Marie Ramsay

Studying Interaction Design in Atlanta, Ga / Currently studying abraoad in Belfast, UK/ Scroll to discover my updates on my most recent projects / MarieRamsay.com

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UXComm Journey

Mindmap

I began the journey by creating a mindmap. 

People aren’t paying sky high tuitions at universities - both traditional and non-traditional - every year for fun. They are doing it with the end goal of getting a job. So the question was, how can this UX school help student achieve that goal. 

Based on my experiences as a student studying UX as well as looking at the experiences of people with careers in UX (via LinkedIn, Instagram, and blogs), I identified 3 “pillars” that I wanted to build my school on.

Learning because well...its a school. Students need to learn certain theories and methodologies in order to successfully begin a career in UX. So I began exploring how can this UX school educate effectively relay information to its student and then measure how well they have received the information.

Community because one of the most consistent things I’ve seen is the idea that a lot of learning comes through discussion with others. Even in traditional classes, the classes I’ve enjoyed and learned the most from were those where there were a lot of discussions. Every teacher I’ve had and UX professional I follow online always stress the importance of networking and connecting with other UXers. Projects in classes usually have some element of teamwork. So the challenge was how to bring those elements into an online learning environment. 

The last pillar is Portfolio. Every single job UX job post I have ever seen has required its applicants to submit a portfolio. Portfolios are used to showcase applicants' skills and potential ability to do the job. So it thought it important for 

Meet The Users

My next step was to take a look at who my user would be. My target demographic are students who otherwise be studying at a traditional university. So the age group I considered first was 18 - 25. To create personas of these users, I looked at LinkedIn and Instagram profiles of people studying UX. 

Mackenzie: 

“I know I would like a carrer in UX Design but I don’t have the money for tuition fees at a University. Even if I did, I work and don’t have time to attend traditional classes nor do I want to wait 4 years before I can begin my career. I like the idea of taking a class on a platform like SkillShare or Udemy, but how do I know I am getting a quality education?”

Ryan: 

“I went to school for graphic design. At the company I worked for previously, I was able to work on a project with a team of UX Designers. Their work was really interesting and I’m now considering a career change. I’m not ready to commit to paying for an education but I would like to learn about the field and what a career as a UX Designer looks like.”

How Might We...

After creating my personas and identifying their goals, I then began considering how the UX School could help its user achieve their goals. 

...Help Mackenzie?

Mackenzie’s main concerns were price, time, and quality. 

To address financial concerns my idea was to offer flexible payment plans and different course options with varying prices. 

As far as time, because this is an online platform, students will largely be learning through video lessons. Classes would be offered and run through a set period, similar to a semester in University. But rather than having several small projects, classes would culminate in a single final project that student will have all semester to work on. 

Ensuring students would receive quality education should a priority of any school. UXComm could do this by hiring mentors who are experienced design professionals. In Georgia Universities, professors are required to have AT LEAST a Master’s degree in their field. This means someone who received a graduate degree in design 1 year ago has a better chance of becoming a professor than someone with a bachelor's degree and  10+ years of leadership experience in the design field. And when you consider that many UXers did not enter the field with a degree in UX Design...well Universities are missing out on a lot of opportunities. So for UXComm, I thought hiring mentors who have both educational qualification as well as experience with proven success should be a priority. UXComm could also have partnerships with well-known and respected design-focused companies (like Adobe, Invision, etc.) that would add a layer of credibility.  

...Help Ryan?

Ryan’s goal was exploring the field without making a commitment. 

I believe the community aspect of UXComm would be beneficial to Ryan. As a free member of UXComm, he would have access to the community page. He could participate in the UX Challenge which would give him the opportunity to work on a project with other designers. He could also discover events (conferences, meetups) and resources (books, webinars, podcasts). 

About the UX Challenge: 

The UX challenge would be a bi-annual competition that would be open to UXComm members. UX Comm could partner with non-profit organizations who need some sort of online platform. Challenge participants could form teams with other members of the community and compete to have their design chosen. As a reward, they might receive job/internship opportunities, scholarships, recognition, or discounts for conferences, UXComm, classes, or even design tools like the Adobe creative suite. 

Looking For Inspiration

My next step was to look at how similar platforms have helped its users achieve similar goals. 

