Design Team Reflection

 

Throughout the past few weeks, working as a design team member was a positive experience for me. Initially, I was hesitant to join the team because I did not know any of the other people and group work tends to end tragically. The most challenging aspect of the project, like any group project, was collaborating with everyone. At times, it was difficult to maintain communication because we were predominantly using a google doc, which I am less familiar with, and email messaging, which none of us check as regularly as we probably should. After meeting up a few times and exchanging cell phone numbers, the communication became more fluid and was easier to maintain. I have to give props to Emir for his leadership and devotion to making the project work and run smoothly. I honestly do not believe that without him on the team that it would have come out the way it did. Mrs. A was always extremely helpful in guiding us when we were not necessarily sure what to do or how to express our thoughts and ideas. 

 

The most rewarding aspect of the project was the freedom that we had. We were able to work on our own schedules, let our creative juices flow, and really make the website our own. Without that sort of freedom, I do not feel as though we would have been as successful. I know that with my busy schedule, classes and two jobs, I would not been able to commit to this project without that freedom. However, the freedom was a little bit bitter sweet. I still have not spoken to or met half of the team members. The freedom to choose when to meet made getting everyone in one place at one time difficult to accomplish. In the future, I would make a few mandatory all-team meetings. If everyone were in the same place and able to bounce ideas off of one another, we could have done more and gotten to know our fellow design team members better. 

 

Overall, I enjoyed the project and appreciated the opportunity to be a member of the design team. I learned quite a bit about myself. I learned to communicate with others and take responsibility for doing my part. Another major thing that I learned is that each one of us are different and have our own ideas and our own sense of creativity so I have to be able to accept the ideas of others as theirs and learn to sit back a little bit and not micromanage how others decide to do their part. No one idea is better than another. I also learned that I am spread much too thin and that in order to have time for the projects, classes, internships, and work that I enjoy, I need to cut back on the things that I do not enjoy as much. I liked this and almost didn’t do it because of all of the things going on in my life; I am glad I did, though. With more time, I would definitely do another project like this. I would also encourage other students to participate in this project because it allows you to meet some of your classmates, work as a team, and express your creativity. In college, there are few chances to do projects that incorporate all of those things; people should take advantage of the opportunity. 

Digital Space Description- Woodruff Arts Center

For my digital space built environment, I chose was www.woodruffartscenter.org. The website is for the Woodruff Arts Center. The opening webpage, which is presented below, is aesthetically appealing and has six sections that viewers can search to explore the site. Using those sections, you can discover the art, plan a visit to the center, plan an event at the center, explore the Woodruff, support the center with various forms of donations, and see the different programs and initiatives that the Woodruff Arts Center has to offer. Due to the abundant amount of information presented on the site, I focused predominantly on the four sections that were the most captivating to me.

 

woodruff art opening page

 

When you scroll down on the opening page of the Woodruff Arts Center site, a page of tabs appears. Each of the tabs allows you to explore the site and find information on an array of things. The viewer has the option to check out ticket prices, donate time and money to the center, plan an event at the center, use the center as a form of education, and parking at the center. Each section for the information is presented with colorful, people friendly images, while still being useful and guiding people to what they were searching for.

 

woodruff tab options

 

Located under the ‘Explore the Woodruff’ tab is the Woodruff Arts Center Overview page. The purpose of this section no the website is to provide people with a little bit of background information on the center itself and its reputability. It establishes a sense of credibility by mentioning its great accomplishments, such as being “one of the largest arts centers in the world, home to the Tony Award-winning Alliance Theatre, the Grammy Award-winning Atlanta Symphony Orchestra and the High Museum of Art, the leading art museum in the Southeast.” That level of prestige makes people feel like it is worth their time and money. However, even with that notoriety, it is still a place where family can go with their children, students can go with their friends, and adults can go for a evening out.

 

woodruff overview

 

Under the ‘Visit’ and ‘Parking and Directions’ tab on the website is a map that provides people with a map of the area surrounding the Center and the address. This is intended to help people located the Arts Center and get a general understanding of its location. It also  provides people with the specific directions based on their location to the Woodruff Arts Center in they choose to do it that way. This is an important section to note because it can be difficult not only to find things downtown, but also to find parking at the places. By providing people with easy directions, it encourages them to come out.

 

woodruff address

 

The final section of the Woodruff Art Center website that I found particularly useful was the ‘Panthers at Woodruff Arts Center 2015/2016 Season Pass’. As a Georgia State student, writing on a blog for other Georgia State students, it is beneficial not only to me, but for my peers as well. Before exploring the site, I did not know that Center has a program with our school. This section it is located under the ‘Programs and Initiatives’ tab, which is where the website shows its relationship with local Universities, programs, and whatnot. Based on the information that I gained from this section of the website, I actually bought a pass for myself and my boyfriend and followed the direction on the page for how to redeem the passes. We are going after final are over to view the exhibit on Jean-Michel Basquiat. With the guidance of their user friendly website, it was all so easy!

 

GSU at woodruff arts center

Woodruff Art Center Tabs

woodruff tab options

When you scroll down on the opening page of the Woodruff Arts Center site, this page of tabs appears. Each of the tabs allows you to explore the site and find information on a variety of things. The viewer has the option to check out ticket prices, donate time and money to the center, plan an event at the center, use the center as a form of education, and parking at the center.

Woodruff Arts Center Cover

woodruff art opening page

This is the webpage opening page for my digital space, the Woodruff Arts Center website. It is the first page that you see when visiting the site and allows you to scroll over each the words to access other tabs. They large picture and subtle, yet bright colors in the picture in the background make the site aesthetically appealing to someone looking to learn about what the Center has to offer.