitive load it also works as there is only one device to memorize. 

Image 2

 

tomtom

 

A tomtom is a navigational device used in a car to help with road directions. It makes it quicker and easier for people to know where to travel to and from and all you need to know is the address to where you are heading and it will do the rest. 

Image 3 

 

Apple-Laptop

A laptop is very versatile as you can take it where ever you want to go as it is not stuck down on a table like a computer would be. With being able to internet you can use e-mail, chat lines (facebook, twitter..) or search for anything and means a lot of tasks can be achieved from the one laptop. 

References;

1.Lidwell, W., Holden, K., & Butler, J. (2003). Performance Load. In Universal Principles of Design (pp. 148-149). Massachusetts: Rockport.

2.Sweller, J., Cognitive load during problem solving: Effects on learning, Cognitive Science, 12, 257-285 (1988).

3.Sweller, J., Instructional Design in Technical Areas, (Camberwell, Victoria, Australia: Australian Council for Educational Research (1999). From; http://tip.psychology.org/sweller.html

4. … (May 29, 2009). George Miller (II). From;http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0004306/news

5. The Concise Roget’s Thesaurus. (1986) Melbourne: Budget Books

6. …(May 20, 2009). Cognitive Load. From; http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cognitive_load

7. Simon, H. (n.d.). Herbert A Simon; Autobiography. From; http://nobelprize.org/nobel_prizes/economics/laureates/1978/simon-autobio.html

Images

1. http://blogs.mercurynews.com/vindu/wp-content/photos/iPhone.jpg

2. http://www.pc-outfitters.com/catalog/images/tomtom.jpg

3. http://lighthousemarketingsystem.com/WIRED/Apple-Laptop.jpg

Week 11

Presentation in “The Conceptual Age”

Q1)”Until recently, the abilities that led to success in school, work, and business were characteristic of the left hemisphere. They were the sorts of linear, logical, analytical talents measured by SATs and deployed by CPAs. Today, those capabilities are still necessary. But they’re no longer sufficient. In a world upended by outsourcing, deluged with data, and choked with choices, the abilities that matter most are now closer in spirit to the specialties of the right hemisphere – artistry, empathy, seeing the big picture, and pursuing the transcendent.”(Funch, http://ming.tv/flemming2.php/__show_article/_a000010-001474.htm)

A whole new mind (River-trade) written by Daniel Pink in 2006 is what to be said of the ‘Presentation Zen approach’ or ‘The Conceptual Age’, “where in today’s world the future belongs to a different type of person,designers inventors, teachers, storytellers…” (Reynolds, pp14). These people use the right side of the brain who are the creative and empathetic thinkers. The novel conveys an accurate and vivid account of threats and opportunities facing professionals today. He believes we are living in a different era and age and people who think different will be valued more then ever before. We are valuing ‘his concept’  and “high touch” which involves the capacity to create something from the right side of your brain such as artistic and emotional beauty. 

The “Informational Age” according to Pink use to be important which did use the left side of your brain, but is not as important as the right side is now (conceptual age). Although you do still need the left side of your brain as it has to do with reasoning and judgement and the right side alone would not be enough. A healthy person use both hemispheres, even for simple tasks. 

“six senses” or six “right-brain directed aptitudes” are what is needed to be successful in our independent world says Pink.

Design

• design=decoration
• best designs never noticed consciously by observer 
• consider topic, objectives, key messages and audiences

Story

• facts, information, data-sent through e-mail or mail
• true stories-most effective
• born story tellers and listeners 
• used for: teaching, sharing, illuminating or persuasion 

Symphony

• requires as to be better at seeing in a new way
• making sense of the world
• simplifying a complex problem
• determining what is important and what’s not
• deciding what matters and letting the rest go

Empathy

• is emotional
• putting yourself into the position of others
• importance of nonverbal cues-yours and others
• good designers-put themselves in position of user,customer or audience
• knows if audience ‘get it’ or not and makes adjustments

Play

• humor-laughter
• laughing people=creative people

Meaning

• presentation=small difference in the world
• bad presentation=devastating impact on spirit and/or career 
• good presentation=extremely fulfilling audience and you
• born for meaning
• power point-done to death

Q2) My power point was based on Childhood Obesity and fast food.

Design: i did think about the layout of my design when making the power point as it is a presentation the key elements I thought of was headings,bullet points, visual aids and colour. Also what was important to add in the presentation and leave out and the audience as i wanted it to be very simple wording and self explanatory images.

Design is probably the only thing letting me down as I did do a very simple design and with it being “The Conceptual Age” I should be using more of the right side of my brain, the creative side. 

Story: it was all about persuasion as i was going for the effects about fast food and how it can lead to childhood obesity. Images also do tell a story as my images tell a story about the problem such as; an image of an obese child,chips/grenade and children with heaps of happy meal toys.

Symphony: Childhood obesity and fast food has a lot to do with symphony as they way i went about the concept I wanted people to see fast food in a new light (bad food), determine what is important (keeping children healthy) and writing what really matters about the topic. 

Empathy: Childhood obesity is an emotional subject as it is dealing with someone’s health and i was more or less presenting it as a concerned person who wants people to know that dangers behind childhood obesity and fast food.

Play: The only humor in my presentation would be the images as i wanted to take ‘the micky’ out of fast food with them being sarcastic.