 For the learning aspect, I not only looked at other online learning platforms (Skillshare, Udemy, FutureLearn, Coursera, etc.) but also video streaming platforms like Netflix and Youtube. I looked at these because I knew much of the learning would happen through video lessons and these platforms do a good job of keeping their users engaged. 

Looking for inspiration for the community was interesting. Most online learning platforms I looked ar lacked a strong community presence. They only had a comment section were students (and teachers) could interact with each other. So I turned to other platforms that focused on community. I took a look at Reddit, Facebook, Goodreads, Slack, Skype, and Eventbrite. 

For the portfolio, I looked at Dribble, Tumblr, Behance, Awwwards, UI Movement, and SiteInspire. All of these platforms focus on showcasing designers work. 

Sketching It Out

With my research complete, I then began considering what UXComm might look like and how it might function. 

Building The Prototype

This part was the most challenging for me. I had an idea of how I wanted the UI to look but struggled with bringing to life. It was easy enough creating the main elements, but when it came down to creating buttons, icons, deciding on the color and font...well it was interesting. I have all of the main pages on the navigation bar built as well as few microinteractions.

Follow the link below to see my prototype (so far...)

https://xd.adobe.com/view/884c4189-4041-4833-55b8-049f4b8ff7a6-fe7d/?fullscreen

What’s Next

Although I am submitting this, I already know that there are some improvements I want to make. 

I would like to fether develop the community page so I can showcase what the UX Challenge and the Feed would look like. 

I would also like to use Adobe After Effects to add animation to the design. 

I’m also not completely happy with the colors I’ve chosen. 

While building my UX school, I discovered another user that I felt important to consider. I named this user Elizabeth. Elizabeth is not a typical user because she is not a student but she is important nonetheless. She is a recruiter. She’s the one looking to hire the UX school’s students. I think it was important to think about how the UX school would point these recruiters in the direction of its students and how they would showcase them. While I didn’t get so far as to actually build a prototype of this I have considered how this might look and plan to add it as a further develop the project for my portfolio. 

I would also like to try to design an app to accompany the desktop version. 

Overall Takeaway

This was definitely the most challenging project I have ever had and I’m really glad I was able to have this experience before graduating. In past projects, I usually worked on with a team and my focus has always been on research, strategy, coding, or writing reports. This was my first time being so involved in the actual development of the UI design. I really enjoyed the challenge of bringing my ideas to life on my own. Doing this project has given me the confidence to develop some ideas I’ve had floating around in my head and see how I can make them a reality. 

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IXD 104 Links

Infographic

Final Submission 

Travel App

Final Submission

Master Apprentices

First

Second

Third

Fourth

Hello

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Master-Apprentice 

Oops! I realized I forgot to actually upload my second MA. Which is surprising because this is the one I am MOST proud of (although I now see a mistake I made on it - I’ll fix it later). The top one is mine and the bottom is the Master. 

I’ve learned a lot form doing these Master-Apprentices and I will be continuing to do them to improve my UI and graphic design skills. Look forward to more in the future!

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My infographic so far...

What I like

I really like how my infographic is looking so far. Even though they are somewhat washed out here, I really like how the colors are working together (check out link for a better look). I think that if a reader glanced at the it, they would be able to get a good idea of what is being discussed. 

In my previous project, GeoKids, I created a character called Geo that acted as a guide through the app. That was my first time really doing digital illustration and I really enjoyed it. So I was looking forward to creating the icons for this project. I think they turned out pretty well! 

Things I Need To Work On

In the first section, where I break down the debt by age, I need to add a graphic for ages 50-59. I still need to add the text content for the third section. And I feel like there is a bit too much text in the infographic overall so I’ll work on reducing that. 

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Infographic - Icons

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I’m using colors as the main way to guide my reader through the infographic. The infographic will begin with informing readers about the student debt situation. It ends discussing solutions people can use to find debt relief. So the colors on top are dark to indicate the problem and then end with lighter shade of blue to indicate a sort of “light at the end of the tunnel”. Color is also used to break up the different sections.  

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Infographic - Colors

This will be the color palette for my infographic. My topic is student debt in the USA. so I was debating using shades of green for money or colors from the American flag. I decided to go with the Flag colors because I could use shades of blue and then red for a pop of color.

