• NICOLA BENFELL

    Children's Electronic Book Design for the iPod Touch

    The research behind this project is regarding children's reading on the iPod touch and what design features are required to assist readability. Design features found to be useful through the research have been applied to an electronic book application.

    The application uses Eric Schulman's book 'A Briefer History in Time - from the big bang to the big Mac'. The purpose of the iPod touch application is to implement the research results demonstrating how to enhance the reading experience on small screens. It has been coded largely using HTML5, CSS and JavaScript.

  • JECOBA DENNY

    Interface Design for Children's Electronic Book Catalogues

    The experience that is created through interaction between the user and the content that they are dealing with is often defined by the quality of the interface design which makes this method of communication possible. The various interfaces of current digital devices, are generally not designed in a way that allows a child to interpret and understand their functionality based solely on the visual design, layout and presentation of individual components.

    As a result of the collective evaluation and interface design analysis that was carried out within this investigation, a refined set of clear and supportive guidelines was developed as an accessible means for children's interface designers to use when creating and evaluating their interfaces. These final recommended guidelines can be used by designers with the up most confidence that they were developed upon reputable findings that have been established upon large scale, high quality research; user testing and evaluative research methodologies.

  • AJ FONG

    Creating Environmental Awareness using Design Activism

    My research discovered that graphic design activism could be used as a valuable tool in creating environmental awareness. It covered a range of environmental issues both locally and globally highlighting the need for mankind to change their lifestyles and start living more sustainably.

    For my realisation I have worked with Greens on Campus to create a print based campaign to help promote man-made floating wetlands, aimed at creating environmental awareness amongst the wider student community with the focus being on water quality in the Waikato region.

  • MERICIA HOUGAARD

    Modelling Time in Information Visualisations

    My dissertation explored the way in which time is understood cognitively and how cultural influences may alter the perception of time. It continues looking at "change blindness," that is concerned with the failure of noticing major on-screen visual changes. My new research considers possible links between the type of time data and the method of visualisation.

    This link not only confirms some of the theories explored throughout the dissertation on the interpretations and understanding of the progression of time, but also provides insight into the most effective visual approach to certain types of time data, as applied through my realisation.

  • GRACE JONES

    Expressive Typography in Children's Picture Books

    Hannah's Favourite Place: a book that captures the imagination of a young girl. Her favourite place is portrayed using expressive typography and textured illustrations to seamlessly integrate the type and image, enhancing reader engagement and comprehension of particular words.

    Expressive typography accentuates the typography enabling it to become a part of the visual experience. It perceives the use of typographic conventions such as size variation or type on a path. By placing emphasis on the specific areas of typography, it expands the child's comprehension of the text.

  • STEPHEN SHERMAN

    Visual Web Trends

    Typography and layout are two important features of website aesthetics that have changed drastically over the past two decades. This research project sought to identify the historical development of these visual features, and to ascertain their current state through a cross-sectional case study of fifty websites.

    The result of this research is the Web Style Checker; an open-source jQuery website plugin for web designers and developers. By simply adding a few lines of code to an existing HTML document, the plugin allows designers to quickly and efficiently compare their own web design against current trends, and to receive suggestions for potential improvements.

  • PASCAL TIAN

    3D iPhone Game Design

    A fusion of the fields of Graphic Design and Computer Science, this co-operative project explored the process and challenges of developing an original 3D game concept for the Apple iPhone in a two-person team environment.

    Created on the Unity3D engine, Din focuses on the adventures of lead character Pilo. The player must guide her through a strange, colourless world filled with puzzle-platforming challenges. A core design feature is the exploration of audio as an integral aspect of gameplay.