by georg.kiraly -

Impulse #1 Abstrakt: Ian Spalter – Digital Product Design

Couple of Months ago I watched an episode of the netflix-show “Abstrakt”. This one was about the head of design of Instagram Ian Spalter from San Francisco. He explained the history and power of user experience and user interface design.

I thoroughly enjoyed this episode because digital product design is a field I’m truly passionate about. What struck me as particularly fascinating was the realization of how Steve Jobs laid the groundwork for modern digital product design, especially in the mobile realm. The iPhone’s impact on mobile UI/UX is profound, and it’s intriguing to consider how different the landscape might be without it – Instagram and many other apps might not even exist. In the realm of digital product design, there’s a continuous process of building on others’ ideas, inventions, and designs, whether it’s Ian Spalter reimagining Instagram or the very concept of a Graphical User Interface (GUI).

Ian Spalter’s approach to encouraging his team to explore bold designs resonated with me. Having been in less receptive work environments before, where change and new ideas faced resistance, I appreciate Spalter’s effective management style in fostering creativity within a product design team. The challenges Ian Spalter faced after the Instagram update, with its negative feedback, must have been incredibly stressful and discouraging. Examining Snapchat’s downfall due to a poorly received redesign highlights the critical role design plays in a product’s success. Interestingly, Instagram’s adoption of stories contributed to Snapchat’s decline, showcasing how designers can iterate on each other’s work, even though ethical concerns may arise.

While I thoroughly enjoyed the episode, I wished for a deeper dive into product design specifics. Perhaps, having worked in the field myself, I felt the episode didn’t explore the UI/UX design process in as much detail as I would have liked, focusing instead on non-design-related aspects. Of course it’s just an episode of a netflix show and made for a broad audience but some more educational facts would’ve been nice. Anyways, this little journey into the life of a typical silicon-valley-head of design was very inspiring to watch!

by georg.kiraly -

Exposé: Master Thesis

Working title = provisional title

A user centered tool to increase the democratic awareness of children and people of younger ages (Generation Z & Alpha)

An exposé provides information about:

1. the problem (Starting point, problem description)

On the one hand, the problem is that political parties in Austria have no idea how to appeal to young voters. On the other hand, interest in democracy and politics is constantly declining. Information is often formulated in a rather complicated way and tends to deter children and young people. A component or rather proof of the lagging behind of political actors is also shown by their social media presence or the survey results of the leading female candidates among under 20-year-olds. For young people, Austrian politics often seems outdated, uninteresting and also often as if the young voter group and its issues are rather unpopular. This opens the gates and receptiveness of young people to populism and sensationalist politics. I would like to get to the bottom of this thesis with my work and find out how young people understand politics and develop and offer an interactive service design for this.

2. state of research

Unfortunately, there is not yet much specialised literature, statistics or other theses that deal with the topic of “politics and youth”.  Although I have already come across a few theses, particularly in the field of journalism and media, there are unfortunately not (yet) many large-scale studies or relevant specialised literature.

3. the question

What is the political awareness of children and young people in Austria and which parameters are decisive for the political success or failure of established parties?

4. the hypothesis resp. the objective

Firstly, I would like to find out more about the current situation and draw a picture of the present. The challenges that political actors face when it comes to the young target group will be analysed. Once the problems have been explained, I would like to present systematic solutions in the form of tools. This could be an app, a workshop idea or a board game/mini-game. It depends on the results of the empirical part of the scientific work. At the moment, I am strongly leaning towards an app that diplomatically categorises complicated political content and explains the basic cornerstones of a democracy. Due to the voting age in Austria (16 years old), I would limit the target group to 13-18 year olds.

5. the reference to theory

In my opinion, there are two fundamental problems that cross-fertilise each other. On the one hand, politics and democracy-related subjects are taught far too late. Young people learn about the Austrian state and the prevailing democratic system in primary school, but they can do little with it at primary school age and then hear nothing more about it for a relatively long time before it is usually referred to again at the age of 14/15. As a result, in addition to the basic subjects of maths, English, German and the like, a subjectively lower prioritisation towards politics and democracy develops. The second problem I see is that children and young people are often taught that politics is an “adult thing” and that most decisions are not made for them but for other age groups. I think this is understandable from a demographic point of view but more than unwise from a social point of view. Issues such as education, sustainability or security are mainly played out by political “extreme parties” (extreme right or extreme left), which I think is a shame. I would like to see political centre parties also focus more on these issues. To cut a long story short: I am curious to see whether my research supports or refutes these theses.

