Aiming for the Audience

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While I've always kind of dreamed of performing for a crowd like this, I have to be honest with myself- I'm no rockstar. But there are a few things I've learned from rockstars and from Janice Redish's Letting Go of the Words. It's that you have you have to aim your performance for your audience- whether that be at a rock concert or with a company website. At a concert, if the audience is expecting upbeat, rock music and they get twangy, bluegrass, then I'd like to bet that they aren't going to be pleased. Also, if your website doesn't offer easy access to the information that the web users are looking for, then they likely won't be pleased either. So that leads me to my first point:

1. Focus on the audience

In order to do this, the audience must be understood and profiled. This seemed like an excellent approach to me. Redish suggested that personas and scenarios are created in order to keep the human aspect in the creation of the website. It can easily be lost when trying to focus on the product and the information. Instead, if desires or problems can be anticipated, then they met or solved, respectively, before the users even have access to the website. By creating scenarios, the focus is always on audience needs.

My second point is this:
   2.  Keep It Simple, Stupid
Meaning the home page, of course. The home page is usually the first impression that a user gets of your website. Personally, I don't like going to lots of newspaper websites simply because they are so cluttered that I can't sort through everything. I do like when the logo is at the top because then I clearly know what site I am on and how to easily link back to the main page. The next thing I like is when icons are links- maybe that's because I'm visual learner, but I also think that these are easier to scan than written words. If a homepage is kept simple, users are more likely to be able to find the information that they came to the site for.

Finally,
    3.   Put the search box in a logical place
This may seem like a no brainer, but I have encountered many sites where I simply didn't know how to even start on their site because I couldn't find what I was looking for and then couldn't find a search box. So, therefore, I felt that this warranted its own point even though for Redish it didn't seem like a main focus.

Discussion Questions:
What websites do you use that have simple, dummy-proof home pages, and what characteristics make them like that?
How can companies do a better job of meeting user's needs before they even ask for something or encounter a problem?

If the User Ain't happy, Ain't Nobody Happy!

Well folks, I think that the title of this post just about sums it up. User experience is everything- to the user and to the company. 

In the book, The Elements of User Experience, User-Centered Design for the Web and Beyond, Jesse James Garrett discusses the idea behind user experience- the experience that user gets from utilizing a certain product. 

Design
There are three types of approaches to design:

• Aesthetic design
• Functional design
• User Experience design

Most companies definitely focus on the first two types of design. Hey, if it's pretty- people will buy it. Hey,- if it works- people will buy it. However, often user experience design gets forgotten, and this is the most important consideration. If the user has a good experience with a product, they will keep coming back. If a product is pretty but doesn't meet a users needs, then they probably will not come back. Also, if a product doesn't work correctly, then they also probably won't come back again. However, if a product meets these needs, but also does so in the most efficient way possible, then the company has gained a customer. So in this way, user experience builds customer loyalty, which every company wants. Seems simple right? User experience is so much more though. Consider the following pictures. Which would you be most likely to use? And why?

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I would personally use the bottom one. I mean- it's got words and step-by-step pictures. The top one? I have no idea what is going on.

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So, once again, I think that when choosing between products most people would buy the Keurig. Who doesn't need coffee? If anyone figures out what that watermelon stroller actually does- please let me know. 

User Experience

So what makes up the user experience on the Web? 

• Functionality
• Aesthetic appeal
• Usability in context
• Efficiency 
• Navigability
• Intuitive design
• Working links
• Ability to accomplish a task

Those were just a few things that popped into my mind. 

Planes

When designers think about these things they must consider different usability planes. I've laid them out with a brief description below.

• Surface plane- simply the things you see such as illustrations and linked images
• Skeleton plane- design of the site such as where buttons are placed, logos are positioned; the most efficient and effective organizational layout
• Structure plane- more abstract idea of the skeleton plane; what is available, how users got to the site, how users leave the site, options that the user has
• Scope plane- the availability of certain features on a site such as saving previous shipping information, storing items in a shopping cart, etc
• Strategy Plane- Encompasses the site's sponsor's goals along with the goals of those that visit the website

All in all, a lot goes into designing a website. One of the interesting things Garrett said was that when a user can't a site correctly- they feel stupid. Not that they blame the site, but they blame themselves. And, as he points out, this is very effective at keeping users from coming back. So question: Does anyone else's grandparents have difficulty using the Internet? If so, why do you think this is true? I'm going somewhere with this. My thought is, in order to most effectively test the usability of a site- why not use the elderly crowd? If it's intuitive enough for them to navigate successfully, then I'd say you've got a pretty good setup.

