The final Rodeco website design integrates the company’s rebranded identity, updated copy, and high-quality photos to deliver a comprehensive and engaging overview of their offerings and mission. The design leverages modern industrial aesthetics—reflecting Rodeco’s metal finishing solution expertise—while ensuring readability and ease of navigation.

The design process for Rodeco’s website carefully considered both mobile and desktop experiences to ensure a seamless and optimized user journey across all devices.

To guide the Rodeco rebrand, the design team and I conducted a thorough analysis of the company’s original website, identifying key areas for improvement and crafting targeted design recommendations. We complemented this analysis with user interviews and research, gaining valuable insights into user needs and preferences and guiding our design approach.

I examined the user journey of the original Rodeco website to identify pain points and areas for enhancement. This coupled with insights from the client, allowed me to map out a refined user journey that addresses previous issues and improved the users journey through the newly rebranded website.

I developed a comprehensive component library and style guide in Figma to ensure consistency and efficiency throughout the Rodeco rebrand project. This library includes reusable design elements, such as buttons, typography, and color palettes, which streamline the design process and make updates straightforward for both myself and the design team. The style guide and component library also helped aid the developers in implementing the design seamlessly during website creation.

I collaborated closely with the design team to develop low-fidelity wireframes for the new Rodeco website. This initial phase involved sketching out basic layouts and structural elements to map out the site's functionality and user flow.

For the Rodeco rebrand, we selected Inter and Montserrat to convey a modern, industrial aesthetic while ensuring readability. Together, these typefaces create a cohesive look that aligns with Rodeco's industrial focus.

The Rodeco rebrand color palette builds upon the primary colors from the company’s logo. The secondary color, a brighter version of the primary red, is strategically used to provide visual contrast and guide users to key actions. Additionally this color palette follows the Web Content Accessibility Guidelines.

Myself and the design team created detailed branding mockups to help Rodeco visualize the potential of their rebrand.

Reflection

This project not only enhanced my design skills but also refined my process for seamless collaboration. Working closely with the marketing team and maintaining clear, effective communication with the client were key to our success. This project has been a valuable opportunity for me to grow professionally while also delivering a solution that meets both user needs and client objectives.

This scenario video explores how personalized visual, auditory and gestural cues during a virtual group conversation encourage active listening by non speech-impaired participants to create a supportive and inclusive environment for speech-impaired user. I worked to create an inclusive and not overly restrictive experience for speech-impaired and non-speech-impaired users.

The following video is a brief look at a conversation between Jim and his friends, 6 months since Jim’s stroke.

Current precedents include speech therapy applications, AI driven voice recognition applications, sonar tracking through smart watches or smart phones and applications to improve public speaking. However, there are currently no applications or programs that are focused on assisting in social group conversations either in person or virtually.

Sudden speech impairment caused by stroke can be very different for different people. So I created two personas to further explore and expand my studies.

My first persona is Pat, a grandma who is nervous around technology but very much wants to continue interacting with her family especially since she is not very mobile after her stroke. Since her stroke, Pat has weekly virtual conversations with her family members. Pat is my persona for study 1 and 2 with the conversations for these studies occurring 4 months after Pat’s stroke.

My second persona is Jim. Having been a computer programmer before his stroke, Jim is excited to work with new technology. He was very social before his stroke and is extremely frustrated at his decreased ability to socialize. To help Jim out, a few of Jim’s friends agree to virtually meet weekly. Jim is my persona for study 3 and 4 with the conversations for these studies occurring 6 months after Jim’s stroke.

This visualization depicts how it would look if the AI assistant was used in the weekly group video conversations for about a year. The visualization highlights main events such as when the stroke occurs and when the study takes place. Human and AI interactions and the speech-impaired user’s speech abilities are also traced throughout the year.

My first study explores how personalized gestural cues can effect turn taking dynamics.

