Winter Blog #4 – Collaboration Styles

Hearing Joe speak today on the array of scenarios that can occur when working as apart of a larger team, it reminded me of my days working in theatre production on a design team.

Working on any given show is a director, the design team, management, administration, producers, crew, etc. etc. Not to mention actors! Working within the design team has it’s own dynamic including benefits and challenges, but functioning as part of that larger whole creates a whole different dynamic.

While I’d like to think that being a member of the design team, we’re all on equal footing– similar to the ideal “partner” approach that Joe outlined, but in reality I’ve experience it’s a lot more like the “support” relationship, where the design team is supporting the director’s vision above all else, and working within the constraints given by administration and management teams.

I think any collaborative form is going to have challenges that come along with the project, but ultimately coming from a theatre background with experience working on a production team, I feel I’m so much more equipped for creative collaboration in this program and moving forward. It’s all about balance and being able to put your own ideas and ego aside for the betterment of the project! And I think regardless of an equal “partner” or more complex “support” relationship on a project, the most important thing is creating an effective final product at the end of the day and respecting other members of the team through that process.

Storytelling with Augmented Reality

Paolo Tosolini’s work with emerging technologies and particularly with AR is something I never really considered as being a big interest to me personally, but after seeing all the possibilities for storytelling through these new technologies it’s really changed my perspective and opened my eyes to all the things made possible when you use the technology as an art form.

In today’s lecture I was most drawn to the content Paolo shared that involves 360 virtual tours, and how augmented reality can be used as an alternative to travel. Especially during a time where most of us are stuck indoors and left only to daydream about the places we’d like to visit, this is such an exciting use of technology that I’d never really considered much!

I dug a little deeper into Paolo’s website and found myself falling down the rabbit hole, watching a few of his highlighted 360 VR/AR tours. The portal to Italy in particular is so interesting to me, and I love that it’s not just 360 footage of popular sightseeing spots. The user actually is able to step through a portal and be “transported” into these new locations. The storytelling element here is so appealing, and I’d love to work on a project incorporating a similar concept.

Marketing a Board Game

Jessica Aceti’s guest lecture last week showed how diverse the world of board games can be. There really is a game out there for every audience and that appeals to every interest. One of the campaigns she spoke about that really peaked my interest was for the “Godzilla: Tokyo Clash!” board game that came out this past year.

The video preview/promo she showed us does such a great job of getting across (in a matter of seconds!) what the tone of this game is, and with only a few bits of text conveys the main plot and goal of the game. Especially when juxtaposed with the promo she showed for a game geared toward younger audiences, the Godzilla promo definitely gets the point across that this is for a more mature audience, looking for a complex and epic board game adventure.

I also think there’s something to be said for the extra thought that must go into launching a new product during these strange times we live in. The game came out in August of 2020, and I feel like based on the preview materials and what Jessica spoke about in class, they did a really good job of marketing an immersive and fun escape in the form of a board game.

UX Voting System Redesign: Elevator Pitch

The current voting system in the US is in need of a redesign, and who better to take on the job than a talented UX designer with a team of empathetic, creative problem-solvers with a passion for accessible design. I believe I meet that description to a T, and as someone with a lot of ideas on the subject, and who is a proactive, team-player, I assure you I’d be an invaluable asset in coming to a successful and equitable design solution.

The current voting system is archaic at best. Looking at the record-breaking voter turn-out in this year’s election, it’s clear that mail-in voting is the future. But I think the process of mail-in voting can be made more accessible, more equitable, and into more of an experience for voters. People should be excited about exercising their right to vote, and I believe voting materials should embody that– they can be official, secure, straightforward, but still really cool-looking! As a part of the design team taking on this challenge, I know I’d be a key contributor to the final product.