How Does Your Car Tell A Story?

The long awaited follow-up to the car slideshow has arrived!! I hope you enjoy this video which uses fellow Furman University students to explore how their cars tell a story. 

Multi-Dimensional and Multi-Directional: Website Editing

During a meeting with my advisor last week, I showed him this blog and some of the projects for my digital communications class. He loved it! We decided to test all of the advertised features on my blog and discovered that the search bar doesn't actually work. Whoops! Sorry about that! It's things like this that Chapter 6 of Brian Carrol's Writing for Digital Media focuses on. Editing, while being a key process in print literature, is also a key process for online presentation. Online, however, editing must focus on a different set of characteristics. Let's explore those.

Multimedia

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As an website user myself, I found their discussion of multimedia very interesting. The take-home point was that the medium or media used on a website must be that which will most effectively tell the story.  Editors go through a website and make sure that multimedia is being used and that successfully conveys the intended message. What type of multimedia do you enjoy interacting with most and why? Here is the list of characteristics that Carrol deems important:

• Short is better
• Interactive is better
• Personal (or local or hyperlocal) is preferred
• Navigability is central (the better the interface, the better the experience) 

This seems to mirror to me the important qualities of print writing: clear and concise. So although the message is conveyed through a different medium, we still look for the same things. 

Mistakes

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Carrol quoted some editors in this field, and they gave him some of the most common mistakes that they find when looking at websites. 

• Names
• Professions/positions/ages/political parties
• Dates/numbers
• Geography
• Emails/addresses/Web sites/telephone numbers

When websites make these mistakes, does it significantly take away from their credibility? Why or why not?

I know there have been many times that I click on a link and can't get to the advertised page or product. I'm not sure that it necessarily takes away from the site's credibility, but I personally get frustrated. This is a common occurrence on Pinterest, and it makes me sad that I can't get to all the cute stuff that I see.

Verification

The final point I'd like to discuss is the importance of verification. Not only do editors verify grammar and sources, they also verify links and other online related media. The focus of new sites in particular is to streamline this process because they must compete with the need for immediacy. Do you feel that we should focus more on verification or is it okay to sacrifice some accuracy for speediness? 

Through Whose Eyes?

I would like to open this post with a question: Through which point of view do you think that a story is most effective and why? Does this differ for different kinds of film and why? Think this over as an initial reaction and then reevaluate at the end of this post.

Point of View
In The Art of Technique, John S. Douglass and Glenn P. Harnden use Chapter 3 to discuss the idea of point of view. They list the three different types and the characteristics of each as listed below.

• POV shot- the camera shows what the subject as seeing; a shot from their point of view; usually portrays an unforeseen predator/monster; commonly used in suspense films
• First person- portrayal of a specific person's personal view; commonly used in documentaries; frequently uses direct narrative from these people to dictate visuals; great example are documentaries by Michael Moore who uses his controversial topics and opinions to gain public attention

  

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• Second person- less common idea or portrayal; displays a personal message that directly addresses "you;" used in advertising occasionally such as Billy Mays with Oxiclean

• Third Person- most common portrayal of characters in film; "not omniscient;" use action and dialogue to figure out plot and make connections
• Character Point of View- narrative that comes from multiple points of view; more versatile in literature than in film; a possible example could be Toy Story 3 when the movie switches between Woody's viewpoint and the rest of the gang's view point. 