6. the method

Formulate the problem on the basis of existing empirical studies or call out a scientific thesis Develop a type of questionnairem or interview guide Conduct qualitative (and possibly also quantitative) surveys Analyse the results and either substantiate or modify the thesis Incorporate relevant theory (specialist literature, other statistics) Identify possible solutions as an interaction designer Develop/design tool

7. the material

Various specialised literature, surveys/statistics, reports or news articles, videos, other theses

8. (preliminary) bibliography

theres a already a lot of literature available. Detailed titles or sources will be announced soonish.

9. (preliminary) structre

Here I refer to point 6 and add the following:
1. Theory/Empiricism 2. Ideation 3. Practical Part

10. the timetable (project phases and duration)

I expect to complete my work towards the end of the summer. I would categorise the time periods as follows:  1. theory/empiricism – 300 hours 2. ideation – 100 hours 3. practical part – 300 hours

11. Projectteam

At the moment I am on my own, but I can imagine that I will work with schools, teachers or counselling centres in the future.

12. Financing

At the moment, apart from the printing of the thesis, no costs are planned.

12. Risk factors

The risks, as with presumably all scientific work, are as follows: 1. time management – do not spend too much/too little time on the research 2. quality of the work – do not neglect the precise elaboration of the empirical results due to time stress or the like 3. spectrum – it is important to depict several social strata and groups so as not to research only in certain milieus. Otherwise, the research results could be distorted.
by georg.kiraly -

Research Planning Matrix

AimsObjectivesMethodsOutcomesOutputs
To have a closer look on the current status of awareness of younger people towards democracy and develop a tool that improves the current state towards more understanding of democratic values. After the research phase it is planned to develop a user-centered tool that provides information and enhances the understanding of democracy among young or soon-to-be-voters in austria.1. Get a good overview of all the research that is already done and available.
2. Analyze the current situation and define the problem
3. Develop and design a tool that helps solving the problem.
4. Analyze and test the functionality of the developed tool to be able to improve the thesis through an iterative process.		Classic literature research, build up focus groups, eventually online testings/surveys, qualitative interviews in schools or with sociologists or politicians, marketing expertsThe research should lead to a better understanding of the situation and to undermine the idea of this thesis. I’d like to have a closer look onto teenager behaviours when it comes to politics or democratic attitudes. (not only in big scale)The research output should be the detailed definition of a problem in order to be able to start a design process of a tool that will solve or works on the solution of that problem.
by georg.kiraly -

Ontology & Epistemology

I will reflect on those two topics regarding my thesis-topic, in the following two collums.

Ontology:
Exploring the awareness of younger individuals towards democracy involves understanding how young people perceive and engage with the democratic system. It delves into their knowledge, attitudes, and participation in democratic processes. Key elements include examining the influence of factors like education, societal influences, and the political environment. Additionally, temporal aspects such as changes over time and developmental stages within the younger population contribute to shaping their awareness of democracy. This analysis aims to create a structured framework for comprehending the intricate relationships and dynamics associated with this important societal aspect. Once this dynamic or maybe problem is understand its possible work on a problem-solving educational tool.

Epistemology:
In developing a tool to enhance awareness of democracy among younger individuals, I’ll draw on a variety of scientific sources, including papers, books, articles, and statistics. I’ll critically assess the validity and reliability of these sources, considering the methodologies used in research. By integrating findings from diverse studies, I aim to gain a comprehensive understanding of factors influencing awareness. This synthesized knowledge will guide the development of the awareness tool, with ongoing feedback and iterations based on research and user responses. Ethical considerations will underpin the project to ensure accuracy, privacy, and cultural sensitivity. This approach aligns with a dynamic and robust epistemological framework.

by Kris Van Hout -

Impulse #8 – Great Things Are Made Together

For the last semester were we as a group of students are still working together before starting with our master theses, we worked with all four departments (Communication, Media, Sound & Interaction Design). The exhibition included all sorts of projects that we have created over the 1,5 years at FH.

