Diversity App Step 4: Ideate

My Top Three Ideas!

Idea #1

I thought about creating an informational website that would have animated videos over the selected topics the users. There would be different categories such as ethnicity, disabilities, culture, and gender. They would then be taken to a new page where the video would be shown and underneath that video they could read the experiences of other people from that particular group. This webiste would be made for first-year college students who have questions over these types of topics. The goal is to get them to be more aware of the way they treat others. This is not meant for a specific race rather anyone who is willing to learn.

My layout was inspired by a one that I saw of an app designed by Carl Hauser. He was displaying different kinds of soda and information about them. I loved the way you could swipe through it and swipe up to learn more. It was a creative use of space and transition.

The videos that are included in this design would examine the topic giving background information, common stereotypes, and how acknowledge all of this. The stories underneath will give the students insight to real life experiences. I hope this encourages them to realize how they might have been guilty of these perceptions before. Through this website, the user would be able to gain more knowledge over these touchy topics which will allow them to avoid misjudging the people the topics address.

Idea #2

This next idea came from the common expression “walk a mile in another person’s shoes”. I thought it would be cool to have a learning experience game. The user would virtually be walking a mile and along the way be be able to talk to characters to learn about a specific type of discriminated group. After talking to them, they would be able to write down something new they learned through that experience. At the end of the mile, the user could view their comments and see how far they came.

This would be used for college students coming into a new experience themselves and allowing the students to have a broader knowledge of the people around them. It is always fun to accomplish something and I think the design of the path will encourage students to finish the mile. The appearance of this almost looks like a game. My thought process behind this was to try and make learning about these topics in an enjoyable and light-hearted way. Learning about diversity inclusion is important but can sometimes be comfortable to talk about. This gives the user a safe and comfortable environment to learn from.

Idea #3

My third idea was designed for a younger target audience. This website would be an interactive experience for students in middle school. I plan to teach middle school kids about different disabolities both mental and physical. The user would get to meet characters with different disabilities and learn more about them. What is unknown can be nerve-wrecking sometimes and we fill the need to act a certain way around that unkwon. The goal of this website is to make these conditions more familiar to the user which will lead to less stereotypical interactions in the future. Everyone is normal so let’s treat everyone like it.

This idea was inspired by the game Dumb Ways To Die. This game was about keeping the charcters from dying through various silly ways. The appearance is childish but actually has a rich message about teaching kids what they should never do and what they should be cautious of. The game has simple animated characters but it is because of that simplicity that the user relates to them.

What will I be doing next?

I will select my favorite idea of the three and dig deeper into how the layout will work, color schemes, and what specific content I wish to share with the user. I will also be analyzing my target audience to get a better understanding of their needs and how I can help them.