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Current layout for my infographic

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Looking at Layouts

I like how this one used color to break up their content into 4 distinct sections. Each section addresses a common concern or belief about blood donation. The concern is in stark (and tasteful)  contrast to the background making it easier for viewers to scan for the one that applies to them and read it.  This would be ideal for my infographic because I’m planning on doing this by asking 4 questions and answering those question with the data I’ve collected during my research. I have 4 questions, so I want four distinct sections. 

In class, we talked about creating a hook for our infographic. Meaning a visual that will draw the viewers eye and hook them into reading. I plan for my hook to be concerning the amount of debt that America has. I think that shocking figure would generate interest. 

I think it would interesting to explore a more a horizontal layout and have the viewer read left to right or up and down. But I know that most infographics have a vertical format which is ideal since most infographics are consumed on the web. It would also be better for me to stick with the vertical format because I have a relatively large amount of information to share and horizontal scrolling could quickly become irritating. 

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Infographic - Topic Research

1. What is the U.S. student debt crisis?

Total Student Loan Debt: $1.56 trillion

Americans with Student Debt: 44.7 million

The average graduate has $37,172 in student loan debt.

Breakdown by age:

< 30-years-old: 16.8 million

30-39: 12.3 million

40-49: 7.3 million

50-59: 5.2 million

60+: 3.2 million

2. Why is there so much student debt?

The rising cost of education: Tuition & Fees at 4 Year Public Universities Over A 30 Year Period

88-89: $3,360 | $9,480 (with room & board)

98-99: $5,020 | $12,000  (with room & board)

08-09: $7,560 | $16,460  (with room & board)

18-19: $10,230 | $21,370  (with room & board)

Rising Cost VS. Stagnant Wages

Cost vs. Aid

$29,916 for a school where tuition and room and board totals $40,580.

Schools usually offer between 60 to 85 percent of need

At schools where only Federal aide is offered, the average package is $13,218 per person.

Taking longer to pay off debt or not paying at all

Student debt currently has the highest 90+ day delinquency rate of all household debt.

More than 1 in 10 borrowers is at least 90 days delinquent

it seems likely that by 2023, about 40% of borrowers may default on their student loans, amounting to about $560 billion in unpaid debt.

No completing a degree

Nationally, 60% of people who start at a four-year institution wind up graduating within the next six years.

Disadvantaged Groups

The students from the poorest families are forced to take on the highest amount of debt.

Women hold 2/3 of all student loan debt in the United States, and since they still earn less than men make for comparable work, women are paying off their loans slower which means more interest payments incurred.

3. How does this debt affect the average American?

delay decisions about marriage and children.

lowers the probability of enrollment in a graduate or professional degree program

It increases the likelihood of living with parents and delays or reduces the chances of owning a home.

Beyond being burdened by outstanding credit, they have trouble saving money for a down payment on a home, not to mention satisfying a lender’s debt-to-income ratio

· 80% of participants ­— with average debt loads of $87,500 versus average annual incomes of $60,000 — said their student-debt obligations prevented them from saving for retirement.

· 59% said they couldn’t make large purchases because of their student-loan bills and 56% said they couldn’t buy a home

65% said their monthly student-loan bills were bigger than their food budget

· 56% said their monthly student-loan bills were more than health insurance

Millenials

About 75 percent have some form of debt

25 percent have no personal savings.

Two-thirds say they would have difficulty paying an unexpected bill of $1,000. More than one-third say debt has forced them to put off buying a home

30 percent say they have put off saving for retirement

16 percent say they have put off having children

4. What can you do to get debt relief?

Decide which repayment plan works for you

Pay as you earn

This caps monthly payments at 10% of your monthly income for up to 20 years if you can prove financial hardship. The criteria can be tough, but once you’ve qualified, you may continue to make payments under the plan even if you no longer have the hardship.

Income-Based Repayment Plan

Stretches out payments between 20 and 25 years and caps your payments at 10% to 15% of your take-home pay. Balance left on the loan is forgiven. This is a good option for people who are in low-paying fields but have a higher amount of debt.

You can do so by working in the government or non-profit sector, applying for the income-based repayment plan, joining the military or working in a certain profession like teaching or nursing.

