Intro Questions

  1. WHO AM I? My name is Santiago Rivera but most people call me Santi; I'm studying Comparative Arts (primary major), Communication Design (secondary major), and German (minor); I'm in my 6th semester at WashU, so I'm a Junior.
  2. MY BACKGROUND: The US is the 6th country I've lived in, so I speak 3 languages — English, German, and Spanish. I've always been interested in creative work — whether it be writing, drawing, painting, or singing — and I'm a big Star Wars fan. I'm also in the WashU rowing team, I sing in the Washington University Stereotypes A Cappella group, and I work as a writing tutor at the Writing Center and as a Career Peer at the Center for Career Engagement. I have a younger brother and I'm almost constantly listening to music. My primary reason for taking the class is honestly that it's required for my ComDes second major, but I know that the coding skills I'll learn will be invaluable, so I'm here and I'm ready to learn.
  3. CODING EXPERIENCE: I have none, so I'm a little nervous about taking this class but I've been told it's like learning a new language, so I'm optimistic about my ability to learn everything this class will teach me.
  4. LEARNING OBJECTIVE: I hope to learn the basics (and maybe more than that) of coding. I don't really know anything, so I'm ready to seep up as much information as I can. It'll be challenging, and I expect to get frustrated at myself and the work we do, but I'm certain it'll be worth it. I guess my goal is therefore to maintain this optimistic, positive attitude throughout the semester.
  5. DESIGN ON THE SCREEN VS ON PAPER: One way I know designing on the screen will differ is that I expect I won't have as much freedom due to my nonexistent experience with this medium. I'm very familiar with physical media and can do so much with that media because I have so much experience with it. Because I have no experience with this, my ability to use this medium is extremely limited, but I expect to learn that it may be the opposite, as there are limitations to using physical media, too!
  6. EXAMPLE OF EFFECTIVE DESIGN: https://landonorris.com/ I love the design of this website because of the animations used and the careful attention to detail throughout. The crisp lines and stark yet pleasing colors in this website make it very effective in displaying Lando Norris's personality and brand as a Formula 1 driver. The layout is clean and easy to navigate, allowing visitors to quickly find information about his career, news updates, and merchandise. The use of high-quality images and videos further enhances the visual appeal, making it an engaging experience for fans and visitors alike. Overall, the design successfully captures the essence of Lando Norris's personality while providing a user-friendly interface that is genuinely fun and visually pleasing. Everything is carefully crafted to create an enjoyable experience, from the UI to the UX.
  7. EXAMPLE OF EFFECTIVE COMMUNICATION: https://www.teachforamerica.org/ This Teach For America website tells me everything I need to know about Teach For America and what I need to do to join the organization and help. The straightforward structure of the page makes it clean and easy to navigate, and the information is presented in a clear manner, no distracting ads or irrelevant information anywhere. It's direct yet friendly, making it a very effective example of a website that excels at communicating what it needs/intends to.
  8. EXAMPLE OF EFFECTIVE FUNCTION: https://www.epicgames.com/site/en-US/home This website's UX is very satisfying. The buttons and the animations between pages are smooth and it's very easy to navigate. The design is also visually appealing, making it easy to want to spend more time on it.