Take Home Exam #3 - Flash portion ..... due Monday, December 10, 5:00PM

(I won't accept late submissions so if you know yourself to be someone who struggles to turn things in on time, tell yourself it's due at noon, if need be and consider turning in an early version just in case something happens and you can't turn in a later version)

Don't hesitate to email me with questions or ask for help - I want this to be a chance for you to learn, not just a way to test what you've already learned.

For this part of the exam, you will create interactivity for the design you created in Illustrator. To make this feasible in the amount of time you have, I won't ask you to use your Illustrator file (though you may if you want to). Instead, you can create a "wireframe" version (i.e. a mockup with the functionality in place but just a skeleton of other design elements). This will reduce a lot of the complexity and allow you to start with a file I've created which already does a lot of the tedious work for you

YOU CAN START WITH THIS FLASH FILE (which includes a layer for each route.. each route has been turned into an instance (e.g. metro74_btn) of a button symbo - e.g. btnMetro74l)

OR THIS ONE (which has zooming and panning already implemented - the routes have been turned into instances (e.g. metro74_btn) of button symbols - e.g. btnMetro74 and they're all combined into a single movieClip symbol)

DOES IT HAVE TO BE FULLY FUNCTIONAL?

• If you have an idea that is too complex to fully implement, but that you can create a "proof of concept" for using a subset of routes, check with me so we can decide how many routes are reasonable
• If you have an idea that requires data you don't have access to and want to use fake data, check with me to decide whether that seems like a good idea to pursue.

Include one of these forms of functionality:

• A pop-up box or side panel that includes dynamic text which varies depending up what you hover over or click on
• Dynamically changing the color or other appearance attribute using ActionScript
• Drawing (e.g. to create a data graphic)
• Hide/reveal elements based on zoom level (new! click here to see the code module)
• Move an object along a line (new! click here to see the code module)
• An animation that explains something (like the drug animation lab)
• User-control of an animation (include go, stop, reverse and start over)
• Masking animation
• If you have another idea and want to pitch it to me, feel free to do so

Include comments

Remember this is a good way to start if you're unsure how to implement your idea - start by writing out what you want to do in the form of a series of comments

Sources of Inspiration

Here are some models with interactivity as inspiration (I wouldn't say they're good models for design elements, with the exception of the tour de France one) (NOTE: many of these are from the New York TImes and if you don't have a subscription, they'll limit the number of articles you can view in a month, though you can get a 4-week starting subscription for 99 cents):

Baghdad neighborhoods: This is interesting because instead of hovering over an element on the map, you hover over an element on the side to display something on the map

Damage from the earthquake in Japan: The interaction is interesting because it shows data as well as text in the pop-up box.

Tour de France. Rather than showing information in a popup box, this display allows you to click on the map and bring up a side bar with information on the route.

New York Subways: This shows an information visualization idea that could be used for bus routes..but I include it more for the tabbed interaction which lets you look at different versions of the display.

FINAL PRODUCT

A fla file which demonstrates the interactivity you have in mind for your Illustrator file and includes at least one of the forms of interactivity included in the list above.

* REMEMBER TO INCLUDE LOTS OF COMMENTS!

Final product: BusRouteInteraction.fla due Monday, December 10, 5:00PM (submissions aren't allowed after 5:00)