Prototyping is where imagination meets inspiration and ideas are formed. Due to the low risk of experimentation with new ideas, there is little to no pressure on what is being created. I find this to be fun, especially when it involves artistic photography editing. Because I find this to be fun, it is also my form of play. When I am feeling overwhelmed or stressed out, I take a break and edit photography. It is during these “play” sessions that my greatest inspirations come to life.

When I am playing, I am not trying to be perfect. It is unbelievable how crucial this is to success. Playing resets the mind and opens pathways to thought processes that would otherwise be blocked due to stress or pressure to succeed. This often leads to the creation of several new versions of the same photograph that I can compare and determine which one that I like better.

Playing when prototyping provides a space a emotional safety, learning, and failing forward without consequences. It invites community collaboration and feedback that I can use to grow my work and enhance impact.

Ultimately, prototyping is how I turn my inspirations into reality. I do this with every creative project that I work on. From photography to web design, I always play around with prototypes before releasing it out into the world.

Storytelling is the doorway to connection. Adding storytelling elements to my social media posts has had a powerful impact in meaningful ways. I have found more community engagements with my posts when they tell a story.

Originally, I always just posted photography and some of my photos would get over 200+ likes. My photography skills grew, and my editing techniques have become advanced. Even as my skills grew, my social media presence had not. I have heard feedback from people about wanting stories with the photographs – eventually, I listened.

I one day had a burst of inspiration after photographing a scene that was so impactful it was like a lightbulb went off in my mind. I left the image up on my screen and pulled up Microsoft word on the other screen. I started to write a story and form elements that held deeper meaning and put it all together. The result was true engagement and community growth.

I have no restrictions on what stories I will tell, and I do not believe that anyone should. To restrict yourself is to place yourself into a mental prison cell. Do not restrict yourself. Instead, I allow my photograph to inspire the story that I want to tell. For me, the image is the key to inspiration.

 Free yourself from boundaries and let your words flow and the story will form.

Good Design #8 Brand book

Class Team Project Brand Book Pages

From the dawn of mankind symbols have served as a form of communication. We can see evidence of this in Egyptian art and even further back to Neanderthals cave paintings and engravings. These icons sparked innovation and conveyed ideas without the need for words.

The most iconic icon of all time is the cross. For over 2000 years this symbol has been used around the globe. The cross originated in early Christianity and has spread through faith and missionary work. This symbol holds a thousand stories of love, hate, persecution, and triumph.

Although we see the cross as a common symbol found in every town, there was a time when this was not the case. Early Christians we hunted and tortured in gruesome ways. They had to gather in secrecy and would often draw the cross in the sand to recognize each other, like a codeword. It was because of these horrific fates mixed with unwavering devotion to their faith that the cross has become such a powerful symbol and why over 2.6 billion people worldwide believe in Jesus.

My takeaway from this history lesson is that even the simplest icons can be powerful enough to make the king bend a knee. The real question is “How to create an icon just as powerful as the cross without horrific deaths?” After all, there is another symbol almost just as recognizable and it to bears the weight of millions of horrific deaths…

George A. Miller introduced Miller’s Law in 1956. This law states that the average person can hold about 7 items in their working memory at once, plus or minus two. This law has shaped everything from phone number formatting to UX design. Millers law calls for simplicity without sacrificing depth of information. This can be done by organizing information into meaningful chunks of text and limiting the number of menus, parent pages, child pages and grandchild pages that a user must go through to select.

William Edmund Hick and Ray Hyman developed Hick’s Law which states that the time it takes to decide increases logarithmically with the number of choices. This means that more presented options will result in slower decisions. Fewer choices result in faster action which is helpful for creating call to actions. Fewer choices isn’t the only thing to consider, hierarchy and design clarity are crucial to present information that matters and guide the user.

Both laws really work well together when creating webpages and call to actions. When applied correctly the user will be more likely to continue navigating through the website, retain important information, and ultimately make a purchase. I look forward to using this information in my current and future work.

Inaccessibility is not just a minor inconvenience. It is a quiet form of exclusion. When environments are not designed with diverse needs in mind, they send a message – “You were not considered.” And for over one billion people around the world this message is received daily, about 15% of the population according to the World Health Organization. This message is heard, seen, and felt daily in many areas such as websites that do not include ALT text, videos without captions, and staircases without ramps.

One powerful example of accessibility in action is the Smithsonian Museum approach to virtual exhibition design. They not only follow the guidelines for compliance, but they also embrace inclusive design. They use tools such as screen reader compatibility, high contrast visuals, captioned videos, and multiple navigation modes. These features help everyone to be able to enjoy the exhibits with ease.

True accessibility begins with listening and involving people with disabilities to be included in testing and design processes. This results in an inclusive design that benefits everyone, not just people with disabilities. A ramp not only helps a wheelchair user, but also a person with a stroller. Captions not only help those who are hard of hearing, but also those who are watching in loud environments. Websites with high contrast visuals, ALT text, and intuitive navigation help everyone easily explore and enjoy the information that is presented.

Maps are the tool that we depend on to explore everything in both the physical world as well as the digital and online worlds. Mapmaking builds spatial awareness and critical thinking through making purposeful choices and by analyzing connections between information and objects. Whether mapping a city or designing websites, informational architecture maps help us to visualize complexity and transform abstract ideas into tangible and navigable experiences.

Maps also offer clarity for everyone who visits the website showing where they should begin and which paths connect and lead to connecting bigger picture. This fosters imagination and ownership to empower users to explore content in ways as they see fit. Maps become invitations to explore, learn, and act. Mapmaking also supports cognitive development by reinforcing direction, size, and structure. This guides users through creative pages from blogs to services and store items.

Maps make visual complexity of geography, art, history, and storytelling into simple network structures that are easy to understand visuals. Without maps users may get lost and frustrated which causes them to leave the website. The more comfortable the user is exploring the website, the more likely they will be to stay within the site exploring further. Mapmaking is not just an art, it is a vital part of website building.

When everything is all work and no play nothing ever gets accomplished. Play is essential for our physical, mental, and emotional well-being. Play is responsible for how we learn new things, reset our minds to prevent fatigue, and happily stay fit. Without play, our minds and bodies will have negative consequences.

Throughout our lives we use play to stay physically fit. From hiking forest trails, kayaking along the water ways, playing sports, or going on bike rides. It’s called play because these things are enjoyable to us and because they are enjoyable to us, we are encouraged to do them and in return we stay physically fit and ready to handle challenging tasks.

Doing these things also greatly benefits our emotional well-being. Exercise that we enjoy is essential for creating happiness. Studies have been done showing a direct link between mental health, emotional well-being and exercise. When we don’t play or exercise, we subject ourselves to depression, anxiety, or worse.

As we get older, play and exercise is still important for us to maintain a healthy life balance. Studies show a higher rate of productivity in the workplace when the employees have a healthy balanced lifestyle. They work harder and more efficiently due to being healthier.

I often find myself accomplishing more when I get out of the house to go hiking, kayaking, or biking. This play increases my energy levels and emotional well-being.