p1. Identifying Communication Design
Introduction:
Hi! I’m Miranda.
I’m a 4th year studying Mechanical Engineering and pursuing a minor in Intelligent Environments. In this class I hope to learn about skills and techniques that visual designers use, so that I can take them back and apply them to my engineering coursework and beyond. I’m excited to challenge myself creatively and produce interesting and effective work!
Ineffective Example — CMU Shuttle & Escort System
In addition to the public transportation system in Pittsburgh, CMU students living off campus may find it useful to take the campus operated shuttle or escort service to and from campus. However, the system is challenging to navigate as a new student and isn’t very popular among the CMU population. I think the communication design of the system plays a large role in this underutilization. The signs on campus are odd looking, with text placed at an angle that makes it harder to read at a glance and no indication of where to find more information on the service.
I have also found the app that is used to provide the bus schedule to be very confusing. The live tracking feature rarely has worked for me, so it’s hard to tell if I should actually wait for the bus or not. Furthermore, the tables for the bus lines and schedule have been hard to read and the difference between the ‘CMU Shuttle’ and ‘CMU Escort Service’ isn’t made clear to users. I’m not sure why it can’t all be one streamlined system, and the app is far less usable than the Transit app that the city of Pittsburgh employs for their busses. Many students have done redesigns of this system for projects after noticing similar shortcomings as well!
Effective Example — iRobot Notification System
Automation and robotics are increasingly being brought into the home. While I love my Roomba now, I never would have thought to purchase it without a friend’s rave review as I was skeptical of its ability to do the job as well as I could (or better), with less involvement from me. The iRobot app helped make vacuuming fun, which was an unexpected perk of the product. Because the Robot is semi-autonomous, it already feels toy-like or even pet-like. The notifications that tell you when the robot has completed a job or runs into an error play into the idea of the robot as an animated entity. They add an element of fun while providing necessary information in an efficient way, and play into the strengths of the brand and product.
