Merry Christmas Everyone!!

Happy Christmas to everyone and have a Peaceful New Year!!

Lots of work to do over Christmas

Today I had a little bit of an achievement...I completed a Java Practical!! I am very happy with myself over it. And thanks to my classmates who gave me a hand with it.
So over the Christmas I will be refining my design ideas and getting to work on the interactivity side of the site and taking a look at coding it also.
Only 13 more sleeps until Christmas!!!!

Next step

Right. Well I had my big Design Presentation today. It went okay. Not spectacularly brilliant by any means. So my next big step is to move onto the back end of the project. I have the idea for my design and next thing I need to have is the code and the database knowledge to run it.
Now...if only I could understand Java...this might take awhile!!

Design for interface for main site

This is an design idea for the main pages of my site using the PSP console. I will be keeping to the workings of the PSP as much as is possible. Such as, trying to keep the meanings of the buttons similar if not the same as the actual console.
The icons will hopefully work the same as the PSP too so people will be familiar with the way that the icons move from right to left when you use the left and right arrow buttons on the console.

Design for Homepage using the cinema screen

This is an idea I am going to do for my homepage using the cinema screen as my interface.
You can choose whether to go into the recycling section or the energy conservation section.
The links on screen will only display what they are when you roll over the icons with the mouse. So initially all you will see is the screen with the recycling symbols and light bulbs.

Idea 2 for the interface design

This is a second idea for my interface design. Using the DS and its stylus for navigation. The touch screen is on the bottom where you can choose a topic with the stylus, and the top screen displays your choice.
I was thinking of using this design for the energy conservation side of my website.

Idea 2 for homepage

This is a second idea I came up with for my homepage. It is a cinema screen with the choices on it. The recycling items are on the left and the energy conservation items are on the right. I went with the cinema idea because students go to the cinema alot and games can also be played on bigger screens too. The gaming concept is going to be used throughout my site.

A design idea sketch

This is one of my ideas for the interface of my site. I will be using the idea of the PSP and its controls for the navigation. The icons that usually appear on the screen of a PSP will be different than the Sony ones and will match up with my topic of Recycling.

Rough idea for homepage

This is another rough idea for my homepage. I am trying to incorporate a recycling bin into my design. I am using a TV screen again to hold my designs.

An idea for the home page

This is an idea for my homepage. I went with the idea of a DVD menu as students watch a lot of DVDs and movies on TVs. The colours that I have used are clours associated with recycling.

An early design idea

This was a rough work idea of what I wanted my sites navigation to look like. I intend to use the side scrolling system.
The 3 images are examples of littering in a college. Paper and empty polystyrene cups left on the table instead of being put in the bin.
Used paper strewn on the floor and desktops. Recycling bins put in obscure places where students cannot see them.

Logo idea

This was an idea for a simple logo.
I wanted the earth in the background to be a simplified version as it is more graphically appealing to a younger audience rather than have an actual image of the earth behind it.
The font for the writing is just Arial which i like to use because it is a sans-serif font which makes it easy to use and read at a glance.

More design ideas

I had another rethink and have decided to go with gaming as a concept design that will pull my overall ideas together. Gaming is a big part of student life in student accommodation. I will try to use gaming metaphors for my interface and also bring in some gaming controls and screens for navigation purposes. I was thinking of using the PSP as my overall interface for the recycling section of my project.

A design idea!

This is an idea I like for the layout of my new idea. I like the way the that the photos fold up and open up again in a new window. Its very nicely done.

The link is: http://www.templatemonster.com/flash-templates/10761.html

A new idea!!

Today I had a total change of direction!!! I have decided to use video and animation in Flash to tell my stories to students about recycling and energy conservation. I intend to capture on film some of the main mistakes that students make every day with their rubbish. And then show a clip of how it should be recycled or disposed of properly. I will also have clips about how students can save on their energy costs and save the planet at the same time. I am excited about this new development in my project. I was thinking also of taking some still images and learning to use After Effects to animate them. 

Here is a link with an example of horizontal scrolling. It is a very basic one but it is the idea that I was looking for. 

http://michaelmartinphotography.ie/wedding.htm

A look at some design ideas

Here is a screen shot of a site that I really liked from a design point of view.
I think that it is very different and unique.

This is the type of design that I would like to try and design for my own fyp.
It has a simple and effective navigation system.

Design Design Design

I am currently working on a design for my website. As I have a tough target audience (college students), I need to make it appealing to students first then work on getting my topic across to them. Its a tough one but I am working on it!!! 

More from Moher!

Here is a short video clip from the virtual reality room.

A fun day out for MM4 and MM3!!

Last week a large group of us travelled to the Cliffs of Moher in Co. Clare to look at a Multimedia Exhibition that was being showcased there. It was very interesting to see all of the touch screen technology there and also the Virtual Reality room. We had our lunch there and a few of us went for a stroll around the cliffs. A good day was had by all!!

More and more research

I am still on the research phase of my project. As my subject is quite topical at this present moment in time, I am finding that there is alot of material on the web to sift through.I am looking at the topics of energy conservation and recycling as my main topics. Then I will begin to break them down and try to dissect them in order to glean the information that is needed for my project.

The subject matter is finally decided!!

This is where I am going to keep track of all of the developments with my project.I have settled on a topic for my Final Year Project! I am going to design a website about energy conservation and recycling from a students point of view. I will be looking at these issues from students living in student accommodation and also students living at home during the college year. I would also like to do something with mobile phones. Maybe allow students to receive the tip of the day to their phones. Its still a work in progress with the research on that one.