The part of this lecture I found most interesting and learnt the most from was content strategy. It caused me to consider more carefully the purpose of the user’s desires when using a digital product, which naturally is to consume the content or complete a task as quickly as possible, for an article they might want to find a piece of information, for a video they might want to learn how to do something, and if it takes them too long or is too confusing, they will leave the site. For example I have noticed that when I search for a video tutorial, I always watch the shortest one which appears in the search results. This made me think about the hierarchy of form and function. While I believe form is a valuable asset and does make the product far more enjoyable: for digital products especially, function is more important due to the mindset when using a digital product, the user generally isn’t there to enjoy the aesthetics of the product, so form must be used to aid the function so that the user is satisfied and completes their goal.
I also found it interesting how, for curators of physical content like gallery or museum curators the rules of content creation still apply, such as knowing your audience, having an easy to navigate flow, and being engaging. When visiting museums since this lecture, I have noticed and begun to appreciate the user flow. Generally, the user is led down a path where the content links up with the previous content viewed in order for a story to be conveyed by what the user is seeing.
This week I created two user personas to aid me in creating my AV dashboard.
For this elderly user, I must navigate driving safety issues as well as making the vehicle easy to use for those who are not well versed in using digital technology. I would ensure that the AI is well tested, and the journey will not begin until the user has put on their seat belt, in case the user forgets to. I will also put the button to stop the car on inside of the vehicle itself instead of the screen, similar to a bus, because most users will be familiar with that, if they are not familiar with using a screen based interface. The emergency button will also be large and with high contrast so that it can be easily seen by those with vision issues.
For this user who suffers from anxiety in crowded spaces, I will ensure that all actions on the vehicle can be done autonomously, with the user in control of all actions except for the driving itself. I will also provide options to work on other devices in the interface for busy users who want to use the time alone to catch up on work.