Blog Post 9/18/20

Blog Post 9/18/20

Concept Sketches for Project 1

This a sketchbook page from my most recent notes about Project 1. This is my main development of my ideas for the wayfinding system I will create. It explains the different components I was initially thinking about using for my wayfinding system. This includes a large banner acting as a polling station information stand located next to the dorms’ Community Center, with a QR code linking to an interactive digital maps route OR a physical copy of this map as well. The second component includes directional signage to be placed around campus on the way to each polling site guiding students to their destinations. I envisioned these being wrapped around or pasted onto lamp posts as these are common structures that can be found all over campus, rather than banners that are only placed in the diag. The last component included corresponding posters that would be placed at the actual polling locations themselves reassuring students that they are indeed in the right place and have made it to the correct destination. 

So at this point I have not actually finalized any preliminary design work, I mostly just have my concepts created. Though I might need to streamline my system into something more concise. I am worried that it might be too ambitious and I have bitten off more than I could chew. I think if there were one component to eliminate it would be the directional signage around campus. Though helpful this seems to be the less important feature, compared to the beginning and end points that really ground the user. I need to focus on what is absolutely necessary and go from there, while also being realistic in what I can accomplish. For Monday, I will have started working on the actual design concepts that include the actual information I will have on my posters. My intention is to keep it cohesive with the idea of the non-partisan initiative that strays from typical red,white, and blue color schemes. However, not sure if we have to create our work in line with the SparkVotes style guide. 

Going forward, my main goals are to keep everything we’ve talked about in class in mind. I especially want to focus on making my system extremely pragmatic, having come from our warm up project not necessarily achieving that. I want to make the process as easy for students as possible since voting can be daunting for first timers. Any way that my system can alleviate any stress that students may have when it comes to voting accomplishes my goal. I hope that the information I present is done in a logical and user-centered way, with only the necessities being stated. This was an interesting topic of discussion during our group critiques. There was a lot of talk about voting jargon and whether to include words like “ward” and “precinct” or avoid them since these aren’t relatable terms to students. I am feeling like I will include them in my system, however much smaller than the important information and maybe they will be used less frequently. I don’t see these terms needing to appear on each piece of material. These are some of the main things I want to focus on going forward with this project.