Graduated repayment

Increases your monthly payments every two years over the ten-year life of the loan. This plan allows for low payments early on, accommodating entry-level salaries and assuming you will get raises, or move on to better-paying jobs, as the decade progresses.

Extended repayment

allows you to stretch out your loan over a longer period of time, such as 25 years rather than ten years, which will result in a lower monthly payment.

Consider Consolidation

Often lowers the weight of your monthly payments burden and lengthens payoff period.

Important to compare rates and terms.

Will lose right to the defer and income-based repayment plans that are attached to some federal loans.

Public Service

If working in the public sector can have loans forgiven. This can mean working for the government or a non-profit.

Will have to make 120 payments (10 years) before qualifying. Not all types of loans qualify, so you should check with the Department of Education if yours is on the list.

Up to $65,000 of loans can be forgiven through the Military College Loan Repayment Program (MCLRP.) This figure depends on the length of time you serve your contract with the military, and the level of forgiveness depends on which branch of the military you join. In order to qualify for the MCLRP, you must be a new recruit or you must reenlist.

Forgiveness for Professionals

Certain loan forgiveness programs are tailored to help solve a labor shortage in specific fields. These include teaching and nursing.

For teachers to qualify, they must be working in a participating school for at least five consecutive years.

Nurses, on the other hand, qualify for as much as 60% forgiveness if they work in a qualifying area for two consecutive years. If that is extended to the third year, then the program will forgive another 25% of the student debt. The caveat is that you need to work in an area that has a very high need for trained nurses and hold a license to practice nursing

Extreme Circumstances

In some extreme circumstances, you may be able to apply for forgiveness, cancelation or discharge of your student loan. You could be eligible if your school closed before you finished your degree, you become totally and permanently disabled or paying the debt will lead to bankruptcy (which is rare).

Sources:

https://www.forbes.com/sites/zackfriedman/2018/06/13/student-loan-debt-statistics-2018/#255180ec7310

https://studentloanhero.com/student-loan-debt-statistics/

https://www.cometfi.com/student-loan-debt-statistics

https://www.topuniversities.com/student-info/student-finance/how-much-does-it-cost-study-us

https://trends.collegeboard.org/college-pricing/figures-tables/tuition-fees-room-and-board-over-time

https://qz.com/1367412/1-5-trillion-of-us-student-loan-debt-has-transformed-the-american-dream/

https://www.cnbc.com/2017/05/18/three-ways-to-avoid-the-death-spiral-of-defaulting-on-your-student-loans.html

https://www.usnews.com/education/blogs/the-college-solution/2011/02/22/how-to-measure-a-colleges-financial-generosity

http://fortune.com/2018/10/17/student-loan-debt-crisis/

https://qz.com/1367412/1-5-trillion-of-us-student-loan-debt-has-transformed-the-american-dream/

https://www.investopedia.com/articles/personal-finance/051214/debt-forgiveness-how-get-out-paying-your-student-loans.asp

https://www.investopedia.com/articles/personal-finance/082115/10-tips-managing-your-student-loan-debt.asp

https://www.marketwatch.com/story/what-student-debt-does-to-people-its-not-pretty-2018-11-14

https://www.experian.com/blogs/ask-experian/state-of-student-loan-debt/

https://knowledge.wharton.upenn.edu/article/student-loan-debt-crisis/

https://www.fairobserver.com/region/north_america/student-loan-debt-crisis-college-education-tuition-american-news-24039/

https://www.washingtonpost.com/opinions/americans-are-drowning-in-student-loan-debt-the-us-should-forgive-all-of-it/2018/06/19/82565218-7314-11e8-9780-b1dd6a09b549_story.html?noredirect=on&utm_term=.fc4a0578f0b1

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Infographic - Topic

I’ve decided to move forward with looking at Student Debt in the U.S.

I plan on breaking it down into 4 parts.

Taking a look at what the U.S. educational debt is and who owes it

Why does the U.S. have so much educational debt?

How this affects the average American?

What can be done?