The important events in turn-taking during a conversation are how to add to or enter the conversation, clarity of who goes next once someone ends a turn and, specifically for Pat, gaining clarity and context if confused during a turn. I use gestures commonly used by English speakers in-person conversations as well as gestures currently used by individuals with aphasia

My second study explores how how personalized visual cues can affect response feedback.

In order to respond successfully, Pat needs to Understand what is being talked about especially if the context has changed. She also needs key words of the current speaker to understand what they are saying. Finally, Pat needs writing and drawing options to help her communicate/respond.

My third study explores how auditory cues and regulated speaking speed can adjust airtime of non speech impaired users to give speech impaired participants time to understand and add to the conversation.

In order to be successful, Jim needs more time between speakers to understand and enter the conversation and more time to communicate

I do a few explorations of how this interface might translate to a phone within my final scenario. However, further studies and testing are needed to gauge the effectiveness of these designs. These studies would also benefit from design explorations of the video conferencing A.I.-assisted interface for other standard communication devices such as smartphones and tablets.

Reflection

Although speculative, many cues and interactions within my investigations reflect the abilities of current precedents. I hope some of my interface interactions will one day be incorporated into current video conferencing technologies. There are many effective in-person techniques for speech-impaired users to navigate conversations: especially with the recent increase in the use of video conferencing software, navigating group conversations is a rich area for further investigation.

A high fidelity prototype of the S.A.I. being used by Nyah.

Scenario: As a Surge Team member, Nyah has received instructions to investigate a crisis in Kronos (fictional country) where GASTech (fictional company) employees have been kidnapped. The early stages of a surge are often very chaotic, so Nyah uses the S.A.I. (an AI program personalized to Nyah) to efficiently gain contextual awareness of the event in order to assess the situation and discover the location of the missing employees and how to get them home.

Nyah is a driven, enthusiastic Senior Search and Discovery Analyst who has been alerted of a kidnapping crisis a couple hours after she enters her workflow.

This is a visualization of the key pain points of our persona and the main takeaways from user interviews and research. Some main points include; it’s difficult to get a case overview with the amount of initial available information in multiple windows or tabs; there are also copious amounts and iterations of queries needed to run in a short period of time; our persona, Nyah, finds it strenuous to immediately identify anomalous activity in the case.

A user journey for Nyah’s day (before getting the S.A.I.). Major things to note are the amount of red at the bottom, indicating a pain point that isn’t resolved in her current day.

Early Prototype Sketches

The idea for the Sunburst centers around using widgets to break down large amounts of complex data and working with machine learning to discover patterns and anomalies in the data.

The idea for the Sandbox centers around immediately understanding the who, what, where and when of a crisis situation and helping to synthesize data in a concise layout.

Continuing ideation with my team

A To Be scenario map showing Nyah’s journey and what is changed and improved from using the S.A.I. Compared to the As Is Scenario Map, by using the S.A.I., many of Nyah’s pain points are eliminated allowing her to quickly and efficiently gain contextual awareness of the event in order to assess the situation.

Reflection
I enjoyed working with LAS and having the opportunity to learn about analyst work as well as the designs and experiences that are most helpful in this environment. During the project, we worked with data scientists and analysts to ensure our designs could be feasible in the near future. If the project continued, I would be very interested to see what technology would be needed to make our designs possible. I am also interested in how S.A.I. could further encourage communication and cross-collaboration between analysts.

At the beginning of the project, my team and I started listing need statements and pain points of Habitat for Humanity customers during the donations process. We created a research plan and interview schedule to gather more data and to guide our project.

From our research, my team and I discovered that the main pain points for Habitat for Humanity customers were confusion about item requirements for donations to be accepted and annoyance at having to give up their whole day for a donation pick up since there is no way to track the Habitat Trucks from the customer end.

“Oh gosh, that would be amazing! Having tracking of the truck.”

