Kategorie: Interaction Design

One day when I had free time, I decided to visit CoSA – Center of Science Activities in Graz, as it’s a great source of inspiration for presenting information in an engaging and interactive way. CoSA is an interactive science center that offers an exciting experience by combining science, technology, and creativity. The museum is designed to spark curiosity and a spirit of exploration among visitors of all ages, though it is primarily tailored to children. Its exhibitions encourage active participation through hands-on activities and experiments. The museum’s spaces are divided into thematic areas such as sustainability, biology, physics, and technology. What stood out to me was the diversity of exhibits and the numerous forms of interaction. Some are simpler than others, but all are equally fun and engaging. After consulting with my professor at my home university, I decided to steer my thesis topic toward children and nature-based education.

CoSA_Sustainability

The first area I visited was CoSA_Sustainability, where visitors can learn about climate, resources, and sustainability. At the start, each visitor takes a „card“ on which they can collect results and information throughout the exhibition. The space features seven stations that provide information through games, informative videos, and audio recordings, covering topics such as energy, mobility, smartphones, clothing, packaging, nutrition, and leisure activities. After gathering information at each station, visitors have the option to answer questions based on their personal actions. For example, one question asks whether you mostly buy new clothes or second-hand, and you record your response. At the end of the exhibition, you scan your card with all your answers, and the system provides an overview of how your actions impact the environment and why. It also allows you to compare your results with those of others.

CoSA_Experimentarium & Technology

The other two sections – experiments and technology – immerse visitors in a wide range of diverse interactions. The section on experiments was particularly captivating, as it covered various topics in physics. For instance, there’s an activity where you strike a large drum to observe the movement of air, alongside exhibits on color theory, perception, and types of electromagnetic radiation. It’s fascinating how such an approach can draw people into topics they might not initially find interesting. One example that stood out was an exhibit where visitors could learn about the essential parts of a car and how they fit together. The room features a car frame, and participants must place all the components in the correct spots, such as headlights or steering wheels. Once assembled, the car can be driven in a simulation. This interactive and tangible approach provides both a sense of accomplishment and a deeper understanding of the topic. I believe the combination of digital screens and physical experiences in this museum was perfectly balanced. The museum manages to blend technology with hands-on activities in a way that makes learning both immersive and enjoyable. It truly invites you into a world of discovery and exploration.

CoSA is a world unto itself, where time seems to stand still. This experience left a strong impression on me, inspiring me to think about the learning process in new ways. It also made me reflect on the story my design will tell and the world it will create for users. Much like the museum, I want my projects to be engaging, surprising, and capable of transporting users into another world.

*ChatGPT was used to summarize and translate text from Croatian to English

Links
1. https://www.museum-joanneum.at/en/cosa-graz
2. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=d3H1qZ5VBzM
3. https://momath.org/

Jeff Sutherland’s TED Talk, „Scrum: How to Do Twice as Much in Half the Time,“ was an eye-opening exploration of how the Scrum framework can revolutionize productivity and collaboration. As one of the co-creators of Scrum, Sutherland shared real-world examples of how this methodology has been used to tackle complex challenges across industries.

Having worked at AVL for over a year and a half, I have noticed that communication between teams is one of the recurring challenges. Sutherland’s insights into Scrum offered practical strategies for addressing this issue and ensuring better alignment across departments. One standout lesson from the talk was the importance of breaking work into smaller, manageable increments. Sutherland explained how dividing tasks into sprints allows teams to focus on delivering value incrementally, reducing the risk of wasted effort and enabling continuous improvement. For the ONTEC redesign, applying this principle could ensure that the development process adapts quickly to feedback from sales professionals.

Another key takeaway was the emphasis on fostering collaboration and accountability within Scrum teams. Sutherland described how daily stand-ups and regular retrospectives foster transparency and ensure that everyone remains aligned on project goals. This approach could significantly improve communication between designers, developers, and stakeholders involved in ONTEC. By engaging all team members from the outset and maintaining regular touchpoints, we can create a cohesive team environment where everyone has a clear understanding of their role and how their contributions fit into the broader picture.

