Weekly Recap 10/24-10/30

What I did:

Designing:  3 hours
Attempting to simplify language:  1 hour
Re-thinking the format my project will take: 1 hour
Looking for inspiration about this new format:  2 hours
Flash Tutorials:  2 hours
Taking my shitty computer to IT for it's 3rd crash in the last 8 months:  Too much time.

What I Discovered/Encountered/Accomplished:

I realized that all of the things that I thinking through intuitively need to be put into a legible format.  I need to do more hand mapping of this complex process.  If I don't understand how it works then I can't help other people.

I also discovered that the language currently used in the immigration website is incredibly confusing.  I initially thought I would use a similar version of what they say but break it down into manageable segments.  I'm quickly learning that the language itself needs to be rethought.  A glossary is a must but some terms need to be renamed or redefined.

I need to play around more with all the different variables in the designs I have to come to some more conclusions about the direction its going.

I realized that I'm going for a more first person narrative in the language I'm using to navigate people.  I just need to make it more consistent.

My new format will be an Immigration Kit.  I think it is more accessible and realistic considering a lot of people don't have internet access.  Hannah and I talked about it being somewhat sustainable/not wasteful by having it in steps.  They could first be given something to determine if they are eligible.  If they are eligible then they would be given the kit to navigate through the process.  I think a website could be useful too but it won't be the main aspect of this project.  I also thought about how it could be a kit that has the option of a printed format or a digital format for people who do have computer access.  This would be one way of making it less wasteful.

Whats Next:

Keep going.  I feel like I'm on a roll and am heading in a really great direction.  I have lots of things to address.  I'm excited!

My Life in Digital Format

Living with Lynda.  Learning with Lynda.

Preference Categories

This is a design for the description of preference categories.  I'm having trouble articulating the description in a simple way.

My Life in Linear Format.

Here is my timeline from now until the December review.  I've included the rest of my life too.

Amazing Info Graphics

http://theofficeof.feltron.com/

What can designers do collectively to advance social causes?

http://www.aiga.org/content.cfm/what-can-designers-do-collectively-to-advance-social-causes

Language of Pictograms

http://www.aiga.org/content.cfm/neurath-bliss-and-the-language-of-the-pictogram

Weekly Recap 10/17-10/23

What I did:


1 Hour:  Emailing and networking.
5.5 Hours:  Designing process maps.
.5 Hours:  Planning for December review.


The process maps I designed deal with determining eligibility.  They are from the perspective of a U.S. Citizen trying to petition a family member.  It navigates through who the person is, who they are trying to help, what they are eligible for, and what forms they will need.  Obviously these are still extremely simple but I am trying to define my aesthetic and format to follow for more future designs.

For the December review I would like to have a bunch of these types of maps that could be used for print.  I would like to incorporate more layered information in the future maps such as cost and wait times.  I would also like to have a sample of what I think an interactive map should be.  An outline for the website would be really great too.

What I accomplished / encountered / discovered:

I discovered that there are a million+ options for making "simple" diagrams.  I also discovered that there is a fine line between simple and complex, crowded and spread out.  It is really easy for these maps to turn into really cluttered messes.  I want to have a simple idea but an original way of executing it.

I've also realized that I have been on a roll lately with working.  I enjoy applying all of the research I've done into something visual, it is so much more rewarding. 

I really want to address the idea of not using language.  I really want to work with some symbology in the near future.  The "World Without Words" book by Evamy is a really good resource.

Whats Next:  


More map designing.  More flash tutorials.  More networking and conversations.  More planning for December.  I need to set specific short term goals in order to get all that I want done for the review.

Kid Immigrants

Interview

Link to Interview with Dori Tunstall

Her interview starts at 40:00.  She discusses design anthropology.

Interview done by ByDesign, the Australian radio show.

Weekly Recap 10/10-10/16

What I did:


3 hours:  refining my proposal.
1 hour:  being frustrated and inappropriately venting about it.
1 hour: sketching a process map to take to my meeting with Bridgette Carr.  Post-its didn't seem appropriate.
1 hour:  meeting with law professor Bridgette Carr.  She specializes in immigration law and human trafficking.
3 hours:  reflecting and researching based on what Bridgette suggested and pointed out.
1 hour:  researching online tutorials/classes to better enhance my technical capabilities.


What I accomplished/ discovered/ encountered:


Accomplishment- finished proposal, somewhat successfully I think.  One page is very limiting, even when you push the margins a bit.  I'm happy to set writing aside for a while.  I'm ready to make!!


I've discovered that I am to the point where I need to start making before I can make anymore progress in the "concept" of my project.   I think mapping out this process in a well designed, visually approachable way will start leading me in the right direction, or at least make me realize that it's the wrong direction.  I really feel like I have come to some good concrete ideas about some much needed tools for immigrants, petitioners, and lawyers.  A holistic view of the entire process is so so so important.  Both lawyers and immigrants/petitioners have told me this.  They want to know the estimated time frame for the whole process, the estimated cost for the whole process, and all of the forms, translations, and other details that are necessary before starting the incredibly daunting task of immigrating.  


Meeting with Professor Bridgette Carr was enlightening.  She was definitely a distinct personality but she brought some very important things to my attention.  She told me that helping the people that aren't help-able is really important.  There are a lot of people who are not eligible in anyway at the current state of their life, family, or the government's law.  It is so important for them to know how they fit into the matrix because if they don't understand it is so likely  that they will return to their home country and hire what they think is a "lawful" or "legitimate" attorney.  They will pay them an obscene amount of money to file the documents they are told are lawful.  These "attorneys" are fraudulent and in turn file fraudulent forms.  By filing fraudulent forms, any chance of immigrating they may have had for the future is then gone forever.  She also informed me about inadmissibility, which I absolutely don't understand yet but am planning to research further.  She brought up the importance of the home country of immigrants.  This has a huge impact on the amount of time they are forced to wait.  Each country has a different length of "line" for the wait time of immigration processing.  I think a global map with some sort of scale correlating to the amount of wait time would be an interesting tool.  It could be updated monthly or yearly.  She also reassured me that my plan to map out the cost of each element of the process is important so that people know what to expect. 


