So for my midterm, I have gotten the functionality of the theme to work. So my next steps are as follows adding the CSS styling elements to make the website look like my prototype. Adding a new feature on the wireframe of transcribing the podcasts and adding additional elements. I want to add all features on my wireframe to the theme and then end off by adding the style elements. I belive I can accomplish this before the deadline.
For the midterm I have created a working theme, that has implemted the homepage. A you can see none of the posts are hard coded but actual posts taken from the front end of Wordpress. This is a big accomplishment in the functionality of the WordPress theme. I have also put a link in the orange button that opens the site but only when local is running on my computer.
I have gotten Wordpress to recognize my template as a theme that a user can download and use themselves. I have also attached an image of style.css code that makes it possible to name your theme and add an image as long as you have a screenshot.png in the folder it will be attached as the main image for your theme.
The platform I am using for development is Local by Fly Wheel. The reason I chose this platform is because its simple and lets you start coding without the hassle of setting up a server. I have a server that I can use at my internship, but since I am working from home and the process of connecting can be a hassle at time. Local makes things quick and easy. Local has a bunch of features that let you just code without needing a server. I will use this until the final where I will host it on a server. In the above image you can see how I have my wordpress site running on Local. There is also a live link option which I have linked below but unless my computer has local running the link will not work.
For this week’s write up, I am doing a tutorial to learn the basics of PHP and wordpress backend coding. This Tutorial goes creation from start to finish and took me over three hours to complete. But it was a great tutorial that gave me a understanding of how to write my own Wordpress code using PHP. I have linked the video I used below.
For this week’s write up, I had to do a meeting with my accountability partner. We spoke about the progress of each of our individual senior projects. We agreed to write about each other progress. Kevin’s project, which was an experimental photography and psychology project utilizing dual images in one. For progress, Kevin has just received the 3D glasses he ordered from amazon. He tested his images and for the most part they seem to work, but can be distorted some times. He needs to continue tweaking and make sure when he prints he has to check the image sizing and continue working on the thematic composition.
For this week I could not attend an outside event. But I did want to write about the experience I had in my, user experience course. In the lesson, we learned about HCI. This stands for human-computer interaction and the class allowed us to look into how we currently interact with computers and what the future holds. The principles of HCI which more or less contain rules of consistencey, integrating shortcuts and gaining feedback. I believe these principles will help me in my process of creating a fine-tuned UX project for my senior project.
02/02/2020 - In this blog, I will explore two different techniques of brainstorming to share which method works best for me. For this example, I will be brainstorming senior project ideas. One of the methods of brainstorming I will utilize is a simple free writing exercise used by many to figure out what they have on their minds. The other is compiling a list of twenty project ideas in twenty minutes. If you click the link below you can view my results on the exercises below. After completing the exercises, I found freewriting to be relaxing and the most helpful in creating a general idea of what I would like to do. Although the twenty ideas in twenty minutes are great for churning ideas it forces you to create bad ideas as well. Although free writing worked better for me the results will vary from person to person.
02/02/2020 - I have linked the Ted Talk video below. Watching Don Norman, I paid attention to his ability to capture the audience. He seems to be very charismatic, and his breakdown of happiness is quite understandable. He attempts to get down to the emotional ques that make a product design good and the necessity of it to still be functional. His knowledge of how humans react and emote with objects is helpful for any UX designer. He also realizes good design is necessary but bad design can be reflective. And reflective design can be good because it can cause memories and bring about stories.