Sutherland also highlighted the critical role of prioritization in maximizing impact. By focusing on the most critical tasks first, teams can deliver meaningful results more quickly. This directly applies to the ONTEC redesign, as prioritizing features that address the most pressing pain points for sales teams will ensure the tool delivers immediate value. For example, emphasizing core functionalities like smoother navigation or faster visualization of models can significantly enhance usability and reduce dependency on engineering teams.

What stood out most was Sutherland’s focus on making every stage of development a collaborative effort. This technique not only brings diverse perspectives to the table but also ensures that the end product reflects the needs and insights of all stakeholders. For ONTEC, involving sales teams from the first stages of the redesign process could lead to more practical and user-friendly solutions, ultimately boosting the app’s effectiveness and adoption rate.

Tony Fadell’s TED Talk, „The First Secret of Great Design is… Noticing,“ offered an inspiring perspective on the role of observation in driving innovative design. As the creator of the iPod and co-founder of Nest Labs, Fadell drew attention to the often-overlooked inefficiencies and pain points in our everyday interactions with products, highlighting how such observations can lead to transformative user experiences.

One of the central messages of Fadell’s talk was the concept of overcoming habituation. He explained how humans tend to stop noticing things that become routine, which poses a challenge for designers. To counter this, he encouraged questioning the status quo by „seeing the world as it really is, not as we think it is.“ This idea is especially relevant to ONTEC, where understanding the realities of sales team workflows—rather than relying on assumptions—is essential for creating a tool that genuinely addresses their needs.

Fadell also introduced a practical framework for observation: asking „why“ repeatedly to uncover the root causes of problems. This approach serves as a reminder to dig deeper when identifying design challenges, ensuring that proposed solutions address the underlying issues rather than surface symptoms. Applying this to ONTEC means delving into why certain features are requested, how they fit into daily workflows, and what impact they could have on efficiency and productivity.

One of the most actionable ideas from the talk was the importance of stepping back to view user interactions holistically. For example, Fadell shared how observing even the smallest user frustrations can reveal opportunities for improvement. In the context of ONTEC, this could involve spending time understanding how sales professionals interact with the current interface, noting areas where they encounter friction or unnecessary complexity, and identifying where small, targeted changes could create a smoother experience.

This TED Talk underscored the importance of empathy and curiosity in the design process. By taking the time to notice, question, and engage with the details of user interactions, the redesign of ONTEC can move beyond functionality to create a truly intuitive and impactful tool for AVL’s sales teams.

Jeremy Bird’s article, „Implementing Lean UX in the Real World,“ provided a practical lens on integrating Lean UX principles into complex workflows. His insights closely mirrored the challenges I’ve encountered during my research, particularly in balancing the need for rapid iteration with stakeholder expectations.

Jeremy emphasized fostering a culture of collaboration as a key factor in successfully implementing Lean UX. He explained that bringing together cross-functional teams for regular workshops and co-creation sessions not only breaks down silos but also ensures that every stakeholder shares a unified vision for the product. For instance, he described a multinational project where design, development, and business teams worked together on low-fidelity prototypes. These collaborative sessions helped validate ideas quickly, saving significant time and resources by identifying potential issues early on.

Another crucial point Jeremy made was about the power of low-fidelity testing. By starting with sketches or simple wireframes, teams can test concepts without investing heavily in detailed designs or full-fledged features. This approach resonates deeply with my work on ONTEC, where testing early and often is vital to aligning the product with the needs of AVL’s sales teams. It allows us to iterate on the UI design without overcommitting resources to features that might not be effective.

What struck me most was Jeremy’s emphasis on simplicity—not just in design but also in processes. He advocated for lean, actionable workflows where every team member understands their role and contributes to delivering value. For ONTEC, this approach means focusing on the core functionalities that directly address user pain points while avoiding feature creep.

In practical terms, I’ve already started incorporating these Lean UX strategies into my research. This ensures that every iteration of ONTEC’s UI reflects real-world usage patterns and solves actual problems faced by its users.

https://jeremybird276.medium.com/implementing-lean-ux-in-the-real-world-8aa7ca880e54

The Lean Product Development Webinar by ProdPad, featuring Jeff Patton, was a transformative experience, offering a comprehensive look into creating products that prioritize outcomes over outputs. This session provided invaluable insights for my master’s research on redesigning ONTEC’s UI, where the goal is to deliver meaningful value to users rather than simply adding features.

