Background
XYZ is a concept forum or message board community created in 2018, to test out Bootstrap and interface design, in a casual way as a self-initiated project.
Levels of Transparency
After being introduced to Bootstrap while working with Fogwise on their interface, I was inspired to further test out the framework, and to try and learn more about its applicability.
I had ideas about static backgrounds, and wanted to test legibility with different levels of transparency. The design worked as an interface that mostly hosts text or form elements.
However, when additional images introduced, such as banners or cover images, the design became too messy. And because images communicate so much before people decide to click on links, or can clarify where people are within a website, this design would probably require a decent amount of compromise.
Organization
This project was also a way of connecting back to the younger years of the internet, where a lot more connection online happened at forums and message boards that were often specific to a topic.
In 2018, platforms such as Reddit, Facebook and Twitter, had successfully migrated much of the human population over to the internet, and connected to people they knew online or offline. But these connections were often not based on anything other than people’s desire to expand their networks and gain the most followers.
Much of the actual connections feel lost in social media, much of it has become a place to see ads, and your neighbor and your aunt fighting with each other on someone else’s timeline. And part of me hopes that as we move forward we find a way back to connecting through our similarities, rather through our disagreements with each other.
Reflection
This was such a fun and playful project, which allowed me to test and be creative without constraints. It taught me a lot about transparency, and the use of images, both in how we use it to navigate. Balancing something that looks cute, with something that doesn’t become too busy, and remains functional.