~ Habitat for Humanity User Quote when asked about their thoughts on being able to track the Habitat Trucks for Online Donation Pick Ups

Research Methods Used

interviews with clients and Habitat for Humanity staff

survey to Habitat for Humanity users

visiting Habitat for Humanity stores

going through an online scheduled donation pick up

Focusing on emerging technology, my team and prototyped an Artificial Intelligence phone interface which would walk users through a set of steps and prompts to gauge the quality of the item/s being donated.

My team and I created a persona to track the emotions and pain points of a Habitat for Humanities customer as they went through the current As-Is scenario and through our solution (To-Be) scenario. With the help of an AI interface, customer pain points are alleviated and their emotions stay positive throughout the donation process.

My team and I created an experience-based road map to give Habitat for Humanity both short-term and long-term solutions to improve the customer donation experience.

Reflection

I enjoyed working with Habitat for Humanity to understand their pain points and produce a solution to fit their specific needs. I wish I had had more time with this project since I would be interested to see how our solution would work and how we could further improve it after testing it. Since this class was a virtual class because of the Covid-19 pandemic, this project was also a great experience in learning out to communicate and work efficiently with a lot of different people in a virtual environment.

I created an animated version of the company logo which showcased the company map imagery and branding. The animation was used on TerraFirma Software’s social media and served as an excellent catalysts for customer engagement and easy brand recognition.

My team and I proposed updates to the TerraFirma Software that simplified navigation and updated UI that matches the new brand. The landing page immediately highlights the true spotlight of TerraFirma Software: the map imagery.

My team and I included interactive features that introduced users to the company products. The updated feature page highlights to viewers how the software offered by TerraFirma Software is interconnected and starts to introduce the icon system for the TerraFirma beta app so it is not so new when the app launches.

A refresh of the TerraFirma icon system served to match and support the evolution of the company’s visual language. Through user testing, my team and I found these icons to most improve TerraFirma Software user experience through clear representation and consistent use.

Company products are organized on the grid to continue the clean layout. Each feature has some information listed about it along with a color code chart if applicable and possible use cases to add context and clarity. My team and I also added a clear purchase button at end which leads to the buy page.

My team and I a look at how the website might translate to mobile, while still following a grid and using the vertical scroll. I created wireframes and high fidelity mockups for the mobile version of the website.

TerraFirma Software’s logo went through multiple iterations before the final updated version. Inspired by logos and branding from companies like MIT Media lab and Aleodor Science Center, we worked to create a brand that reflect both the technical and the organic sides of the company.

The rebranded logo uses the T and F in TerraFirma in a 3 x 3 grid. This grid can also be used to create patterns and designs. The rebranded logo is iconic and memorable to users. flexible, like software, precise, like data and brings the products first, and the company personality second.

The colors in the rebrand, reflect colors found in nature as well as the colors used in TerraFirma Software maps.

At the beginning of the project, I created a project timeline to help clear priorities and directions and highlight critical tasks. The timeline was updated as the project progressed and help myself and my teams’ communication and meet the agreed upon deadlines for each part of the project. This timeline also kept our clients updated on where we were in the process and clearly communicated next steps and collaborative goals.

Reflection

Since the conclusion of this project, the TerraFirma Software team has begun to update their brand using our new logos and designs. I am especially proud of the new designs my team and I created because we spent a lot of time interviewing users, working with our clients, and updating our designs to create a brand that really captures the TerraFirma Software identity of technology combined with being environmentally conscious.

Printed Acrylic panels with cool backlighting

Printed Acrylic panels with cool backlighting

Reflection

I really enjoyed working on this project because it allowed some creative freedom while also working to create with the bounds of what could be created on the limited wall space. Ribbon is very pleased with the lighting wall especially since the panels subtly incorporate Ribbon’s new brand.

