Friday, November 20, 2009

project #3: a filter for relevance—final interface...

Some questions I've been asking myself:

• Could a filter be developed to visually show relevance?
• Are there different ways an interface might display complex information without using hierarchical lists?
• Can a designerly language feel authentic to an existing web forum community?

I wanted to examine the ways in which information can be delivered to a user, and the ways in
which that user can interact with information. The three different kinds of elements within this interface enable users to reconfigure the information by large categories, forum members and specific food items. The user is also able to scroll through the landscape and turn filters on and off to privilege the different kinds of information.

By limiting viewing access to a small frame of the greater landscape, I am beginning to examine how interface can help a user prioritize and focus. I am also exploring different ways connections can be visualized within different kinds of information.

This is the final version of my filter for relevance. Each iteration has been exceptionally different from each other (especially the visual qualities), but the basic concept for each is actually very similar. In this version, I have created an interface entirely out of typography. The user comes to the site and is able to open a "drawer" to view the site content with a different lens. The user is able to navigate through the site content in a very different way, allowing for spatial/proximity relationships to be more evident, and enabling the user to explore and discover.

A Filter for Relevance.... from Liese Zahabi on Vimeo.



Does this really allow a user to filter for relevance? I'm still not sure. I think I will need to do more explorations and iterations to see.