CODlite

CODlite is the cut-Down, desktop version of Market United's proprietary production planning tool, very nerdishly title COD (Call Of Duty).

The user interface design was undertaken by myself, a break from the norm where the graphic designers dictate the user interface (UI). This was a request of mine as I hoped to illustrate the importance of considered UI design preceding graphic (aesthetic) design.

CODlite came about through need, the full COD system is cumbersome beast: simple & powerful but slow & too 'clicky'. Account and management staff consistently have 10,20,30 micro-tasks (phone calls, email, meeting) a day, the web interface was so slow to log all these tasks so they simply stopped using it.

Part of my UI planning process included consulting with the clients, in this case, my fellow employees to make sure I was buiding a tool that deliver on their business requirements. But I knew it also helped them to take an interest in the project so the up-take rate would be high.

The primary business requirement of CODlite is speed:

• A no frills UI makes identifying a viewing assigned tasks very easy. Key data is represented with an icon, helping make the 'story' of the task very easy to identify.
• Rapidy add new timesheets: selecting from hundreds of clients/projects is slow so the server side identify the user and only sends back relevant clients and projects to choose from.
• Data entry is completed without a 'submit' button, data is saved in real-time.
• Icons change to represent state: the notes icon (yellow pen) changes to show faint horizontal lines when text has been entered in the collapse-able text field.
• Shortcuts like the lb (lunch break) button help to minimise time-sheet entries.

Home renovator

Combining PaperVision3D, video and classic flash animation this deceptively simple flash application is a fun, interactive educational tool.

The trick in the treat is the spinning motion of the house image and the icons. PaperVision3D elements have been synchronised to move with per-rendered 3D video. It breaths depth and interest into the otherwise rather bland subject of energy efficiency.

Our use of PaperVsion3D on this occasion is a very very subtle one, which is not a bad thing. The current mantra of PaperVision3D projects seems to be "look at me I am use PaperVision3D arn't I clever" which is fine because it is a new toy and everyone is still a bit excited about it. However I welcome the time when using PaperVision3D matures into a more subtle art.

Visit Energy Efficient Home Renovator

Burswood - Eve

Finally! I have been able to work on a commercial project that involves Papervision3D. Papervision3D is the system that I used in this project to achieve the fantastic sense of depth and movement. The whole site is based around a stylised 'dance floor' that makes up the pages of the exciting new Eve night club website.

Papervision3D is an open-source project that makes it possible to work with real-time 3D within Flash. However I quickly discovered that 3D in Flash doesn't come cheap, and you pay in CPU. Much work had to be done to optimise graphics and settings so that the site could run on even the slowest computers... which ,in typical fashion, happen to be the clients computers!

My favourite feature of the site is the strobe lighting of the background that flicker to the streaming music. Timing graphics to music is nothing new in Flash, the trick here was to see the lights grow and flare to match the intensity of the music, without stressing an already strained CPU.
For this I used 16 streched circle graphics filled with a circle gradient (opaque centre to a transparent edge),each circle has an Overlay blend-mode and the music controls the opacity of each circle. So picture this: the intensity of the Overlay blend is varied by both the opacity in the gradient AND the opacity controlled by the music. The combination of the levels of opacity makes the lights appear to dramatically scale & radiate outwards and all-the-while its just a simple opacity change. It looks great and is very CPU friendly.

(This site has been decommissioned)

Murdoch University

The new Murdoch University website is now open to the www. In typical Market United style it is a particularly clean and usable site that I am excited to say I contributed to, namely:

The 'lines' banner on the homepage

My part in the lines project was to be the design/technical glue, the link that bridged the massive gap between the designers vision and the seriously technical 3D line rendering core code. The mathematical core of the lines was written by one of MU's senior developers. It was my job to marry the worlds and complete an all mighty team effort.

Combining the 'lines' in a banner ad campaign and the result is a hypnotic and (according to the stats) very popular marketing tool.




The course browse tool

Credit to the creative team that produced the concepts for these two elements, both playful and yet still focused on the goal of promotion Murdoch University to potential students. The Course browse tool puts a much needed spin on the usual dry, boring alphabetical list of courses. It is both fun and very practical all in the same funky & usable little package.

Moodboard at Maxshop.com

Moodboard is a neat little part of the brand new maxshop.com website, developed by my fellow employees at www.marketunited.com.

Moodboard allows the customers to really interact with the maxshop products and create styles they like or view style made by Maxshop suppliers. Customers can bring items in from the website or upload their own pics and really immerse themselves in their future clothing choices.

The moodboard was developed by yours truly in approximately 8 days and because of time restrictions used the fantastic TransfromManager component from greensocks. At $229US it ain't cheap but it is very well written and Mr GreenSock (Jack) was personally very help when I ask for the component to be modified.

Visit the moodboard at Maxshop.com