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User experience user journey map with compass

User Experience—
User Journey
Visual Design
Interaction Design
Information Architecture

User experience is about all aspects of how people feel about, and interact with, a product or service— and the company that provides it— and their pleasure and satisfaction when using it. In a narrow sense, UX is determined by how easy or difficult it is to interact with the user interface elements of the design and more broadly UX is influenced by visual elements such as branding and even packaging. A positive UX will greatly determine how likely it is that the user will convert. The design of a compelling user journey is a process which requires skills to:

  • Conduct research and analyze the findings
  • Engage in design thinking to understand the user's true needs
  • Understand and develop navigation, interface components, and the content model
  • Create the visual structure and iterate prototypes
  • Conduct user testing.

Attention to this process and its various methodologies will greatly influence the ultimate success of a project.

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Organizing visual content to create a message involves understanding the principles of design as well as its intended use. Business communications for web, print, infographics, or signage each have their own requirements for effective communication. While not traditionally considered in a UX/UI context, I argue that graphic design should be viewed in this way. Web design encompasses several different disciplines including graphic design, UX/UI, content creation, the ability to plan and organize, and an understanding the technologies involved. Each discipline demands different considerations. These include:

  • Offset printing, digital printing, and large format printing which include a range of sizes and substrates
  • Branding and Logo creation
  • Front-end scripting languages such as HTML5, CSS3, and Javascript
  • Prototyping and planning
  • Layout, responsive design, and SEO considerations

Context of the project is key to creating effective communication. Creating an online experience that enhances the message as well as an interface that works for the user is the goal.

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tools of the trade familiar old toolbelt image

Visual Design—
Graphic Design
Environmental Graphics
Web Design

Content creation video, motion graphics, writing. Old movie projector image

Content Creation—
Video Editing
Motion Graphics
Writing
Storyboarding

Compelling content, it can be argued, is the reason print, web, and video exists. Content is the contribution of information to any media— although we generally apply it to digital media and especially the web. A great story can be told across different media and can be enhanced by movement and imagery, writing, timing, and an emotional audio component. Great content is just as much a user experience as visual design and utilizes many of the same skills used in other mediums. Layout and visual design, a user interface and even information architecture (hierarchcy) all combine to create a great user experience— a visual story that is a user journey. After all, if you can't convey the information effectively and hold attention the promise is unfulfilled. Some of the skills needed include:

  • Video Editing
  • Graphics and Motion Graphics
  • Compositing
  • Clear, written communication

Bill Gates said: "Content is king." In today's age consumers expect high-quality, consistent content.

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UX Design | Graphics + Web + Content

I approach each new project as a challenge for which I seek the best possible solution. I also bring years of experience as a business-person who understands the demands of a production setting. The thing I love most about computer art is that it feeds both my creative and technical sides— As musician and astrophysicist Brian May said, there is no reason why art and science need to be separate and now we are experiencing a re-joining of art and science. I love to use my imagination, I have a knack for learning new software and love learning new techniques, and I’m not afraid of coding. Plus I get to work with very talented people.


Every design, whether print, web, or other
can be considered a user interface—
the reader reacts to the design on a fundamental level,
thus it should be both effective and appealing.

Philip Gordon at the Frank Gehry Walt Disney Concert Hall in Los Angeles in front of a window with vinyl letters saying LA PHIL for the Los Angeles Philharmonic orchestra. Pretty cool if you ask me.