Designing an application

Flik is a broadband browser for sharing large video files and photos. When I began working on the project "Flik" only existed as an intranet tool with a bland and limited administrative interface. My brief was to capitalise on a smart way of distributing large files by using the Concepting process to produce a more advanced consumer version.

The project involved developing the branding, user experience definition, information architecture, interactive design, and visual design of all user interface elements.

Prototyping the experience

The first task in designing the Flik interface was paper prototyping, which I translated into wire frames to evaluate the information architecture and screen interaction models.

I designed Flik around four key processes - View, Create, Share and Collect - based on the way people work with visual content.

These four processes underpin Flik's user experience model, and form the basis for the application's functionality.

Designing the interface

Creating an application from the ground up offers the opportunity to design every component of the graphic user interface. This opportunity promotes desirable user experiences because users won't be caught off guard by inconsistencies that can occur in some applications such as when default Windows' dialog boxes or buttons appear.

The elements shown here are all created in Adobe Illustrator.

The look and feel

The initial screen designs evolved through a number of iterations before the final "look and feel" of the application was finalised. The purpose of these iterations is to test and enhance the interaction design by removing clutter, simplifying the process and designing for consistency through visual cues.

Identity and theming

The decision to drop the 'c' from the origin word - flick - gave the brand name a unique identity that could be trademarked and protected.

I decided to place the word mark inside a screen object, so that people would understand that Flik was a multimedia application. This coding was augmented by the use of the screen in marketing collateral as a container for photos and movies in online demos.

As part of the brand theme I wanted to create a mnemonic device, an image that represents Flik and could stimulate recall through advertising material. The image of the "waving baby" was chosen because it communicates that Flik is about sharing family moments and since it is informal, the brand is both friendly and approachable.