CREATING A BETTER TECH EXPERIENCE WITH NEO TRAN

  It’s a gratifying experience when the general public views your work as exceptional. It is however the greatest of compliments when those involved in your own industry see it as such and seek out your skills and wish to collaborate with you. This type of immediate vetting is the same whether you’re a Hollywood director or in the case of Neo Tran, a Graphic Designer and UI/UX Designer.  VDSLA is a well-known and respected entity in the tech world. When they wanted someone to redesign their own website, they turned to Neo Tran. The days of bland tech are long gone. Technology is as ubiquitous as the wheel, possibly more so these days. Beyond the diversity available to users is the ease or intuitive nature of the many web based tools in our lives. What makes Neo such an in demand designer is his deep knowledge of tech and keen insight into people. In the same way that a master craftsman designs a fine violin or an architect creates the proper emotional environment in a structure, Tran used his expertise to enable VDSLA to have greater impact with its website. Neo’s work on this and numerous other projects is a demarcation in the days of utilitarian web-based interaction and a more creative and inspiring era.

 When VDSLA enlisted Tran for an overhaul of their website it was not only to update it. He would essentially serve as a proxy for users requiring him to think of and compensate for all perceivable road blocks and potential impediments in their experience. In his role as User Interface/User Experience designer and quality assurance, Neo worked to make sure the sites would run smoothly and responsively through different devices with different screen sizes. Whether you’re a professional or a civilian, work and play are conducted on both stationary and mobile devices. A truly forward thinking company realizes this and prepares for all possibilities. Tran describes, “I worked to modernize new key functionality of the site to better feature the work that VDSLA does. Inspired by new clean and bold web design trends, I wanted to put the company’s work in the spotlight to better exert its competency. I also applied a new style to leadership panel to better fit the responsive layout for mobile and tablet as well. Beyond this, I acted as overall quality assurance, directing the web developer to implement the features and identify/fix visual and technical issues with the site.”

  What makes Neo so valued and sought out is his mastery of UI/UX design. You can have the greatest service in the world but if it is not easy to use and a pleasing experience, people won’t embrace it. Conversely, you can have a site that is very average in what it does but if it is simple and intuitive people will gravitate towards it. UI/UX refers to the design of a site and the experience users have with it. Tran’s expertise and experience with this aspect makes him something of a tech therapist. An understanding of functionality and its interaction with human perception and tendencies is the very core of his work. Usually visuals and functionality go hand in hand. A visual element must be considered very carefully before being change because it may affect user experience. Most commonly, if a function is already established it is harder and takes longer to change a function than the visual component. For example, if there’s a need for visual redesign of an app, it is easier and more expedient to change the colors, icon shapes, images and text. However, when you change a function inside of an app, it takes much more consideration in term of usability and coding time. To explain how UI/UX works in terms most of us are familiar with, Tran refers to Snapchat stating, “The most beautiful thing about Snapchat is in its navigation. Snapchat has an intuitive way to navigate through the app. I think it was brilliant when they first eliminated the chevron buttons and introduced horizontal/vertical swipe to get to other sections of the app. It seems like the app extends beyond the limit of your phone screen. The interaction is as follows: swipe left to reveal friends list, swipe right to reveal chat, swipe down to reveal your profile and swipe up to reveal your memories. By anticipating the ease (or lack of) users have with Snapchat, they exponentially increase the volume of users. Popular phone sizes have increased over the years, making it harder to tap on the back and forward buttons on the top of the screen. With this interaction, Snapchat is easier to use with one hand on longer phones like iPhone 6, 6+, 7, 7+. On the design aspect, Snapchat is a shining example of functional minimalist and sleek design. On the home screen, small buttons are organized on the corners of the screen to let the camera take the show.”

  VDSLA is a savvy company that understands the evolving disposition and expectations of users. The company hired Tran to work with Creative Director Stephanie Dillon and Art Director Leny Evangelista to transform their already successful but somewhat coy site into an attractive and engaging one. Neo took the approach of showcasing the work of VDSLA to convey the reality of their successful work. He compiled all the case studies and put them into a carousel with big and bold image sliders taking up the entire width of the browser, in order to better capture the viewer’s focus before moving on to the next section. Numerous approach to the aesthetics of the site were implemented by Tran but it was the quality assurance aspect of his role (particularly in regards to mobile responsiveness) that required arduous detail oversight. Concerning Neo’s work on the project, Evangelista confirms, “Neo is quite adept in technology and human behavior. He’s an indispensable asset, not afraid to take initiative and lead on a project but also a great mentor to others in finding the most intuitive solution to any user experience problem. It is rare to find a multifaceted designer such as Neo on whom you can depend with projects that require user interface design, user experience, quality assurance, pre-press, print production, photography as well as 3D rendering. He is passionate and driven to excel, which is obvious to anyone who sees his work.”

  VDSLA describes their updated site as “livelier” and “better representative of the company’s capabilities.” Serving as both a tool and a calling card, the updated VDSLA website is a source of pride for both the company and Neo Tran, both of whom are committed to creating the best experience for the user.