This site is a fictional eCommerce site made for my User-Centered Design class. We were encouraged not to find an outside client so we could come up with our own ideas and business plans. Which means this is the first project I've worked on where I had complete creative control, not counting coding exercises and art turtorials. Concieved as the ultimate video game buying experience, the design takes cues from the best of '80s and '90s gaming. Most notably, the palette and zigzag motif is borrowed from Sonic the Hedgehog, and its love of geometric flourishes. The response I've recieved just from this protosite has been overwhelmingly positive. In fact, my teacher now uses this site & client staging area as an example for other students.
My research began, like good research should, first by determining who my target audience was, and finding out what their needs were. Luckily, I'm a part of this demographic. Of course, since we don't just design for ourselves, I spent time interviewing fellow gamer friends and colleagues. I also spent a lot of time looking at what other online game retailers did, evaluating what worked and what didn't.
I took this data and created a Site Objectives document, and created a User Profile based on my interviews.
I'm a web designer. I love the web. I want to help make it a more beautiful, useful, and overall better place than before. I have a diverse set of skills, and am capable of wearing many hats. But I think where I really shine is in user-centered design. I spend a lot of time thinking about how best to craft good user experiences. I can take on serveral projects at once; I'm a good multitasker. I'm proud of my work, and I keep getting better and better with each new project I take on.