For this exhibition I was one of the tutors who mainly managed the organization of the exhibition. We made an excel sheet with all the needed information. Exhibits, Teams, Budget, Sponsors, Working hours, Meeting protocols, Logistics, Timeline & etc.

At the beginning I thought it would be impossible to organize an event like this in this short time with also working on other projects but in the end it all worked out. I noticed it was stressful not only for me but also for the other students but the result was worth it.

I don’t know if I would do a lot different if we have to do it again. Maybe make a better time schedule for when what need to be done. And divide the work more equally over all students. In the end there were some few students that really made this exhibition happen. And other students that were less motivated. But you will always have that in projects like this. But I learned it is okay to ask for help and you don’t have to do everything on your own and it’s also important to offer help because some people have troubles asking of it.

But with the opening it showed again that we as a group all grew a little bit closer to each other and I think we have a really great team to make stuff together.

Great things are made together.

by madeleine.hurst -

Research Planning Matrix

Aims

My theses aimes to research where UI pattern come from and if they are still the best solution. E.g. Desktop methapor as officetable.

Analysing current design pattern on their usefuleness.

Objectives

I will search in literature for the history of certain patterns. I will analyse the pattern and maybe show alternatives but i will most likely not create new patterns, as planed originally. I will put more effort in analysing and also testing the old pattern with users.

  • Literature research on history of pattern and kultural background of certain UI pattern/interaction pattern
  • Classify UI Pattern (like Mobile, Web, HMI)
  • Identify pattern that are no longer approbriate or pattern that could use a makeover
  • Context Analysis: Analyse what´s not good about this pattern
  • Make some user interview/testing what people think about this (maybe love/hate letters from other UX Designers and normal users.
  • Offer suggestions for a better solution (maybe)

Methods

  • Find information on that topic
  • Interview people how they experience a pattern
  • Analysing

Outcomes

  • Get an inside where changing a pattern might be useful.
  • Knowledge about where and when a pattern is outdated and should be renewed

Outputs

  • Criteria catalog for validating a pattern
by madeleine.hurst -

Ontology and epistemology for UI design pattern

When researching established workflows and user interface (UI) patterns, my assumptions are that familiarity often leads to same solutions. People often tend to stick to existing methods simply because they have become accustomed to them. The same appens with changing User Interfaces. This aversion to change something is a known phenomenon.

By investigating this further, I want to find out why certain approaches are been still used and if there are mor efficient alternatives. The basic questions that intersts me are: Why do we cling to established norms? Could there be a better way to accomplish tasks?

Moreover, this universal resistance to change, also in the context of UI modifications, adds another layer. The aversion to alterations in UIs and workflows might be a recognized aspect of human behavior. But, I think that this reluctance could bereduzed if the suggested changes are beneficial or more user-friendly. Similar to the adoption of innovations such as the social login feature.

My research is going to be mostly based on existing studies and will be pretty theoretical. Maybe I can have a more philosphical approach to it and approach and interviewing different types of users to understand what they think about specific UI patterns. To find out which patterns are known and what people think about them. To get some reliable data on a pattern it has to be tested and maybe compared with an alternative with a high amount of users to find out if the pattern is just useful because it is known or because it is realy intuitiv without explanation.

Recognizing that this study takes a highly theoretical stance, I plan to draw extensively from existing research while infusing a philosophical dimension to enrich the discourse. To gain a comprehensive understanding, I aim to conduct interviews with colleagues, power users, and individuals less experienced with the system. This approach should show the prevailing patterns, feelings and attitudes towards established UI norms.

To really understand a pattern, I’ll test it and maybe compare it to another approach with a lot of users. This will help me figure out if people like a pattern just because it’s familiar or if it’s genuinely easy to use without needing much explanation.

I’m not just interested in what UI patterns are out there, but I want to know why we use them and if there might be better ways of doing things. It’s all about understanding why things look the way they do on our screens and get a broader understanding of design pattern and user behavior.

by Kris Van Hout -

Blog #10 – Topic assignment Master‘s thesis

Central Research Question
What is the best way to make a social media campaign a question that a lot of marketing teams are asking themselves but still don’t have quite clear answer to. Why is a social media campaign valuable for brands? How does a campaign communicate? What is a social media campaign and what does it include? This thesis will mainly focus on short-form-video in social media campaigns and want to find out why do they preform so well and what is the secret behind it.