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Master - Apprentice 

The top one is the Master, the bottom one is mine. I’m pretty unhappy with this one and will try it again. This biggest struggle for me was the pie chart. It was easy enough making a pie chart, but once it was made I couldn’t figure out how to resize it. I also now notice that the squares in the key have rounded corners and mine don’t. I also couldn’t get the drop shadow right on the border circle and white background, so I left it out. I will revisit this one but wanted to get it posted. 

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Master - Apprentice 

The first one is the Master and the second one is mine. I think I did alright but there’s definitely room for improvement. Struggled with the colors though. Still getting used to using gradients in my designs. I think mine is a bit hard on the eyes. And the drop shadow is a bit off. 

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Possible Infographic Topics

For this project, I am required to create an infographic that relates to population. Below is a list of topic I might be interested in exploring. 

Debt in America 

Comparing debt between different age groups. How can people who are struggling with debt find relief? 

Population Growth Through Time & Effects on the Environment 

We know the human population is growing and global warming is a thing. How do the two intersect? 

Biggest Causes of Death in America 

Death is always a morbidly interesting topic. And a lot of causes of death in America are somewhat preventable. Informing people about these causes and how they can be prevented. 

Comparing Education

Since I’m studying abroad in Northern Ireland, it’d be interesting to University education in NI vs USA.     

Industries Dominated by Men 

What industries are dominated by men and what barriers exist to women entering those fields? How can those barriers be removed? 

Immigration in America 

A huge topic in American news these days. Interesting to look at popular beliefs about immigration and see if they are true or not.  

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14 Infographic Design Do’s & Dont’s

I’ve never made an infographic before. So I did some research and there are plenty of sites out there that providing great advice about constructing one. I wanted to make it easier for me to remember and use all of the information I learned so I created this list do’s and don’ts. They come from various designed oriented sites (sources listed at the end) as well as my notes from class lectures. (Will add images later!)

1. DO Identify The Goal of Your Infographic 

Having a goal for the infographic can help drive the design. This means considering what you want to tell your audience and what you want them to take away after interacting with your infographic - Take action? Learn something new? Proceed accordingly. 

2. DO Your Research

You can’t have an infographic without information. and the information will come from research. Be sure to use relevant (i.e. on topic and not out-of-date) information and reliable sources.

3. DO Compose a compelling title

One of the first things an audience will see is the title. If they are searching for it in a browser, they may the title before they see any of your visuals. It should be catchy, compelling, and descriptive.

4. DO Tell A Story

Data tells a story. Consider what story you want to tell your audience. This can help drive the design of the infographic by focusing the information you include and how you organize that information. Have a beginning (introduce the problem), a middle (data), and an end (call to action).

4. DON’T Forget who your audience is

Knowing your audience and what their expectation might be will help guide design choices, from color, the type of imagery, typography, and the type of information you present (numbers, stories, photographs, etc.)

5. DO Create a Wireframe 

Creating a wireframe and outline for your infographic can help you organize your story and design details. Be sure to use a grid to help keep elements aligned and create even margins and spacing to avoid visual tension. 

There are various types of infographic layout you can consider depending on the kind and amount of information you want to display. 

6. DO Keep it simple

Don’t over design it just for the sake of it. Make all of your information and design elements have a relevant purpose. Limit the number of colors and types you use. 

7. DO Show DON’T Tell

When you can, use visuals to display your data and tell your story. Support those visuals with meaningful text. Don’t use text as the main feature. Viewer should be able to take a quick look at your infographic and its visuals and be able to tell what the general idea is. 

8. DO Follow data visualization best practices

Different types of data require different types of charts. For example, something happening over time should be happening displayed on a line graph, not a bar graph. Also, make sure the composition of your charts follows best practices. For example, on a bar graph, the data should go from high to low. On pie charts, the larget number should be at 12 o’clock and data should go from greatest to least either clockwise or counterclockwise. Following rules like these allow viewers to glance at your charts and quickly understand what’s going on.

9. DON’T Be afraid of white/ negative space 

Crowded infographics overwhelm viewer and make it difficult to understand information. That’s why leaving negative space around your design elements is so important. Negative space can also be used to break up your content and create a hierarchy so viewers don’t miss important information.  

10. DO Guide the eye

Use your design elements to guide the viewer through your infographic. These can be directional arrows, color, background design, text, numbers, etc. 