 

Title page

Page 2

 

Page 3

 

Page 4

Page 5

 

Page 6

 

Page 7

Page 8

 

Page 9

 

Reference

Activity

 

 

 

Title Page

 

 

 

I added more colour to the design and used a background layout the whole way through so you could tell that all pages where linked. I changed the image so when just looking at the image itself you could tell it was informing you something about obesity. 

 

Contents

I chose to make the background orange as I have read somewhere that the reason fast food places use this colour as it is suppose to make us hungry.  I used effects on some of the images just to make them more individual to my power point design and to add interest to the viewer.

 

Page 3

I adjusted this image so it made your eye zoom on the middle of the image to make it really emphasize an obese child. 

 

Page 4

 

Page 5

 

Page 6

Also with this image I enlarged the fast food so you could see the child was eating the wrong type of food. 

 

Page 7

Having frames around the images gives the eye something to focus in on.

 

Page 8

Page 9

References;

1. Funch, F. (February 2, 2009). From; http://ming.tv/flemming2.php/__show_article/_a000010-001474.htm

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

3. Pink, D. (February, 2005). Wired. Revenge of the Right Brain. From; http://www.wired.com/wired/archive/13.02/brain.html 

4. Snyder, K., Acker-Hocevar, M.  (July 18, 2008). Living on the Edge of Chaos: Leading Schools into the Global Age, Second Edition. 

5. Moses, A. (October 1, 2006).A Whole New Mind: Moving from the Information Age to the Conceptual Age. CRANIO: The Journal of Craniomandibuar Practice.

Images

1. http://www.fat2fitradio.com/wp-content/uploads/2008/03/010104obese.jpg

Week 10

Aesthetic- Usability Effect

 

Aesthetic is the study of sensory (physiological methods of perception) or is also called judgements of sentiment or taste, but by scholars who are prominent in this area call it  ”critical reflection on art, culture and nature” . The designs are perceived as easier to use then less-aesthetic designs. In several experiments there has been a significant implications regarding the acceptance use and performance of the design. This can be said by Dr. Norman who is a cognitive therapist that studies the relationship between technology and people and know for his book The Design of Everyday Things. He helps companies with there products as of appealing the emotions and reasoning of a buyer.

 Aesthetic designs may look easier to use, but may not be that way inclined and have a higher probability of using. They convey positive attitudes and are calming for using who are frustrated normally through designing. Having positive emotions towards a design helps the viewer to evoke feelings of affection, loyalty and patience.By understanding our emotion is has implications for the science of design. It is important for products that are designed for under stress have a harmonious design as for stressed out people less able to cope difficulties and our less flexible. Positive relationships help with designing as of creative thinking an problem solving and negative one’s do the exact opposite. 

 

                                                                                                                 

Cars

 

An example of aesthetic design can be said with cars, they all have been made for the same function of getting its passengers from point A to point B, they are all of similar designs, windows, four wheels, seats and doors. 

So why do people choose one car over another? It can be all down to the aesthetic design as it gives the manufacturers that competitive edge in the market place and the cars it’s personality. 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Stapler

They are a simple application and their design has not changed much over time, until now. Such as pulling out the original or a bad staple, and the mechanism of pushing down straight and hard with ease. A stapler is all about fastening something together e.g. some sheets of paper, but in these modern times its about the colour, shape, the way it sits on a table and can even be electronic. 

 

 

 

 

The Hilton Hotel Alarm Clock

Gone are the days of a normal alarm clock that is clearly there for the purpose of the time and having the beeper go off to wake one up in the morning. This alarm clock at the Four Seasons Hotel had pre-tuned radio stations marked by it’s buttons (rock, classical…), a connector for your MP3 player or IPod. 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Reference:  

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

2. … (May 25, 2009.). Senses. From Wikipedia; http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Senses

3. … (May 22, 2009.). Aesthetics. From Wikipedia; http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Aesthetic

4. Boulton, M. (March 6, 2005). Aesthetic-usability effect.From Certain Projects; http://www.markboulton.co.uk/journal/comments/aesthetic_usability_effect/

5. Norman, D. A. (2007). The Design of Future Things. New York: Basic Books.

6. D. Norman & S. Draper. (2002). The Design of Everyday Things. New York: Basic Books

7. Chi, T. (March 27, 2006). The role of Aesthetics in design. http://www.ok-cancel.com/archives/article/2006/03/the-role-of-aesthetics-in-design.html

8. Norman, D. (2007). Biography of Don Norman. From jnd.org; http://www.jnd.org/bio-sketch.html

Images

1.http://www.grouplotus.com/staticfiles/img/app/sections/headers/home_cars.jpg

2.http://www.maniacworld.com/amazing-cars.jpg

3.http://nerdapproved.com/wp-content/uploads/2007/07/handi-stapler.jpg

4.http://www.uigarden.net/chinese/images/44.jpg

Self Evaluation Table

My own useful tips on using WordPress blog.

Quick Tips

• The Header;title of your blog.
• Search engine; search within blog site.
• Archives; organises posts by months.
• Catergories; catergories menu organises and allows navigation by topics.

 

• Make sure your blog description is relievent to your content, as for example if your description is about tudor times, but then the content is on modern furnishings.
• Images, themes, colour and different types of font can all look dazzling to the eye, but make sure it is relivent, easy to read, does not take away from what you are trying to convey and especially dont over do it.
• The whole point of a blog is getting your word accross so make sure that grammar, punctuation and spelling errors do not occur.
• Learn from others; look at other people’s blogs and look at what you think is successful and unsucessful about there blog.
• Label everything; make sure your blog is efficient and easy to use and that you name everything correctly (it makes it alot easier in the long run!).