One of the standout moments was Jeff’s detailed walkthrough of user story mapping. He explained how breaking down user journeys into specific, actionable steps can expose functionality gaps and uncover new opportunities for innovation. Jeff shared an inspiring example of a product team that successfully identified redundant workflows, streamlining their application to focus solely on user needs. This resonated deeply with my work on ONTEC, as the app’s redesign must eliminate inefficiencies and ensure that every feature serves a clear purpose.

Another critical point was Jeff’s emphasis on „minimum viable learning.“ He discussed how small, focused experiments and rapid feedback loops allow teams to test assumptions and adapt quickly. For ONTEC, this approach translates into testing prototypes with AVL’s sales teams early and often, ensuring that any changes align with the realities of their workflows. By prioritizing learning over perfection in the early stages, we can mitigate risks and build a solution that truly resonates with its users.

A particularly impactful takeaway was the notion of focusing on outcomes rather than outputs. Jeff’s approach challenged me to think beyond delivering a set of features and instead consider the broader impact the product will have on its users. For ONTEC, this means designing tools that not only simplify visualization tasks but also empower sales teams to operate independently, fostering confidence and efficiency.

Ultimately, the webinar reinforced the importance of being intentional and user-focused in every phase of product development. By adopting Jeff’s principles of user story mapping and minimum viable learning, I am better equipped to ensure that ONTEC’s redesign is not only functional but also deeply valuable to its end users.

This year, I had the privilege of attending the AVL 2025 Sales Conference, a dynamic gathering of sales professionals from across AVL’s global network. Held in a vibrant and collaborative environment, the event served as a platform for exchanging insights, exploring future perspectives, and tackling shared challenges. For me, the conference was not only inspiring but also instrumental in advancing my master’s research on redesigning the UI of ONTEC, AVL’s desktop app, which is still under development to include VR capabilities.

The AVL Sales Conference: A Convergence of Innovation and Strategy

From the moment the conference began, it was evident that the focus was on collaboration and innovation. Leaders and sales teams from different regions shared their experiences, best practices, and the challenges they face in a rapidly evolving industry. Keynote sessions highlighted the company’s vision for the coming year, with a strong emphasis on digital transformation, customer engagement, and the role of technology in streamlining sales processes.

One of the most insightful moments for me was a panel discussion on leveraging digital tools to enhance the customer experience. This conversation directly tied into my research, as ONTEC is a critical tool designed to empower sales teams to visualize complex models independently, without requiring constant engineering support. While the app is actively used, it’s still evolving, and feedback from sales teams highlighted the urgent need for refinements and expanded features.

Key Takeaways for ONTEC and Its Redesign

Throughout the conference, I had the opportunity to speak with several salespeople who use ONTEC in their day-to-day work. Their feedback was invaluable in shaping my understanding of the app’s strengths and areas for improvement. Here are some of the insights I gathered:

1. Ease of Use is Crucial: Many salespeople expressed the need for a more intuitive interface. While ONTEC’s current design is functional, there’s significant room to simplify navigation and improve accessibility, especially for users who may not be tech-savvy.
2. Potential for VR Integration: While VR capabilities are still in development, sales teams expressed excitement about the possibility of immersive features. They suggested functionalities like interactive 3D models and virtual walkthroughs, which could make client presentations more engaging and impactful.
3. Customization and Flexibility: Users emphasized the importance of customizable features, such as the ability to tailor the app’s interface and outputs to different client needs. This would make ONTEC a more versatile tool for diverse sales scenarios.
4. Integration with Existing Tools: Several attendees mentioned that ONTEC could benefit from stronger integration with AVL’s other software platforms and CRM tools. Streamlining data sharing between ONTEC and these systems could save time and reduce errors.

