I have to use what?

Where do your eyes focus when you look at this image of a website? Having trouble focusing on any given part of the image? That is exactly the problem with the image. Clutter.

Sure, looking at an intricate web layout with many images is great, but once you try to navigate through the site you will become frustrated quickly.

Smashing Magazine did an article on beautiful websites that were unusable. Many websites like the example I have here are ripped apart for their lack of usability. It doesn't matter how beautiful or complex a site is, if you cannot clearly and effectively deliver content to the consumer, it is a failed website.

People have short attention spans. If you cannot catch their attention And captivate them, they will quickly leave your site. By having simple yet elegant navigation, clear goals, and a smooth layout, your website will catch people's attention and keep it.

Color: Use it.

This video has some really cool complimentary colors. I love when the arrows are moving across the screen, the use of blue and orange is great to compliment each other.

This video has some beautiful hues. The blue, pink yellow combination with the contrasting white is quite stunning. Although the video is only 11 seconds long, it catches your attention quickly. The colors really stand out.

Research: good times.

I am pretty excited about researching for my Capstone project. Monica helped me with some ideas for where I will start my research. In Game Design which I took a few semesters back, we read the book Rules of Play by Katie Salen. This book will be a great resource for looking into the design aspects of my interactive games.

I have a number of scholarly sources that I plan on using to explore the ideas behind interactive learning.

Katie Salen has also implemented many of the ideas of interactive learning in educational settings.

http://www.instituteofplay.org/

I will jump into these sources and gain a better direction for this project.

Ideas? I have them.

As I think through my years at Shepherd, I think of all the enjoyable projects that I have done. Thinking of possible Capstone project ideas has been interesting. I became slightly nostalgic as I reminisced about projects that I have done over the years here. I have enjoyed how they have stretched me, and taught me to think out side the box.

That being said, there are a few that really stuck out to me, and I would like to use the knowledge that I learned from them and apply it to my Capstone project. I would love to be able to do a media campaign of sorts. Which would entail a full fledged viral campaign: a website, videos, Facebook, Twitter, all the works. I would do this campaign on something that I care about, either something on campus or a topic of interest.

Another idea that would be wonderful to do would be an awesome Flash game. Through my semester in Game Design and Flash Games, I jumped into the world of flash. I really enjoyed coding and working with the program to create new things. It was a lot of fun, and I learned a lot from it. It would be great to devote time to making a full working game or some type of interactive learning experience using Flash.

My last possibility would to make a video, or series of videos. I am not sure as to what would be the main content of the videos just yet. I love comedy, and may try to tie in comedic elements to the video.

"There's an app for that"

How many times a day do we use apps? I know that I do regularly. I have an app for checking the weather. I have an for facebook. I have an app for the latest gadget update. Just about anything that interests you, there is an app that correlates to it.

Applications are one of the reasons why it is easier and easier for me to not use the web as often as I used to. Since I receive emails on my phone, I now spend even less time on the web. The information age is changing. This new form of technology is evolving rapidly.

The streamlined convenience of apps make it quite easy to use them instead of the web. Each app normally has a specific purpose for something we want to do. This makes it really simple for me to click the app and get my information, instead of loading up a browser and searching for something. This convenience is key in our on-the-go society, we want information, and we want it yesterday.

The invention of the "smartphone" has revolutionized how we obtain data on a daily basis. Apps have completely changed how the internet is used, and I think for the better. Sure, I love the web, and I want it to stick around. I still use Google daily to find information, but the idea of having specific applications that get the job done quickly and effectively is amazing.