My name is Christie Chen. I'm majoring in Computer Science with a second major in Design (minor in HCI along the way!), and I'm a junior.
I'm taking this class as a requirement, but I'm also happy to be in it! I've always been interested in Front-end development and UI/UX, where I can use both my majors in some capacity.
At WashU, I've taken CSE 204(WebDev) and CSE 330(Rapid Prototype Development), which both used HTML/CSS/JS.
I also worked at Yahoo this past summer as a software engineering intern with a heavy front-end focus, so I spent the entire summer in HTML, CSS/SASS, and JS (React and Typescript). I would say I'm very familiar with HTML/CSS/JS at this point (it's listed as "proficient" on my resume, at least!).
I'm interested to take a class that integrates front-end development with more of a design perspective; at my internship, I worked closely with a designer the entire way through but had no input on the design process. I just built what they gave me! While that was fun, I am excited to implement things I design as well.
I took Visual Principles for the Screen last semester, and I hope for some of the concepts we learned there to carry over as well. I think something I will have to pay attention to is how to direct the audience to certain places on the screen, and how to make each interaction clear to avoid users closing out of the page.
I quite like Santana Row's website, although there are things I have slight issue with.
I think the landing page is quite eye-catching, with a lot of engaging images that don't seem to overpower each other. The grid set up of the images keep everything organized, and the video in the center panel adds some fun movement to an otherwise static page. In addition, I like how the hover-states are clear and consistent. I also think all of the information is easily accessible. One thing I would change is that some of the white text isn't that readable on the photo backgrounds.
However, all in all, I think the site does a good job of making me want to visit Santana Row.
I think YouTube's website is very effective in communicating exactly what it's purpose is.
On page open, there are a slew of videos for you to click on and explore. It's apparent right away that YouTube is a platform for sharing videos, and the infinite scroll keeps users engaged.
I think Spotify's website works well generally.
Each section is really clear, and there are definite calls to action for the user in each panel. The site also directs users to scroll, with an enticing "SPOTIFY FREE" label peeking out from the second panel to further encourage scrolling. I also enjoy how the site is rather short; there isn't an overload of information about Spotify or Spotify Premium right away, but rather it encourages people to stay on the site and explore.
As of when I'm submitting this assignment, the page also uses a consistent color theme. The image on the first panel (I'm not sure if it's an actual album cover) is clearly what inspired the colors on the rest of the page, making the site interesting and colorful without being overwhelmingly jumbled together.