How the Conference Enhanced My Research

Attending the AVL 2025 Sales Conference was a turning point in my research journey. It provided me with firsthand insights into the practical challenges salespeople face and how a well-designed tool like ONTEC can address these issues. Hearing directly from the app’s users helped me identify key priorities for the redesign:

• User-Centered Design: The feedback reinforced the importance of putting the user at the center of the design process. By focusing on usability and intuitive navigation, I aim to create a UI that enhances productivity and minimizes learning curves.
• Developing VR Capabilities: While ONTEC’s VR features are still under development, the enthusiasm from sales teams highlights the need to prioritize this area. My redesign will consider how to make these capabilities immersive and practical for real-world use.
• Designing for Scalability: As AVL’s sales teams continue to grow and face new challenges, the app needs to evolve with them. My redesign will prioritize scalability, ensuring that ONTEC remains a valuable tool for years to come.

Looking Ahead

The AVL 2025 Sales Conference was more than just an event—it was a learning experience that deepened my understanding of the intersection between technology, design, and user needs. As I continue to work on redesigning ONTEC’s UI, I’ll carry the insights and feedback from this conference with me, striving to create a tool that empowers AVL’s salespeople to excel in their roles.

This experience reaffirmed my belief that design is not just about aesthetics—it’s about solving real problems and enhancing the user experience. I’m excited to bring these ideas to life and contribute to AVL’s mission of driving innovation in the mobility industry.

I was intrigued when I heard the term „storytelling in design,“ so I wanted to explore it further and see where it could be applied. While searching the internet, I came across an interesting video on YouTube of Ellen Lupton’s lecture at the „From Business to Buttons 2023“ conference about storytelling and visual design. In her lecture, she discusses how storytelling can significantly impact design and its meaningfulness. Design is not just about aesthetics; it’s a way of communicating ideas, emotions, and messages. Through her presentation, she explained how storytelling principles can help designers convey strong messages and build deeper connections with their audience.

Lupton begins her talk with the statement that every design, whether digital or physical, is a form of storytelling. Designers create entire journeys through interactions with a product or service, but also countless small interactions along the way. She compares this to a story, explaining how every story needs action and emotion. A good story presents the action in an engaging way, resulting in a satisfying emotional response. As designers, we create action—which is the narrative—and then wrap it in emotions by creating various atmospheres through colors, fonts, layouts, and so on. That’s why she says every path is its own story. Sometimes the path itself is so strong that it becomes a character in the story, like the highway in the movie Mad Max. It introduces us to the story, like an invitation. And even though it may seem like the path is straightforward, we must take a leap, and we’ll discover that somewhere along the way, there are curves. Additionally, every story has a beginning, middle, and end, just like in design. Users experience a journey, starting from their first contact with a product to the point of making a decision—an action.

The second thing she mentions is the rule of threes. She explains that it’s easier for users when they have three options rather than too many, like when choosing movies on Netflix. Having fewer options makes it easier for us to decide. For this reason, information is often grouped into threes, simplifying complex information and making it easier to understand. These principles are also used in restaurants like McDonald’s. This rhythm can also be used to create an unexpected moment of surprise, like in an advertisement for a product. Additionally, it can be applied in dashboard design to visually separate information for easier comprehension.

Another narrative model she mentions is the Hero’s Journey. The protagonist is a person who typically goes to a different, magical world, experiences new and exciting things, faces challenges, and then returns home—it’s always a circle. Designers, through their decisions, create that “magical world” into which the user enters, inviting them into a “green world.” This is why some applications use green. She also mentions examples of purple for mystical/magical vibes or neutrals for natural products. It all depends on what the product is about and the atmosphere we want to create. What’s also important is designing the experience as a labyrinth that leads the user to their goal, creating a sense of security or excitement. Throughout the experience, it’s essential to include the previously mentioned emotions. One of the most powerful emotions is humor, but it can also be surprise or even suspense. These create engagement and energy, building a connection with the product.

The last concept she mentions is resolving and creating conflict. Resolving conflict involves eliminating pain points users encounter, thereby creating a better experience. On the other hand, creating conflict can involve using red to emphasize that something is wrong, pop-up messages that indicate an error, or notifications that warn users they’ll lose their streak, like in Duolingo.

