Tag Archives: app

Interface Design- Week 2

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I have now moved on to designing the interface for my app. I began by sketching a rough design on paper to get an initial idea about what I wanted.

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Once I had my initial design I then moved into Illustrator to recreate my design digitally.

Icon screen

 

Here I have created a mock up of how the icon logo would look on the iOS interface. The logo is simple enough to fit well into the small space required whilst also giving a good idea what the app is about.

Main screen

 

This is my final design for the main interface of the app. I believe it is a successful design as it has many features that make it simple and as easy to use as possible:

The main body of the app taken up by the map that is used to report the location of the crime. I felt that it is the most important part of the design and so I allocated the most space possible. The map will also make use of the pinch to zoom feature that has become common place across most applications that require the user to zoom. However there is also a zoom slider at the top left of he screen for users that are unfamiliar with pinch to zoom.

In order to keep the app as simple and easy to use as possible the main screen contains just four main buttons:

  • Report: when the user spots something that they want to report they press the report button, this will then take them to the application camera for them to take a picture. Once the picture has been taken the thumbnail of their picture will appear on the map and can be dragged to the location that the user took the picture. All the user has to do is press send and the report will be sent to the appropriate authority.
  • Location: The location feature makes use of the GPS function built in to most modern devices. If the user is having difficulty finding their location on the map they can use the location function automatically find where they are on the map
  • Account: The account button takes the user to their personal account where they can view previous crimes that they have reported. from here they can also view notifications that authorities will send once the report has been dealt with. This is one of the most important features of the app as it allows for a greater level of communication between the authorities and the public and lets the public know that the council is acting on reports from the app users.
  • Settings: Allows the user to change the general settings of the app.

I feel that this design is effective in achieving the main goals of the app and successfully allows the general public a simple to use, better platform for reporting minor crimes in their local area as well as creating a better channel of communication between the the public and the local authorities.

Research Activity – Week 1

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As part of my first set of workshops for my Digital Media course I have been given the task of designing an interface for a digital media product that could be used by the local government.
Naturally my first thoughts were to look into the world of mobile apps as they are becoming increasingly versatile and widely available. After some initial research I settled on the idea of designing an app that could serve to help local governments fight crime.

It is estimated that graffiti costs the UK over £1 billion per year to clean up. I have decided to design an app that will aid local councils in better identifying and cleaning up graffiti and vandalism as well as giving the public a better platform to report incidents.

Whilst researching similar existing products I have found the GraffitiSTOP App

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GraffitiSTOP App

The app allows the user to view a map of where graffiti in has been reported in their local area.

Users are also able to use the app to report instances of graffiti by taking a picture and marking the location on a map. This information can then be seen and used by the local authorities.
I think this is a very interesting idea and will use it as a basis for my design.

I have several ideas on how my design could improve on this product.

  • The app could be expanded to enable the user to report other types of minor crime such as vandalism of public property and fly tipping.
  • My design would also implement a response system that allows the local authority to send push notifications and updates to users once the reported problem has been dealt with. This would enable better communication between local authorities and the public.

I know from my own experience that dealing with local authorities can be incredibly frustrating and it can often seem that complaints are lost in a sea of red tape. I believe my app design can cut past a lot of this and greatly increase the efficiency in which these incidents are dealt with.