Project 1
About the Project
The goal of this project is to identify an effective and ineffective communication design for better understanding and creation of it.
Example 1 — Effective Communication Design
This Naked Heat palette was an unprecedented step for Urban Decay’s Naked palette collections. Unlike its predecessors with the name “Naked 1”, “Naked 2”, and “Naked 3”, this Naked Heat palette actually has a clear and distinct name — “Heat”. Just like the name, the packaging itself also has a captivating presence with the vibrant color scheme and lines that reflect the diversity of shades that this palette offers. The radiant red used in the cover is not only attractive, but also express the colors of the palette, allowing the customers to be roughly aware of what the palette may consist of even before they open it.
One of the biggest problem with eyeshadows is that it is very fragile and is susceptible to cracks and damage even with slight turbulence. Consequently, the thick, rectangular case of this palette gives off a sturdy image which will reassure the customers that the colors inside are safe and won’t break easily.
This palette targets women in their 20s and 30s and effectively does so through the alluring aesthetics of the case that also seems functional.
Example 2 — Ineffective Communication Design
It is a well renowned news that the Snapchat update is so appalling that their stocks are falling. First and foremost, the main goal of Snapchat is to allow the users to easily and efficiently share “snaps” of their lives with their friends. As more widgets such as the Discover page and the Map page got added on, it seems as if the main focus on efficient communication has been smeared.
It’s pretty cool how users are able to see where their other friends last snapped someone else through the new location map (screen 4). However, as you can see from screen 1–3 (which are the main 3 screens you see when you open the app), there is nothing that suggests that it leads to the map. There isn’t anything in sight that the user can recognize and press or do to open the map. In fact, I myself did not know that this function existed until months later when I almost dropped my phone and somehow swiped the screen with two fingers while on Snapchat which revealed the map. It was hard to recall how to get to screen 4 for a while until I searched it up on Google. If Snapchat went as far as to make such function, they should have also made it conspicuous and intuitive so that it can be used more frequently by all users.
Additionally, the consistency of the headings are poorly designed. On screen 2 and screen 3, there are headings “Search” and “Discover”, but if you click on it, it shows the exact same dropdown of a bunch of random location, people, and stories. It is unexpected for the two search bars to lead to the same page and also not something that is necessary. Moreover, under the “Discover” heading, there are the “Friends” subheading again which shows all your friends’ stories. There is clearly a screen with the heading “Friends”, but the fact that they chose to put this section again under the “Discover” heading is quite counter-intuitive.
The ambiguous use of notification also interferes with the overall experience of the app. When there is something new on the Discover page, a purple dot pops up next to the staggered rectangles on the bottom right of each page. However, with just that purple dot alone it’s difficult to tell whether it’s a new story upload, a new ‘For You’ recommendation, or if it’s something else. The compact spacing of the content makes it hard for the users to clearly see what they want to see.