11. DO Use Contrast 

Contrast can be used to create information hierarchy, highlight important information, catch a viewers eye, make things more readable, and guide the viewer. Contrast can easily be created with color and typography. 

12. DO Use color effectively

Decide on a color palette before creating your infographic. Color can set the tone of your infographic, reinforce a brand, and break up content. Be sure to use colors in a way that make things readable and don’t cause eye strain to the viewer.  Stick to a couple of main colors and a couple of accent colors.

13. DO Be consistent 

Consistency is key. Be consistent with your colors, typography, iconography, style, and message. 

14. DON’T forget to credit your sources

Crediting your sources adds credibility. Sources can be subtly interweaved throughout the design or done at the bottom of the infographic. 

Sources: 

https://venngage.com/blog/infographic-design/

https://www.impactbnd.com/blog/12-eye-catching-infographic-design-tips

https://www.smashingmagazine.com/2011/10/the-dos-and-donts-of-infographic-design/

https://medium.com/eastwick-digital-marketing/6-dos-and-donts-for-designing-infographics-that-work-e332931e3b6d

https://venngage.com/blog/9-types-of-infographic-template/

https://venngage.com/blog/how-to-choose-the-best-charts-for-your-infographic/

https://color.adobe.com/explore/?filter=most-popular&time=month

https://venngage.com/blog/infographic-design-the-dos-and-donts-of-color-selection/

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A History of Infographics

This will be my first time creating an infographic so I’ll begin by getting a better understanding of them by looking at their origins. 

Infographics Through Time:

Cave paintings were considered the first infographic because they used images to visualize a concept and make it easy to understand. They depicted stories or lessons, maps, and major events such as volcanic eruptions or battles.

The history and culture of ancient Egyptian civilization are preserved through what are called Hieroglyphics. These “infographics” depicted ancient Egyptians' daily lives. they included images to represent objects and ideas, as well as written language to represent sounds.

Christoph Scheiner created what’s commonly known as the first infographic in 1626 to track the sun’s path. It can be seen in his book Rosa Ursina sive Sol.

William Playfair expanded upon the idea of an infographic by making them more visually appealing. Playfair had a career creating patents, so he developed excellent drafting and picture-drawing skills. He used his skills to create graphics to convey complicated concepts and ideas. His work in the 1750′s marked the beginning of the use of line graphs, bar charts, and pie charts.

Playfair is widely known for creating a chart showing the relationship between the price of wheat in the UK and the cost of labor. He did this to show that the rising wages were not the cause of the rising cost of wheat. The chart showed they were rising at vastly different rates. 

In 1829, André-Michel Guerry created 3 maps of France and used shading to illustrate crimes in different areas. This was called the Moral Statistics.

Slave Maps

During the American Civil War, Union military leaders used an infographic to devise a strategy to invade Virginia.

The federal Coast Survey created a map of Virginia that depicted the slave populations in each of the state’s counties. Shading was used to depict salve population density. The Union used the map to determine that West virginia was more likely to put up less of a fight and may even switch sides because there wasn’t much slavery there. 

Florence Nightingale served as a manager and trainer of nurses during the Crimean War. She was in charge of organizing care for wounded soldiers and believed that more deaths were caused by poor conditions than by battle-related wounds and used infographics to present her case to Queen Victoria to advocate for better conditions for the soldiers. 

My Takeaway

Although the infographic discussed in these articles look very different from the infographics of today, it was really interesting to see how they were practically used. These infographics helped make daily life better, saved lives and preserved history. 

Sources: 

https://visme.co/blog/what-is-an-infographic/

https://www.smithsonianmag.com/history/surprising-history-infographic-180959563/

https://www.core77.com/posts/27138/Throwback-Thursday-The-First-Infographics-On-the-Moon

http://baryon.be/blog/2017/04/4-historical-infographics-that-changed-the-world/

https://gizmodo.com/these-250-year-old-charts-and-graphs-were-the-very-firs-1445388576

https://charting-ahead.corsairs.network/iconic-visionaries-of-design-william-playfair-1e01fdd727fe

http://obizmedia.com/cavemen-the-first-infographic-masters/

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I used the skills I learned from the first @vectorslate video I watched to create this graphic for a website I’m working on 😁