Goal
The goal of this master thesis is to investigate the impact of design elements (trends, storytelling, camera techniques) in short-form video on social media platforms (Instagram and TikTok), with the aim of providing insights and recommendations for optimizing engagement in social media campaigns. with the focus of the target group Gen Z and Gen Alpha.

Hypothesis:
The use of design elements, such as visual aesthetics, narrative and trends, in short-form video on social media notably influences audience engagement, including views, shares and comments. By understanding these design elements, media designers can enhance the effectiveness of social media campaigns for brand promotion and communication.

Classification in the field of Media Design
This master thesis would be relevant for the field of media design for several reasons:
– Media trends: Short-form content with focus on video is becoming more and more popular on social media platforms. Understanding the role of short films in social media campaigns can provide valuable insight into the media field.
– Engagement and attention: Maintaining audience attention is very important. Short-form video is designed to brief and engaging. Which could be a media design strategy to hold audience interest.
– Visual storytelling: an important element in the field of media design is visual storytelling. Short-form video rely strongly on visual storytelling techniques to deliver a narrative within a short amount of time.
– Brand image and Communication: Social media campaigns are aiming to build and promote a brand. Short-form video can convey a brand’s message in a creative way.

Status of the art in research
Since short form video is quite new, there are not a lot of scientific papers about it. There are a lot of papers and books about traditional marketing where the essence of marketing can be taken from and put those findings in the new form of marketing. Also interviews and best practice will be done about this topic to figure out what the real reactions/results are of certain social media campaigns.

Theory reference
This master thesis can use theoretical references theory in narrative, visual communication, digital media, user engagement, advertising and branding and social media.  

Method
The method will be based on three pillars:

1. Theoretical Framework,
– Conduct literature to establish strong theoretical foundation.
– Identify key theories relevant for short-form video, media design and user engagement on social media.

2. Best practice, Interviews and User feedback
– Case studies on successful short-form video campaigns on social media
– Conduct interviews with professionals in media design and digital marketing
– Collect user feedback through surveys and analyse existing user interactions on social media platforms

3. Implementation to own campaign and analysis
– Design and execute own campaign for Cycling race Acht van Bladel
– Gather and analyse data, Performance, engagement and user interactions
– Compare findings with theoretical framework, best practice and user feedback to draw conclusions

Material and sources
Material that can be used for this master thesis are:
– Academic Journals, for insights into user engagement, visual communication and media theories
– Books, by experts in media design, digital storytelling and social media
– Case Studies, successful social media campaigns that use short-form video
– Interviews and Expert opinions, with professionals in the fields of media design, advertising and digital marketing
– Social media platforms, they often release reports and analytics that can be valuable of understanding user behaviour and engagement.
– Surveys and User feedback, to gather data on user preferences and responses to short-form video on social media.
– Other theses, this can help me with a base for my own research and highlights where I can contribute new insights.

Literature (temporary)
Brown, R. E., Jones, V. K. & Wang, M. (o. D.). The new advertising: branding, content, and consumer relationships in the data-driven social media era. Volume 1 Traditional advertising transformed (Volume 1).

Brown, R. E., Jones, V. K. & Wang, M. (o. D.). The new advertising: branding, content, and consumer relationships in the data-driven social media era. Volume 2 New Media, New Uses, New Metrics (Volume 2).

Coker, K. K., Flight, R., & Baima, D. M. (2017). Skip it or view it: The Role of Video Storytelling in Social Media Marketing. Researchgate.