Attitude

• Each production is going to have a bias toward whatever their opinion or view of the topic is
• Purpose of production is to get a message across
• Propaganda: "whenever we undertake a fiction or nonfiction production with the major purpose of convincing our audience of a particular set of principles, beliefs, or opinions"
• Easily seen in most documentaries (refer to previous post to view the video of Supersize Me)

Defining the Audience

• Important to identify the audience in order to use the most effective means of communication
• Need to establish type of film from the start so that audience can be mentally prepared and react accordingly
• Informed and active participants
• Make sure that communication is effectively decoded by the audience

My personal favorite point of view is that of first person. I like to hear how the person thinks and what their own opinions are and why. I feel like I can relate more by actually seeing and hearing the person that holds these viewpoints. I do have a soft spot for third person rom-coms though, but probably because they don't make me think at all. In response to my second question, I think that point of view needs to fit the type of film. For example, to me, it would be weird to watch someone fall in love from an intimate view of first person (though it could be argued that the Bachelorette does just that-so my argument wouldn't hold since I love that show). Thus, point of view needs to not only fit the film style but also the audience. Showing a documentary to kindergarteners just isn't a good idea. Once again I ask: Through which point of view do you think that a story is most effective and why? Does this differ for different kinds of film and why? It differs for everyone.

Your Editing Shows

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"I keep telling my editors, if you win an award for editing, I won't work with you anymore. Your editing shows." - Louis Malle, Director

 I really like this quote because it concisely describes that purpose of an editor. An editor is to make edits that don't show, that are purely behind the scenes. Their job is to make the film flow, and, if done correctly, no one will even notice that edits had been made. That's the point that Director Malle was making by saying this. He wants his editors to be so good that they go unnoticed. 

I've always thoroughly enjoyed making video projects because they challenge me to creatively arrange footage in a way that effectively tells a story and makes a point. I always learn new techniques by playing around with the editing software. Most importantly though, I try my best to imitate other videos that I have seen. I try to use those transitions and those shots and those sound effects because I know they worked. I've made it a long way from my first video project that I had to make for my seventh grade reading/science teacher. Honestly, I don't entirely remember what the topic was, but my best friend and I put in hours of hard work only to have it not play in class on the day that it was due. Because I didn't hit a button to "Save the Final Project." I'd just been hitting "Save" on the file bar, which doesn't finalize it. So keep that in mind if you're making a video, and don't experience my heartache. 

Psychology of Editing
When reading the psychology of editing section in Visual Storytelling  by Ronald J. Osgood and M. Joseph Hinshaw, I realized that had never considered all of the decisions that an editor has to make. Sure, I've made videos before, but I'm not sure that I could justify why I made each cut or truly understood how video should flow together. I think that Osgood and Hinshaw have a point though. For a video to be effective, each decision is critical and should be well thought out. An editor can't just hit "Delete." Why do you think that editors make the cuts that they do? What kind of video do they most frequently cut out?

I also liked the discussion of b-roll. B-roll is footage that "visually describes the story." This is generally the footage that is rolling while narration is occurring, providing a visual representation of what is being described. B-roll truly adds a depth to the story that viewers wouldn't get otherwise, and by having narration over the top, the editor is directly connecting dots for viewers. Instead of having footage and interview separate, viewers can easily make the connection between the two. 



After the opening song, the documentary "Supersize Me" immediately goes into effective B-roll as the narrator sets up the premise of the movie. Throughout this documentary, you can see examples of effective B-roll usage.

Transitions
Transitions are probably the second most important aspect of editing in my opinion, the first being the footage that you choose to show. Without an effective transition from topic to topic, viewers won't be able to follow your message. Osgood and Hinshaw discuss the idea of the "Cut." For me, this is probably the most natural transition because it immediately takes the viewer to the next topic, but you have to be careful when using it so that it doesn't get choppy. There are dialogue cuts, where the scene cuts back and forth between actors so that viewers see each actor deliver their line. There's also cuts that are timed with music. This is effective because they viewer can anticipate the cut and be prepared for a transition. What is your favorite transition and why?

Parallel Editing
I believe that my favorite technique is parallel editing where the footage cuts between two different story angles. It helps to show simultaneous action, draws the viewers in, and builds suspense as viewers wait to see how the story lines connect. A prime example of this is the movie "Crazy, Stupid Love." The whole movie follows the stories of 5 different people and in the end, their lives are all interconnected. 



The movie "Valentine's Day" uses this technique as well. I personally like surprises so I like when movies catch me off guard or throw in a plot twist, which can easily be done with this type of edit.