From:         Sarah Fyffe

Subject:    Project 2 Reflection Memo

Date:         October 21, 2014

Attachment:     http://sarahfy.wordpress.com/project2/

Purpose:

For this project, I choose to interrogate the interface, Visme.  I choose Visme because I was interested in how the platform managed to present data in an informative and interesting way.   Through out this project, I gained an appreciation for the company’s goal of solving the world’s information overload issue by engaging users and viewers with interesting and approachable presentations of it’s users content.

I aimed for an A and looked for ways to incorporate the concepts learned in class into my portfolio.  I was also striving for an A with my presentation, though I do not feel that I lived up to the high expectations I had set.  My goal for my essay and presentation was to interrogate the interface as a form of communication by analyzing the various rhetorical, design, and modes of communication featured.  Since the website included a wide variety of how to videos, I did not feel the need to communicate with my reader how to use the interface.

The web essay for this project is incorporated into the WordPress site I created for Project 1.  In order to optimally incorporate the project, I had to make some changes to my WordPress site.  I decided to use color images to emphasize the visual mode and convey the colorfulness of the Visme platform.  I added a submenu to the right hand column of the site to ensure that users could navigate the portfolio.  I included internal links to the various pages, external links to the examples mentioned, attempted to embed my presentation, and incorporated a GIF and images.

Constraints:

My project and web essay were constrained by some of the goals I strove for.  In my presentation, I used the Visme interface and incorporated the gestural animations the platform encouraged.  Generally, I find these features distracting, but I incorporated them to give a better impression of the Visme platform.  Using the Visme presentation prevented my full presentation from appearing on the overhead projector.  Additionally, following the 1/1/5 strategy, limited my ability to compare images on the screen and use the text on the screen to promote the concepts I was attempting to convey.

On my website, I was disappointed that WordPress platform limits the ability of iFrame coding.  The Visme website prides itself off of its sharability and even allows users to copy and paste the coding into their websites.  I used tables to format the information in my WordPress site because I wanted to prevent the pages from being too long.  I appreciate that the tables allowed me to present more information without forcing the user to scroll a lot.  The use of tables prevented me from incorporating large images into the text.

Conclusion:

In conclusion, I found this project to be very informative.  I liked learning about the Visme site and found the critique of the platform as a literary device very informative.  I especially appreciated the interrogation, because it encouraged me to think about the presentation of my WordPress site specifically the layout of Project 2.

I presented in the middle of class.  My presentation did not go as well as I was hoping.  The Visme presentation did not fit on the projection screen.  I did not say all the notes that I had on my notecards and focused more on the design and modes used on the site as a rhetorical design.

Though my site had many constraints I liked Visme better than the other sites presented.  I appreciated the 750Words and Sound Cloud because they seemed to have the fewest limitations and restrictions.  However, I do not fall in the intended audience for either site.  I was not a fan of Masher or WeVideo, after learning more about them.  My personal experience with PicMonkey and its predecessor Picnic have frustrated me.  Creativist and Comic Master seemed utterly pointless to me.  The sites are effectively time drains that fail to operate for an audience.  I did not see the applicability in sharing the designs made on any of the sites.

After writing this review, I wish that I had focused more on the positive of the site I interrogated.  Visme’s key attributes are it’s intuitive usability, multitude of customizable options, and share-ability through generating a URL, embed code, PDF, or print.

What I Did
Today I posted my WordPress Project 2 to be reviewed by my peers. I took a look at 2 of my classmates projects.

Why I Did It
I added my project to the class forum, not only to get feed back on my project, but also because today was the deadline for peer reviews.  I practiced my presentation on the overhead projector, because I was interested in seeing how the project looked, though it is not done.

What I Need To Do
I need to work on my presentation, since I will be presenting next class. On my WordPress Site, I would like to add a better description of what Visme is.

Today I outlined the text that I will be writing for my WordPress project.  Additionally, I filled in the majority of the outline chart we were given in class.

Why I Did It

I realized I had begun my presentation, but failed to think about the pages of the blog I will be creating to present my findings on.  I realized that I am more behind than I thought I was. I hope that over the next 2 days I am able to catch up in time for a peer review.

What I Did Today

I had already started creating an infographic, but switched to a presentation because it will be easier to present.  I outlined my presentation and created the basic slides and headings.  Working with visme.co to create the presentation gave be a better understanding of the platforms affordances and constraints.

Why I Did It

I decided to start working on my presentation, so that I would have it done in time to present.  As I explained above, I additionally decided to use the platform I am interrogating for my presentation to help me understand the website more.

Visme is a application that combines information, graphs, and artwork to convey content to an audience.  Visme can create content in a variety of manners specifically focusing on presentation, infographs, animations, and banners.  I was drawn to the multiple applications that this product provides.  The introduction video, shows the versatility of the site and provides an array of creative ideas for sharing content.  I appreciate that Visme acknowledges there are several ways to address and engage with an audience to share content with them.

I’m sure I will be writing more about the platform, but check it out at http://www.visme.co/.