Programs: Adobe After Effects, Adobe Premiere, Final Cut Pro, Adobe Photoshop

Programs: Adobe Premiere, Adobe After Effects, Final Cut

Programs: Autodesk Maya, Renderman, Adobe After Effects, Final Cut Pro

Animated Walk Cycle

Programs: Maya, Mental Ray

Animated Run Cycle

Programs: Maya, Mental Ray

An intro video for Greenstone Media that encompasses the workplace as well as the staff. A drone and a go pro were used to film this video. I helped to film and edit the video. I also created the opening logo animation for the company.

Part of a video series for Greenstone Media (A Enterprise Web Design, Mobile Apps, Digital Marketing & SEO Agency) that gives an introduction and an explanation about the Custom Development side of the company. I researched Custom Development in digital marketing to interview the employees at Greenstone Media. I also helped to film and edit the video and created the opening logo animation for the company.

Part of a video series for Greenstone Media (A Enterprise Web Design, Mobile Apps, Digital Marketing & SEO Agency) that gives an introduction and an explanation about the Digital Marketing side of the company. I helped to film and edit the video. I also created the opening logo animation for the company.

Part of a video series for Greenstone Media (A Enterprise Web Design, Mobile Apps, Digital Marketing & SEO Agency) that gives an introduction and an explanation about the Web Design side of the company. I helped to film and edit the video. I also created the opening logo animation for the company.

This is an infographic that I created while interning with Greenstone Media. The infographic is advertising Xpand Fest, a festival hosted by Xpand Your Vision, that uses music and art to work towards inclusive development and social change. This infographic lists tips for being a successful event organizer.

This is an infographic that I created while interning with Greenstone Media. The infographic is advertising Xpand Fest, a festival hosted by Xpand Your Vision, that uses music and art to work towards inclusive development and social change. This infographic takes the stats and numbers from previous festivals and organizes them into an easy-to-read and visually pleasing format.

Reflection

Interning with Greenstone Media was a wonderful introduction to SEO techniques and digital marketing. I learned a lot from directing, filming, and editing the company interviews. I also really enjoyed using my videography and animation skills in conjunction with web design and UX work.

I choose the image of a spilled jar of marbles because marbles have a very strong association to children. Children are natural very good at being present because, until a certain age, the future isn’t so imposing. The spilled jar shows how, in adult life, our ability to be present and enjoy moments in life has been scattered. However, it is within our ability to gather these pieces and, in gathering them we find hidden gems (e.g. symbolized by the goldfish within the marbles.)

Materials: watercolor, color pencil, white gouache

Panel 2 of Losing Your Marbles

Materials: watercolor, color pencil, white gouache

Panel 3 of Losing Your Marbles

Materials: watercolor, color pencil, white gouache

Raku ware tea bowls are hand-made and embrace the imperfections in the clay: showing dimples and ridges formed from the bowl’s creation. Since it takes a high level of skill and presence of mind needed to mold bowls by hand and have an even thickness in the walls, Raku ware is thought to reflect the spirit of the maker. It also puts emphasis on the process of making the bowl, something I can relate to in my work. I placed the tea bowl on a bamboo mat since bamboo is a symbol of purity and hardiness in Japan, due to its simple yet strong structure.

Materials: watercolor, colored pencil, white gouache

In Zen Buddhism, water is used as a source or reflection and represents the real and unreal: for example the moon and the moon’s reflection in the water. Water reflections are considered to be warnings to avoid looking for truth in things that lack substance. Butterflies typically symbolize lightness and transformation. I choose to use the water as a reflection of the mind. The mind is still and presents until a stray thought enters it, symbolized by the leaf. The butterfly represents the mind’s capacity for imagination and change, made clearer when the mind is still. I depict different stages to show the mind’s ability to re-center itself. The fabric was used as a base since this material has the ability to move in a slight wind, more so than paper, and makes scenes feel more alive because of this potential motion.

Materials: watercolor, ink, cloth

Reflection

I did a lot of research about mindfulness symbols and meanings, so to carefully craft my pieces. I am very proud of the soft style I was able to create since it enhances the mindfulness aspect of the pieces.