Radial Calculator
A new editing function that makes it possible to quickly and easily arrange elements radially around a point and then customize them.
PROJECT CONTEXT
Application Design & march. – july 2023
TOOLS
Figma, Illustrator
SUPERVISION
Prof. Hartmut Bohnacker, Asisa Asseily
MY ROLE
Research, Concept , UI Design, Prototyping
TEAM MEMBERS
André Jacoby, Elisa Moder, Lena van Maris
DESIGN
PROCESS
OUR
GOAL
The Application Design course aims to develop an application in the area of search, browse or edit. The task was to find a weak point in this area and improve it through conceptual, functional and visual ideas.
Our goal was to develop an editing function that solves a problem when working with design programs through simple and understandable interaction.
OUR
PAINPOINTS
As we wanted to put the Pathfinder functions to the test in detail, we looked for various illustrations, divided them into levels of difficulty and then recreated them ourselves in Illustrator.
In order to determine at which point and in which work steps there are problems, we observed a person and noted the different work steps and the functions used. In order to determine which of our solution approaches were sensible and feasible, we organised them in a simple matrix. This allowed us to get a feel for which ideas we could pursue further.
Unclear Layer Structure
Volunteers arrived without clear direction and didn’t know where to go, who to talk to, or how to start helping.
Limited Object Placement
Objects can’t be aligned seamlessly, and reusing the same element requires constant copying, which slows down the workflow.
Missing Functions
Key features like rotation around a point, distance checks, or circle symmetry are not available, limiting accuracy and design options.
MAIN
FUNCTION
In order not to lose our focus, we defined three main functions, which we continued to expand as we progressed.
Transition between forms. (tangent)
Symmetry
Radially constructed object
QUESTION DURING THE DESIGN PROCESS
Features
Different features of our main function
Change the general length to the center point
Change the general angle of all element
Last element on end angle
Change a length to the center point
Change an angle to the next element
Handles on the elements to change the start and end angle, as well as the distance and angle to the elements
Illustrator introduced exactly this function 1.5 years later on 14 October 2024. So we know that the idea we had back then is actually being used in our working world and is really important.
In the end, a concept and a new function is created, which is visualized in this video.
With the help of this video we were able to make our concept easily accessible and understandable.
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WHAT DO YOU WANT TO SEE NEXT?
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