Ben Davis

UI/Gamedev

I'm a visual designer who creates bold identities and executes them across multiple mediums. I believe in the power of strong design and have an endless passion for well crafted experiences (I'm also quite passionate about poorly crafted experiences, lol).

I thrive in collaborative environments and have worked in the design industry for over a decade. Please check out my work and feel free to contact me with any inquiries.

tryptefan.itch.io

Bronze App

Personal Workout Project

Having recently gotten back into exercise, I found myself searching for an interval training app to manage my workouts. There are plenty of apps out there, but none struck the right balance between customization and simplicity. I tried to solve this problem by limiting options and presenting them progressively along the user journey.

The Requirements

  • Create a "playlist" of 30 second exercises
  • Set number of reps
  • Set time between each exercise (rest)
  • Set time between each rep (recovery)
  • Customize alarm sounds
  • Make me feel like I'm training for the 1972 Munich Olympics

Flowchart

After defining the requirements, I created a flowchart to identify the most efficient paths a user would take to accomplish their goals. This helped me find dead-ends and redundancies that made the tasks confusing and awkward. This allowed me to eliminate potential problems before the prototype stage.

Prototype

It's not until we actually hold an app in our hands and start navigating do we really know what's working and what's not. After having some friends test it out, it became clear that the exercise creation screen was confusing. To fix this, I added an 'empty' icon at the end of the sequence. I also removed the clutter a bit to provide some clarity. Afterwards, the screen made more sense and users were more easily able to create and manage workouts.

Color & Typography

The 1972 Munich Olympic system, developed by the German born designer Otl Aicher, provided a vibrant color palette. This effect is accomplished by both hue choice and by saturating the warmer hues more than their cooler counterparts.

I started with Univers, the typeface used in the original Olympic system. But since it was not optimized for modern screens, I chose San Francisco as a simple and legible alternative.

Visual Design

With the structural questions answered, I was able to focus on evoking the bold, dynamic feeling that the Munich Olympic system is famous for. I created custom icons based on the same grid to represent different exercises. I then worked on finding the right color combinations to feel vibrant, but maintain legibility while giving users cues about interactions.

Conclusion

I set out to design a simple app for managing workouts. I think it came together pretty well, but if I were to continue development I would add micro-interactions and transitions to make it feel more lively and responsive. After iterating through the user flow until it felt natural, creating a low resolution prototype for testing, and crafting the look based on a legendary design system, I think it meets the requirements and I would definitely use this app for my workouts.

Identity

The most important part of an identity is the immediate emotional reaction it creates. Intention and values are reflected by identity, and purpose is revealed when design effects people on a visceral level.

Technology

Good design requires an equally good technological foundation. An extensive understanding of the possibilities and limitations of CSS, HTML, Javascript, etc. benefits process and leads to a better user experience.

Experience

The success of a visual experience is dependent on how the user feels at every point of interaction. Thoughtful and consistent application of identity through technology is what makes great design.

  • 2019 - 2022

    Freelance

    • Produced email templates, newsletters, brochures, catalogs, websites, and logos
    • Fast-paced environment
    • Clients in the real estate and construction industries
  • 2018 - 2019

    The Berman Group (NYC)

    • Clients include Tim Tebow and Nike
    • Designed and built front end of Nike event e-commerce
  • 2013 - 2017

    Heavyweight LLC

    • Developed and executed brands for restaurants
    • Implemented standards across media
    • Responsible for web/mobile, social, print, menus, banners, etc
    • Worked closely with restaurant owners to get an understanding of their needs
    • Developed international solutions for franchises across Asia
  • 2010 - 2013

    Vizergy

    • Designed and built award winning websites for the hospitality industry
    • Worked with clients in a fast-paced, collaborative environment
    • Organized training sessions
    • Worked with developers to improve their custom CMS
  • 2007 - 2010

    KOI Technology

    • Teamed up with a programmer for rich web development
    • Leveraged Drupal for powerful solutions
    • Developed early community sites and media players