b. The general plan or outline, the main features, of anything.

You will compose a visual and conceptual interface to the important ideas we have been covering. What are the significant models? Describe the ideas, and illustrate the models, in one interactive hypermedia project. Develop a creative space that develops connections between them. Integrate theory and practice thoroughly.

nodes

Clarify the role of conceptual nodes that develop models of the reference through media, as communication. For visual nodes, explain the operative visual models, and comment on how your design is embodying them. Why are these models important? What is their role as structures of interactive information? Develop explanations and new connections between the nodes.

• [conceptual] Vanevar Bush envisioned the trails of the memex, as a means of representing our, "association of thoughts." The memex code book would store trail names (a form of metadata!), and sets of pairs of locations, joined by the reader/trailblazer's personal sense of significance.
• [conceptual] Borges garden of the forking paths is a labyrinth, in which all potential futures exist.
• [conceptual] Duchamp's Fountain demonstrated the power of context in the interpetation of found objects, and began the postmodern era of authoring by reference, instead of creating singular masterworks.
• [conceptual] Ted Nelson posited hypertext as nonsequential writing, the zippered list as an essential datastructure, and fantics as an approach to knowledge construction and presentation.
• [conceptual] Library science offers the surrogate, an object that stands for another object, and lets us know how to obtain it. In a digital collection, each information resource is represented by a hypermedia surrogate. Thus a collection of resources is represented by a collection of surrogates.

  With combinFormation, Kerne and the Interface Ecology Lab use mixed-initiative composition of image and text surrogates to represent collections of information resources. This node should include a utilziation of combinFormation, either by publishing a saved composition space, or by linking a set of seeds.

• [conceptual] Baudrillard observes the decline of the physical and the emergence of the virtual, the hyperreal world of proteinic networks that we inhabit. He contextualizes this amidst the transition of economic production of exchange value from objects to meanings.
• [visual] Itten synthesizes physics, cognition, and the history of artistic practice to create a theory of color harmony.
• [visual] Tufte provides visual strategies for presenting complex information and making relationships clear. He warns of the pitfalls of 1+1=3.
• [visual] Meggs presents explicit and implicit grid structures that organize space.

Construct a conceptual nexus, a personal conceptual interpretive interface ecosystem which connects these frames of reference. An ecosystem is an integrated collection of elements that are strongly connected. An ecosystem is characterized by relationships among elements, more than by the individual elements themselves. Build your interface about hypermedia, using hypermedia. Give attention to each aspect of the assignment, and to their ensemble of interrelationships. Develop the flows between them. This requires both a vision of the whole, and attention to lots of little details. Your interface ecosystem defines an experience for those who interact with it.

Integrate your own personal experience. Express yourself! Draw on materials from your journals and popular media. Possible materials include the wars on Iraq and terrorism, sports and the Super Bowl, movies and tv, pop music, fashion, and the job market (but dont be limited by these). Be as specific as possible!!! Quote from the web. Develop clear analysis of what you are drawing from, and how it relates to the concepts you are developing.

interaction design

How will people interact with the materials? How can the site be playful, and communicate ideas? Think of games, exhibits, visualizations, and any important prior experiences. Use techniques such as onmouseover, onmouseout, and hover to transform styles, text, images, visual presentation. Be creative.

visual design

Create a clear visual design for the project as a whole. Use color theory, layering, and grid structures. Use space clearly. Design text intentionally. What metaphors can extend through the work, to help you convey your underlying themes?

iterative design process

In the course of working on developing your assignment, you will get feedback. Some will come in class; some outside. Some will come from the teacher; some from classmates. Also, as you are working, engage your friends with prototypes. Iterate your concept and design in response to feedback.

For some examples of prior work by students on a similar (but somewhat different!) assignment, check out the must see! exhibition.

evaluation criteria

• clarity of concept
• conceptual and visual layering; balancing of information elements
• user experience: sense of delight, play, and/or whatever matches your concept
• visual design: use of color, space (e.g. underlying grid structures), typography
• interaction design: affordances, mappings, feedback
• clear, sensible and interesting navigation
• creativity and originality
• structure of css and javascript code

 

The midterm is due as a series of installments, which embody an iterative design process.