{"id":2381,"date":"2016-12-06T17:01:37","date_gmt":"2016-12-06T14:01:37","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/tubikstudio.com\/?p=2381"},"modified":"2023-08-15T08:38:56","modified_gmt":"2023-08-15T08:38:56","slug":"case-study-toonie-alarm-mascot-design-for-ui-interactions","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/tubikstudio.com\/blog\/case-study-toonie-alarm-mascot-design-for-ui-interactions\/","title":{"rendered":"Case Study: Toonie. Mascot Design for UI Interactions"},"content":{"rendered":"

Working over any interactive product, designers have to find a way of communication which will correspond to users’ expectations and will be helpful for effective interactions. In many cases, this way of communication is presented with mascots: images, usually personified, which in most cases represent the brand, product, or service identity and therefore become its symbolic convention via all the applications or websites as well as the branded items and promotional activities.<\/span><\/p>\n

One of our previous articles was devoted to the power of mascots<\/a> in establishing an effective brand strategy. The business practice of successful companies shows that thoughtfully designed mascots in some cases can work even better than product endorsements with the help of a famous person. Mascots can reflect any traits of character, follow any style needed for product positioning, and communicate with the customer via a wide set of visual techniques. They push the limits of personification and give the chance to create unexpected combinations of elements or make fantastic and non-existing characters alive.<\/span><\/p>\n

Today we would like to show you the practical case of applying a mascot in UI design by the example of Toonie Alarm<\/a>. We have already shown a case study on the general concept of user interface design<\/a> for this app and this time the story is continued with Toonie, a funny bird that goes with the user all around the app.<\/span><\/p>\n

\"toonie<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Task<\/span><\/h2>\n

Designing a mascot for UI of the simple and entertaining alarm application for iPhones.<\/span><\/p>\n

Tools<\/span><\/h2>\n

Wacom Intuous pen tablet, Adobe Illustrator, Adobe Photoshop<\/span><\/p>\n

Process<\/span><\/h2>\n

Requirements to the mascot<\/span><\/h3>\n

A mascot plays an important part in the perspective of interconnection between the user and the product. Integrated into the interface, mascot becomes the core element of communication and interaction, therefore in different states, it can become the basic way to deliver the message to the user.<\/span><\/p>\n

The basic advantages of applying mascots as a part of UI design include:<\/span><\/p>\n

Memorability.<\/strong>\u00a0People tend to remember substantial images faster and longer than abstract ones, especially the characters reflecting human-like features.<\/span><\/p>\n

Recognizability.<\/strong>\u00a0As long as it is easier to remember the mascot, it is also easier to recognize the product and its features among the others.<\/span><\/p>\n

Visual marking.<\/strong> Mascot allows marking visually anything connected with the product creating additional field for promotional activity.<\/span><\/p>\n

Personalization<\/strong>.\u00a0Mascot is one of the best ways to provide the element of direct communication and personal attention to users, which they usually\u00a0appreciate.<\/span><\/p>\n

Stylistic support<\/strong>. Mascots being a highly flexible element can become a central part of the general style concept for the product.<\/span><\/p>\n

Consistency<\/strong>. Mascots applied in the user interface can become a sort of convention and support the general and harmonic perception of the whole interface rather than the set of separated screens.<\/span><\/p>\n

Emotion and interest trigger.\u00a0<\/strong>Mascot is one of the fastest ways to provide the feature of emotional feedback to the user, let the interface speak the user\u2019s language, and therefore make the product more user-centered.<\/span><\/p>\n

Aesthetic satisfaction.<\/strong> Mascot as an object of a sophisticated artistic approach can become the feature supporting the user\u2019s need for aesthetic pleasure. The pleasant-looking mascot is a good reason to make a choice in favor of a particular product in the case when it\u2019s compared to the ones with the same functionality but less attractive graphic support.<\/span><\/p>\n

Long-term perspective of image development.<\/strong> Mascots accomplished properly usually become the element of long-term branding strategy and are able to satisfy multiple needs getting transformed and refreshing the experience of product use without losing recognizability.<\/span><\/p>\n

\"Toonie<\/p>\n

Efficient mascots should be based on thorough user research, analyzing needs, wishes and expectations of the target audience, and also an attentive study of the market environment to support the appropriate level of originality as the basis for effective design solutions. Therefore, efficient mascot should be:<\/span><\/p>\n