Julianna Chan

Learning Journal 5 - Game Design Research

What I liked most about this article is how honest it is about the creative process. The author starts off thinking that making “the next Wordle” should be easy, only to realize that designing a good game is way more complicated than coming up with a clever idea. I related a lot to that feeling of pressure when you’re supposed to create something simple, fun, and original… but every idea suddenly feels either too basic or too impossible to build.

The article also shows how much small details matter. Things like replayability, the balance between luck and skill, and even the emotional “aha” moment are what make a game actually stick with people. I never really thought about how psychological game design is, or how much testing, tweaking, and failing happens before something feels “right.”

What stuck with me the most is how the final idea didn’t come from some dramatic burst of genius. It came from a casual conversation which made me realize that creativity isn’t about forcing a great idea and how it can appear in the most unexpected moment.

Article: I was asked to invent the next Wordle. How hard could it be?

Learning Journal 4 – Visual Thinking Analysis

The image shows an outdoor space framed by two large brick pillars, leading the viewer’s eye toward a distant building and a couple of empty tables. At first glance it feels calm and almost everyday, but the framing creates a sense of intentional composition. The contrast between the dark shaded foreground and the bright open courtyard makes the scene feel a bit cinematic. The hard textures of the brick and concrete also stand out against the softer shapes of the trees in the background.

The most obvious part of the photo is the architecture itself, but the more mysterious part is the story behind the empty tables and the quietness of the space. It makes me wonder who usually sits there, or what the area feels like when it's busy.

To push the visual thinking further, I think experimenting with a different angle or distance could make the narrative even stronger. For example, shooting closer to the tables or including a person moving through the frame might add more emotion or a sense of interaction.

This image stands out to me because it captures a really soft moment. The cat was actually super energetic in person, but the photo makes it look calm and almost curious, like it’s trying to understand what I’m doing. The way its face is pushed close to the glass makes its eyes look huge, which I didn’t plan, but it ended up giving the picture a kind of playful feeling. It’s one of those shots that feels simple at first, but the longer you look at it, the more personality you notice.

For my archive, I’m focusing on showing my audience cats I've met all around the world, and this picture fits that perfectly. This cat was captured in Hong Kong which may show the types of cats that are popular over there. It also says something about how I tend to notice tiny things in my environment that make me smile or slow down for a second.

If I were to update the photo, I’d probably try taking it from a lower angle or without the glass in between, just so the details in the fur and eyes show more clearly. But even as it is, I like that it feels genuine and a little imperfect, more candid, which is the vibe I want for the rest of my collection.

Learning Journal 3 - Visual Thinking Strategies Research

Reading the article "10 Intriguing Photographs to Teach Close Reading and Visual Thinking Skills," was like a friendly wake up-call about how I consume media. Nowawadays people's brains are fried by needing to consume so much data in so little time. The biggest takeaway for me was that critical thinking starts with slowing down, and that's what I've also been trying to do in my day-to-day life and be more present in the moment.

The exercise of using the Visual Thinking Strategies questions: "What's going on?", "What makes you say that" isn't just for simply looking at photos, it's a useful tool I can use to apply to everything from an infographic to a misleading ad.

Article: 10 Intriguing Photographs to Teach Close Reading and Visual Thinking Skills

Learning Journal 2 – Best Practices for Modals / Overlays

I found the "Best Practices for Modals / Overlays / Dialog Windows" article really helpful as a designer who works on a lot of website interfaces. I already focus a lot on responsiveness when designing screens across different products, and I feel like I have the main visual guidelines down, but this article made me realize there are so many smaller details I hadn't really thought about.

I learned that the modal's location matters more than I expected. It should be placed in the upper half of the screen, because on mobile the modal can get lost or pushed down if it sits too low. I also didn't know that if a modal takes up more than 50% of the screen, it's better not to use a modal at all.

The mobile notes were also super useful. On phones, modals aren't recommended because the device keyboard and nested scrollbars can make the experience confusing or cramped. Instead of a pop-up, using patterns that fit the phone layout works better.

Overall, the article helped me understand how these smaller details can make a big difference in creating a smoother and more intentional user experience.

Article: Best Practices for Modals / Overlays / Dialog Windows

Learning Journal 1 - Best Practices for Form Design

This article titled "Best Practices for Form Design" explores 20 best best practices to boost a form's usability. These are super important points to keep in mind that appear in many of the projects I do. From best ways to present dropdown menus to optomizing placeholder texts, I think many beginner to intermediate desginers can learn a few things. I also like how this article goes deeper than just visuals and layout, they also take into account usability for minority groups such as those who are color blind.

Apple has a very user friendly very aesthetically pleasing and easy to navigate website. Their required fields are clearly marked, labels are above fields, and fields match the expected size of their input. Another thing is that for their password format, it shows password rules before typing and there is a "show password" toggle instead of requiring re-typing. Here's the link to Apple's website: Apple's website

Article: Best practices for form design