Before this module, I have never thought about how a product was designed, unless, of course, if the design is atrocious, I will complain about it. However, good designs were often taken for granted. As Mr Reddy mentioned in one of the lectures, we never notice the design of a product unless it is a bad design and it caused us problems while using it. 

I remember asking Mr Reddy about the key to this module and he said "Insight". Well, I can't claim to be an expert on user experience and design after taking this module, but this module has definitely invoked many mind provoking thoughts. Now, when I chanced upon a good product, instead of taking the design for granted, I will start to ponder on the design and try to visualize the process of designing and why the design is good.

As mentioned in the post on the project, I learned a lot of new techniques in this module and I have a refreshing take on research. In the previous modules, what we learned are mostly the typical quantitative methods such as surveys etc. However, this module is eye-opening in that it broadens my research knowledge with the introduction of methods such as laddering, card-sorting, 4 pleasure analysis etc. These methods are not only fun to use, but also allows user subjectivity.

All in all, I feel that the one thing most important about design and user experience is enjoyment. A design is good and results in high-quality user experience when the user enjoys using it.  

I shall talk briefly about the final phase as the details are in our group report. In this final phase, I learned a lot about the different kinds of useability tesing methods and evaluation methods. Card-sorting, prototype testing etc were all new to me and hence this was an interesting learning journey.

The process of creating a new product, in this case a website, is no doubt a tedious one. I never thought that creating a new product takes that much effort and thinking, but I guess you never know till you experience the process.

In this project, I feel that the hardest part was creating a product that users would like and enjoy using, in other words a product that will result in high quality user experience. It all seems so easy at first, but when you really start on it, it dawns on you that it is one of the hardest thing to do as user experience is so subjective.

In creating our website, we had to constantly ask ourselves this: How do we create something that every user will like and enjoy using? Is it even possible? Well, perhaps it is not possible for Each and Every one of our user to like our website, but it is possible to maximize the number of users who like our product. I feel that the key lies in simplicity. We should never underestimate the power of simplicity. A simple website can speak volumes as compared to one that is messy and cluttered (as implied by the quote on the top of my blog). Hence, I feel that simplicity will never go wrong. In "The non-designer web book" by Robin Williams and John Tollett, they said: " It takes a very self-assured designer to recognize and act on the power of simplicty". Indeed, this is very true.

While trying to make our website as simple and as user friendly as possible for our users, we practically drained all our brain power. It is really not as easy as it sounds to make something simple and easy to use. Firstly, as we are the people designing it, what might appear straight forward and clear cut to us might not be the case for a first time user. Next, we have to consider not only usability but also aesthetics and the overall package. This is where our usability testing really helped. When we first presented our information architecture in class, Mr Reddy and many others were confused (though we thought it wasn't at all confusing as we were the ones who came up with it). Through their feedback, and feedback from the card-sorting and prototype testing, we managed to improve on it and incorporated these suggestions into our high fidelity prototype. And indeed, our high fidelity prototype tetsing yielded more positive results, though of course, there are still areas that we should improve on.

A last point to make is that what we learned about design being an Iterative process has never been more true, especially when the product is a website and making changes to it is much easier than changing a tangible product after it has been lauched into the market.

Initial Idea:

We took a long time in coming up with ideas. The three of us were quite stumped as we approached this task from the wrong angle. First let me share our intial idea:

     Product:

• Collectable Wine bottles for Art and Wine lovers
• Beautiful Impressionist paintings using the works of Claude Monet and Mary Cassatt
• Crafted beautifully on the interior of wine bottles
• To stir the senses; taste, scent and sight

      Producer: Vina Ventisquero

To improve the well being of students, and to make it easy for them to do something that is important to them, we want to cater to the needs of the students and provide them with a news source that allows them to be able to consume the news in their preferred way despite their busy schedule.

During our third lecture, Mr Reddy mentioned something interesting. He said that if a designer designs something for a mass market, it is possible that no one might want to buy the product. However, if a designer designs a product with a specific person of a target audience in mind, the designer can be sure that at least one person will buy the product. And it is better to have one person buy it than no one. I thought this is a very interesting point, as it links back to the point of individualism, and how individualising a product will increase its appeal to the user.

With that in mind, I started on Assignment 2. After I was done with the 4 pleasure analysis, I learned something new: Whether something is a user's need or appreciation pleasure is subjective. It depends on what the user is willing to settle for, what is most important to the user, and his or her perceptions and values. I say this because after analyzing my imaginery subject and reading about the imaginery subject in the lecture notes, there are certain similar characteristics I classified as need pleasure while Mr Reddy classified as appreciation pleasure, while there are certain characteristics I classified as appreciation pleasure while Mr Reddy classified as need pleasure. I realize this is due to the fact that my imgainery subject and his imaginer subject has a different history and character.

I did some research online, and I found an interesting article (URL: http://www.designverb.com/2007/11/11/vilayanur-ramachandran-a-journey-to-the-center-of-your-mind/). According to the author, designing is about figure out why someone likes, hates, or experiences a design differently. Everyone has a different experience growing up, hence, there is no such thing as an exact definition but only dynamic definitions. And after reading it, I totally agree with him. This also makes me realize how difficult it is to design a good product that will please everyone. Again, this reiterates the point that Mr Reddy made. Since you can't please everyone, make sure you can please at least one person.