I found, on accident, this "check processing times" tool on the current immigration website.  It is so important in knowing an estimated wait time based on the type of form you are filling out and the person you are/or are petitioning.  The goal amount of time that the USCIS would like to be able to process almost all of the types of immigration is 5 months.  The reality is that it takes a few years at least.  This chart is for the I-130 form, a very common form for citizens and perm. residents to file for their family members wanting to immigrate, for their single children, under the age of 21.  86.2 month is just over 7 years.  That is crazy.  I don't know how people would have found this tool.
https://egov.uscis.gov/cris/Dashboard/ProcTimes.do

So far I think my process map is going to have many  many different layers of information.  Right now I imagine it as a printable pamphlet and poster that could be used to give immigrants and lawyers, but also an interactive online navigation that could also be used in some sort of proposed kiosk in different offices and consulates. 


I really feel like I've made great progress this week.  I feel really concrete in my direction and am ready to start making.  There are hours of flash tutorials in my very near future.


Whats Next:
Flash tutorials.  Lots and lots of them.  Lynda.com will be my friend.
Designing a printable poster/pamphlet for one aspect of the family based immigration process.  Probably the U.S. Citizen wanting to petition a family member.  It is the simplest for now.  I'm really excited to get started!

Frustration.

#1 I'm sick of repeating myself a million times.  If you don't know what my project is then you aren't listening, you aren't reading my blog, or there is not enough one-on-one conversation

#2 I'm sick of getting mixed directional signals.  Being told to be concise and to elaborate is an oxymoron.

#3 I'm sick of feeling stuck.  See #4

#4 I'm sick of feeling like I need approval before I can move forward.  I am afraid to move forward without approval for fear of being pulled back.

#5 I'm sick of having my critique/conversation time cut short.  For some reason I'm always at the end of the list and my conversations are extremely rushed and vague thus no one understands where I'm heading.  A half hour conversation would be much more useful than a few 10 minute conversations.  Even if it was once every other week.

#6 I'm sick of defending my idea.  This relates to #1, #2, and #3.  My conversations are limited and short so no one knows my real intentions so I feel like I am constantly answering the same analytical questions and getting the same confused faces.

#7 I'm sick of giving the same advice or suggestions to people.

#8  I'd also like to get blog comments consistently.  Isn't that the point?  So everyone is caught up in my direction and where I am and they have the opportunity to offer advice and suggestions?

Immigration Post-it Map

Weekly Recap 10/3-10/9

What I did:


3 hours -- mind mapping / immigration process mapping
1 hour -- conversations with immigrant and immigrant petitioner
4 hours -- research
2 hours -- project proposal draft

What I accomplished/ discovered/ encountered:


Talking to an actual immigrant was a huge step.  I didn't realize how helpful talking to an immigrant petitioner would be.  Emilia (GSI for another IP section) petitioned her husband to immigrate from Indonesia.  The petitioner is the person who claims responsibility for supporting the immigrant once they get to the U.S.  They go through the entire process with the immigrant.  She and Emir (her GSI partner) were so helpful.  Emir is from Bosnia and immigrated through Employment based immigration but still had some great suggestions.  They both talked about the "unknown" aspects of the process such as the length of time the entire application process takes, all of the information that is needed from them, all of the translations that need to be made of official documents and countless other things.  They suggested having some sort of "process map" of the entire process so people know what to expect and what is expected of them.

I also emailed two more immigration attorneys/lawyers and hope to meet and/or talk with them next week.

Whats next:


Continue networking, continue talking to immigrants and petitioners, continue mapping.  I feel like I am almost to the point of designing some sort of "process map".  I am still lacking in knowledge about plain language that is used in instructions or descriptions and universal language (such as icons).  I also need to start learning more about web design, coding, and flash.

Red Orange Yellow Blue and Green

Linden Tibbets designed this really interesting website about homeland security.  It is basically a timeline from the initiation of the color system for signifying the danger traveling and terrorist  threats.


http://redorangeyellowblueandgreen.com/

Weekly Recap 9/26-10/2

What I did:  

I spent 3-4 hours collecting my thoughts and putting together my sentences. 

I spent 2 hours doing online research for graphic ways of conveying information.

I spent 1 hour mind mapping.

My sentences were:

What?  To improve the communication and navigational aspects of the U.S. Immigration Process.

Why?  Because it lacks accessibility and legibility because of the overwhelming amount of information.

What I accomplished/discovered/encountered:

I found this on Good Magazine's website.  They have some really fantastic ways of depicting infographics.  I think the way this is presented is very clear but slightly boring.  Its about the number of legal immigrants that came to the US in 2008.

http://www.good.is/post/transparency-who-is-coming-to-america/


I also found this which I think is a much more interesting style but not necessarily for my purpose.  It is about the healthcare systems in Salt Lake City and Albuquerque.  I really like the use of simple colors and blocks of text.  The symbols are really subtle and not distracting.  This is also from Good Magazine.

I really found the group brainstorming helpful today.  I would like to do more of that.  Maybe on a smaller scale?  I also need help with universal symbology and language.

What I think I should do next:

For Tuesday's "making something" I want to take Erica's challenge of redesigning a tab of the immigration website.  I think this will be a challenge because I will have to break down the information and format it in a way that I think is cohesive.  Next week I also hope to talk to immigrants who came to the US because they had immediate family here.  I'm really looking forward to those conversations.