8. The Beginnings of a Design

So things are finally coming together! Below are a few screen grabs of the application in the works. Haven't decided between Tread or Hub for the app name quite yet, but I'm thinking Hub will come out the winner. Both have some pretty dynamic imagery and the double entendre. 

The color palette is something quite different from my typical blue or green, and I've made a great effort to not only brighten up the design, but to create moments of great contrast when in different parts of the application. I have a tendency to like darker neutral tones, so it's interesting to work with large areas of white and lighter tans.

I'll also move forward considering a new range of typefaces. I clearly have an overly imposing love for the Univers type family, so I'll be branching out a bit and considering some other options. Perhaps some slab serifs and other more squat forms.

Photography will also play a bigger part in the design from here. I'll be incorporating imagery of various biking gear to enforce application functions. A bike messenger bag can help reinforce the idea of "saving" a new bike route for example. And on screens like those below, where the cyclist is in motion and tracking a route, a simple road texture can provide some nice depth.

The application will decidedly function only when the rider is not in motion. This will be determined by gps tracking features running while the application is open. In this way the rider won't be distracted by the interface while on the roads. The gestures have also been considered in this way. When a rider is tracking a route, and riding their bike, they only need to tap the screen to start and stop the tracking. This can be anywhere on the screen surface. It's also considerably handy for those that have their phone strapped or banded around their arms, like many athletic runners and cyclists tend to use for practical reasons.

The focus in my application seems to have shifted from an application focusing on info-graphics showing density, to a collection of safety postings developed and laid out by cyclists on their rides. It's no longer a negotiation between the Department of Transportation and the bike community. It's a one way discussion, where the bikers can communicate just where they want these lanes and safety measures in Kansas City to be put in place, and DoT simply listens and makes it happen.

For the mid semester critique I'll have at least 1 scenario designed. I'll of course shoot for having the second one started, but if that means a bit more time to make the presentation look nice, I might step back a bit and get some feedback from my peers and professors.