A little something about my chosen Product: Vodka

Vodka is the best mixing liquor of all of the base spirits as it has no distinct color, taste or aroma. Since vodka has no distinct taste, an important difference in the various brands is their texture on the tongue, or mouth feel. Less expensive brands will generally be hotter and burn in the mouth (about.com) However, in a vodka tasting review by the New York Times, it was found that higher-priced and better-dressed vodkas isn't always better.

Behavioral Design: Smirnoff

In a blind-tasting of vodkas by the New York Times, Smirnoff was found to taste better than other more expensive and more prestigious brands. Smirnoff is one of the best-selling vodka in the United States, though it is a definite step down in status, marketing and bottle design.

Image source: www.irishblogs.ie

Reflection

Smirnoff is relatively cheap and affordable compared to other vodka brands. Though there's nothing spectacular about its appearance (the bottle design is quite common), it is value for money. Status wise, Smirnoff is nothing extraordinary as it is a common man's vodka. The applaudable taste and affordable price makes it a "trusted" brand for the average user as it never fails to satisfy.

User experience

I am satisfied with the taste of Smirnoff, and given that its affordable too, I do not mind the plain design and the step-down in status. That's why I continue to consume Smirnoff. Smirnoff is still a popular brand in the market as its functionality never fails and it satisfies our most basic expectations in drinking vodka: taste and cost.

First Visceral Design: Van Gogh Vodka

Valued by collectors, Van Gogh's hand designed bottles are works of art. Each of the 19 flavours of Van Gogh vodka has a unique design, reflecting the styles and themes of famous dutch painter Vincent Van Gogh's works.

 Image Source: www.stuwww.uvt.nl

Image source: www.liquorlog.blogspot.com

Reflection

With the beautiful and unique design, the intial impact of its appearance is powerful. As the painting in each bottle design is crafted in the interior of the pretty and sleek glass bottles, the first feeling that comes to mind in the first interaction with the vodka is one of ethereal admiration. As the saying goes "First impression counts", and I guess this is really true. Even before tasting the vodka, I had a very high and positive opinion of it after examining the design on the bottle.

User Experience

The smooth finish and variey of flavours contribute to a satisfying experience. In addition to the charming designs, the overall experience is a satisfying and delightful one.

Second Visceral Design: Bong's Spirit super premium Vodka

The tagline for this vodka is "The art is in the bottle", which is very true. Initially, I have decided to use Van Gogh vodka for my visceral design, but a further search online lead me to the Bong vodka. Upon seeing those cute and exquisite bottles, I thought I just have to use it too.

Image source: www.ozoux.com

Image source: www.answers.com

Reflection

The exquisite and unique design of the bottle contribute to an initial liking. It was sort of "love at first sight". Though I have never tried it, I feel that I will love it. Reviews also showed that the smooth taste of the Bong vodka has made it a success with its users.

User Experience

Released in 2006 and designed in the shape of a bong, the Bong vodka stands apart from other vodka brands. The trendy design gives users an initial good liking, as does the Van Gogh vodka, and it is my favourite vodka design. Of all the vodka I've researched on and tasted, I love the Bong vodka the most. The fashionable design makes me want to taste the vodka, and speaks volumes about the brand. The image that is associated with drinking the Bong vodka is one of trendiness and fashion.

Reflective Design: Jean-Marc XO Vodka

The American Academy of Hospitality Sciences gave it a 5 star rating and according to them, Jean-Marc XO vodka is the only premium vodka to achieve the highest level of quality. Distilled 9 times (the typical vodka is distilled around 4 times), it is a hand-crafted vodka.

Image source: www.jmxo.com

Reflection

Going beyond behavorial and visceral designs, Jean-Marc XO vodka is dubbed " The Connoisseur's Vodka". It is an exquisite and one of the most expensive brands among vodkas (http://most-expensive.net/vodka-world). Being a luxury vodka, the image Jean-Marc XO vodka protrays is one of class and elegance. Having a long smooth finish and no afterburn, this elegant vodka speaks of prestige, and expensive taste.

User Experience

Being a hand-crafted vodka, each bottle is individually numbered to reflect its hand made craftsmanship. This gives its user a special feeling and sorts of individualize each user. As Mr Reddy mentioned in class, individualization is sometimes the key to creating a successful product. Superior taste, high status in the industry, combined with the fact that no expense was spared and every detail was considered in its production process, Jean-Marc XO vodka provides a rich experience for its user. 

At the first lecture, I brought home an important lesson about User Experience: User Experience is not just solely about the design of the product, its the overall interaction the user has with the product. And all factors affecting the user's perception of the product has to be taken into consideration when it comes to the concept of user experieence. These factors can include the process the user went through while buying the product, the service of the sales person etc. Hmm.. Interesting, isn't it..

Before today, I have never thought that things such as the service of the sales person will affect a user's experience of the product. But now that I think about it, it is indeed true. I can recall times from the past when the less than mediocre service of rude sales personnel had spoilt my delight in getting a new product.