A presentation I did on designing for digital for http://girlgeekstoronto.com on November 19th, 2013.

1. Hello, my name is
Linda Nakanishi.
@lnakanishi

2. Designers do more than
just make things pretty.

3. So what is design?

4. Design is a method of problem
solving
The simplest definition. Design is so
many things, executed in many different
ways, but the function is always the
same. Whether it’s blueprints, a clever
UI, a brochure, or a chair – design can
help solve a visual or physical problem.
- A Type Primer (pp. vii) : John Kane

5. What’s in a name?

6. Designer titles
Brand designer
UX designer
Interactive designer
Usability designer
Independent designer
Production artist
Graphic designer
Product designer
Multimedia specialist
Print designer
New media designer
Web designer
UI designer

7. The slashie
titles
The ridiculous title
Print/Web Designer
Rock Star Designer
UI/UX Designer
Web Designer/
Web Developer
Pixel pusher
Visionary

8. Graphic Designers
Graphic designers work with
graphical images, whether they be
illustrations, typography, or
images, and on a variety of media
including print and web. Graphic
design is typically rendered in 2D –
printed on a physical surface or
displayed on a screen.
-
Wells Riley’s “Startups, this is how design works.”
Alfred Hitchcock’s Vertigo, designed by Saul Bass

9. Industrial Designers
Industrial designers create physical
products designated for massconsumption
The objective is to study both
function and form, and the
connection between product, the
user, and the environment.
-
Wells Riley’s “Startups, this is how design works.”
Wikipedia
KitchenAid® Artisan Stand Mixer

10. Interaction Designers
Interaction designers, on the other
hand, focus on digital products and
interactive software design. While
graphic design is meant to be
observed, interaction design helps
humans experience or manipulate
software or interface with screenbased hardware in order to achieve
specific goals.
-
Wells Riley’s “Startups, this is how design works.”
Path app www.path.com

11. User Interface Designers
User Interface (UI) designers design
software or websites with the focus on the
user's experience and interaction. The
goal of the user interface designer is to
make the user's interaction as simple and
efficient as possible.
-
Wells Riley’s “Startups, this is how design works.”

12. User Experience Designers
User Experience (UX) designers
"incorporates aspects of psychology,
anthropology, sociology, computer science,
graphic design, industrial design and
cognitive science. Depending on the
purpose of the product, UX may also
involve content design disciplines such as
communication design, instructional
design, or game design."
-
Wells Riley’s “Startups, this is how design works.”
Wikipedia

13. From an article by Kevin Liew

14. From an article by Kevin Liew

15. Four tips for
UI Designers

16. 1.
K.I.S.S.
2. Learn to
code
3. Stay
current
Responsive design (http://mediaqueri.es)

18. 1.
K.I.S.S.
2. Learn to
code
3. Stay
current
Responsive design (http://mediaqueri.es)
4. Inclusive
design

19. Inclusive design needs to
consider
By: Monica Ackermann
Vision
Blind, low vision, age related vision loss, colour blindness
Hearing
Deaf, deafened, hard of hearing
Mobility
Restrictions to mouse or keyboard, fatigue
Cognitive
Memory, problem-solving, concentration, reading, linguistic, and
verbal comprehension

20. Things to improve accessibility
By: Monica Ackermann
Keyboard accessible
Increase clickable areas
Provide visible focus
Use san serif fonts
Avoid moving text and images
Colour contrast checking
(http://snook.ca/technical/colour_contrast/colour.html)

21. Thank you!
www.lindanakanishi.com
mail@lindanakanishi.com
@lnakanishi