Structure (temporary)

  1. Title
  2. Abstract
  3. Introduction
    – Background
    – Research Problem
    – Objectives, the specific goals
    – Significance of the study, why is this thesis relevant?
  4. Literature Review
    – Relevant theories such as narrative, visual communication, digital media, user engagement, advertising and branding and social media
    – Identify gaps in the literature that this thesis aims to fill.
  5. Theoretical Framework
  6. Method
    – Theoretical Framework
    – Best Practice, Interviews, User Feedback
    – Own campaign implementation and Analysis
  7. Results/ Data analysis
    – Evaluate
    – Present and analyse the data
    – Interpret the findings
  8. Discussion
    – Compare findings in relation to existing literature.
    – Address any limitations of this study and suggest directions for future research
    – The potential impact of the findings on the field of media design
  9. Conclusion
    – Summary of findings
  10. Recommendations
    – Practical recommendations for media designers, marketers
    – Suggest strategies for optimizing short-form video in social media campaigns
  11. References
  12. Appendices

Timeline[1]
February – March
Weeks 1-2: Refine topic
– Finalize topic, align with interests and goals
– Refine research question
Weeks 3-4: Conduct first literature review
– Begin a literature review, identify key theories related to short-form video, media design and social media campaigns.

April – May
Week 5-6: Develop theoretical framework
– Build theoretical framework based on the literature
– Define key concepts and theories that will guide the research
Week 7-8: Plan best practice analysis and Interviews
– Identify relevant case studies
– Plan and prepare of interviews with industry professionals

June
Week 9-10 Conduct Best practise analysis and interviews
– Analyse successful short-form video campaigns and extract insights
– Conduct and transcribe interviews with industry professionals
Week 11-12 Collect user feedback
– Develop surveys to gather user feedback on short-form video
Week 13-14 Design and implement own campaign (achtvanbladel)
– Develop detailed plan for own short-form video campaign
– Implement the campaign

July – September
Week 15-16 Analyse campaign data
– Analyse data collected from own campaign
– compare them with theoretical framework, best practices and user feedback
Week 17-18 Write draft chapters
– Begin writing thesis chapters, Introduction, literature review, method
Week 19-20 Refine and finalize thesis
– Edit end refine Thesis
– Ensure arguments are well-supported and structure is cohesive.
Week 21-22 Finalize and submit
– Make final revisions and polish thesis.
– Submit the final version of thesis.

[1] ChatGPT is used to create a guidance for a timeline for Topic assignment Master‘s thesis, February 03. 2024

by edwin.lang -

Blog Post – Master Topics Feedback #2

In this blog post I will summarize my conversation with Mr. Martin Kaltenbrunner who is the head of the Tangible Music Lab (University of Arts, Linz) and gave me feedback on my previously discussed ideas for my master thesis. Mr. Martin Kaltenbrunner provided me good insights into conferences and researcher working in the field of embodiment and tangible interaction design.

Conference

The International Conference on Tangible Embedded and Embodied Interaction (TEI) delves into the realm of human-computer interaction, pioneering tools and technologies, interactive art, and user experience. At TEI, the spotlight is on merging atoms and bits to create seamless interactive systems.

Professors

Furthermore, he mentioned Prof. Dr. Eva Hornecker who is currently teaching at the Bauhaus-Universität Weimar in the field of Human-Computer Interaction. According to Mr. Martin Kaltenbrunner, one part of her research is about the Tangible User Interfaces and Education.

Books

Lastly, he mentioned the following book to me as I was released in 2022 and summarizes the entire research field of embodiment and tangible user interfaces very good.

Weaving Fire into Form: Aspirations for Tangible and Embodied Interaction can be found under the following link: https://dl.acm.org/doi/book/10.1145/3544564

by edwin.lang -

Blog Post – Master Topics Feedback #1

In this blog post I will summarize my conversation with Mr. Orhan Kipcak who gave me feedback on my previously discussed ideas for my master thesis.

1. Framing Skepticism Towards Digital Media in a Positive Light

Highlighting the advantages of an analog focus without criticizing digital components.

– Reduction of complexity
– Multisensory experience

Concealing technical components is a notable unique selling point when expressed positively.

2. Defining Users

In the first step, define potential users and their motivations.

“Information measures for politics and large companies”

Potential target groups:

– Museums / Festivals

– Research projects (dissemination and communication to the public)

– Communication for political decisions

3. Establishment

Research funding opportunities and possibilities for establishing a company or a design studio.

4. Biography Tips

My technical studies provide a unique selling point that I can highlight even more. Express how much I enjoyed or gained from the experience.

5. Tips for the Master’s Thesis

Explore usage scenarios for Tangible User Interfaces and Data Visualization.
Make an inventory to identify what is needed – “Starting from the beginning and not the end.”