Beyond static elements, she highlights the importance of interactivity in digital design. Every interaction a user has with a design is part of the narrative. For example, smooth and intuitive interactions can give users a sense of control and satisfaction, while design tricks like animations can create “magic” in their experience. This helped me view my project more holistically and consider how I could make it more engaging for users in a fun and story-like way.

*ChatGPT was used to summarize and translate text from Croatian to English

Links
1. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9YcSdkUzok8
2. https://blog.reedsy.com/guide/story-structure/heros-journey/
3. https://www.peachpit.com/articles/article.aspx?p=2086873

For our final master studies showcase »Kaleidoscope«, I had the opportunity to work on a project that merged art, interaction design, and media design in a unique and immersive way. The project, titled “Luminous Flora”, invited visitors to create their own personalized flower arrangements using a tablet, and experience their design through projection mapping onto a 3D sculpture. As interaction designers, my team and I were primarily responsible for the app development and integrating the design with the projection system. This experience allowed me to explore the challenges of user interface design and discover new tools that dramatically impacted our process, specifically ProtoPie.

The Concept: Merging Creativity and Technology

The core concept of “Luminous Flora” was to give visitors an opportunity to design their own flower bouquet, combining their creativity with digital technology for a truly interactive art experience. The idea was while using a tablet, visitors could choose flowers, arrange them as they liked, and then see their creation projected onto a custom-made polygon structure, making the bouquet appear as a tangible, 3D object. The flowers were carefully crafted in a 3D program, ensuring realistic textures, colors, and shapes to bring them to life digitally. This combination of user interaction and projection mapping showcased how art and technology can collaborate to create something innovative and engaging.

Overcoming Technical Challenges: From Coding to ProtoPie

Initially, we planned to build the app using Angular, but we quickly hit technical roadblocks. Integrating live projection and connecting with Resolume software proved difficult, and our coding skills couldn’t keep up with the project’s complexity. That’s when we first heard about ProtoPie, a no-code design tool. At first, we were uncertain, but soon realized it was the perfect solution. ProtoPie’s intuitive interface allowed us to focus on the creative aspects without getting bogged down by coding challenges. It enabled us to create interactive prototypes without any coding. We could design interactions using simple triggers and actions, making the process much faster. Its integration with Figma allowed us to easily import our designs and turn them into prototypes. ProtoPie’s component-based system also made it easy to maintain consistency across the app. The real-time preview feature allowed us to instantly test and refine our interactions, speeding up the iteration process and enhancing our workflow. ProtoPie ultimately allowed us to turn our creative ideas into a fully functional interactive experience for the Luminous Flora project, without the technical struggles we initially faced.

A Collaborative Journey: Lessons Learned

The development of the Luminous Flora project taught us valuable lessons in collaboration and adaptability. The process wasn’t always smooth, and there were times when communication between different majors was challenging. At the beginning, it was difficult to stay on the same page and manage tasks effectively. Sometimes, as deadlines approached, it felt like we were scrambling to complete everything. However, despite these challenges, we pushed forward, and the end result was an interactive experience that exceeded our expectations. The collaboration between the different design disciplines was crucial. By constantly communicating, sharing ideas, and giving feedback, we were able to create something that not only worked technically but was also engaging and creative. The final app was visually appealing and easy to navigate, offering users an immersive experience as they designed their bouquets and saw them projected in real-time.

Conclusion: Insights into User Interface Design and the Future of No-Code Tools

The Luminous Flora project provided me with valuable insights into the integration of user interfaces with physical experiences, particularly through projection mapping, and how external factors like lighting, environment, and technological constraints shape the design process. I learned how essential it is to choose the right tools, as ProtoPie allowed us to rapidly prototype and test ideas without the burden of complex coding. This experience has significantly influenced my research, especially in understanding how external influences can affect user interface design and user interaction. Moving forward, I’m eager to explore no-code tools like ProtoPie more deeply, as they offer new possibilities for faster iteration and creative experimentation, especially in the development of adaptive systems. The ability to create personalized, responsive interfaces with ease has opened new paths for my future projects, and I look forward to further exploring these tools in the context of dynamic, user-centered design.

Links

https://kaleidoscope-showcase.netlify.app
https://www.protopie.io
https://resolume.com