Home " My name is Aloke Datta-Chaudhuri and I am a UX Designer with a background in architecture. Design Anorak is a company I created to promote my various design projects, research and particular philosophy of design I hope you enjoy what the site and my blog has to offer. "
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Read about my interests in design, architecture, video games and technology in the Design Anorak blog
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Aloke Datta Chaudhuri
Find out how I moved from architecture to UX design and what I plan to do next.
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Designing for Thermal Comfort: Research Report
View some of my research, reports and essays in the Articles page.
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See samples of my design and architecture projects in the Portfolio page
About Me Aloke Datta-Chaudhuri
"Humans evolve through design which is why it is important that designers of all types should look to strengthen communities, cultures, the environment and interactions with others which in turn will benifit the product, brand and overall experience."
Skills
Education
Present
I am currently half way through studying a Masters in UX Design at Digital Media Kingston which is part of Kingston University in London having already completed a diploma in architecture. I chose to do the course after spending a year developing a concept for a website called Crit Tank (see my portfolio for examples) that would help support architectural education. Although the project had innovative ideas and gained support from two of the biggest architecture schools in the country the scale of the project and our lack of experience and funding meant the project had to be shelved. It was at this point I realised that if I wanted to continue in this field of design as supposed to architecture then a Masters course in UX Design would help me get the experience and skill set I need.
Web DesignBasic Level: HTML5 , CSS, Abobe Flash, AxureGraphic DesignProficient: Adobe Photoshop, Adobe InDesign, Basic Level: Adobe IllustratorOtherProficient: Auto CAD, CamtasiaBasic Level: 3DS Max, Adobe Premiere, Final Cut Pro
UX Design, Masters (MA) - in progress
Digital Media Kingston
Kingston University
2011 - 2012
Diploma in Architecture (Dip Arch)
Oxford Brookes University
2007 - 2009
Architecture Degree (BA Hons)
Oxford Brookes University
2003 - 2006
10 GCSEs A*- B incl. English A, Maths A*
1996 - 2001
Articles Here you can see some of the articles I have written including usability studies, critical reviews and research reports along with useful links to related discussions and research.
Article 1 
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09/12/2011
DMK Coursework
As some one who has used several 3d Modelling software particularly architectural software I thought doing a usabilty test in this subject area would be a good idea. The report focuses on two software that have been developed, specifically for architectural design. They are what is known as BIM 3D software which is a system of modelling that uses predefined objects such as doors, windows, walls and roof as suposed to modelling with shapes like in Maya and 3DS Max. The report looks at how easy it is to use the interface and features that facilitate the BIM theory of modelling using Revit as the test subject which is an Autodesk product (they also own 3DS Max, Auto CAD and Maya) ArchiCAD is also tested as a comparison to see which performs better and why. Those of you who use Auto CAD will find that the interface of Revit is similar which according to the test results is a significant help however the test showed that improvements can be made. The test was conducted with participants of an architectural background and goes on to make re-design recomendations to the interface.
"Is BIM the future of architectural design or is it being held back by its user interfaces ?"
Related Info
What is BIM?
In-Depth with ArchiCAD 14
Development of CAD
Article 2 "How the user interface of a thermostat can make a big differance to our energy bills"
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13/01/2012
DMK Coursework
As part of a university group project we designed a smart-phone app for students to enhance their university experience. Part of the app allowed students to find rooms that best suited their needs and part of the information they could look up was room temperatures. As a piece of individual research I looked at why thermal comfort is important and how it can be designed for buildings. The report looks at architectural aspects but also user interface issues particulalry with controlling of thermostats. The report highlights how the ease of use of a device, that some may think is insignificant can actually have a large effect. The report finally looks at nest's learning thermostat and how it could be a revolutionary product because of its excellent user interaction.You can read more about my opinions of nest's learning thermostat in my blog
Thermal Effects on Performance
Nest
Related Info
Thermal Comfort
Article 3 Usability Testing for Video Games: Motion Controls
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20/01/2012
DMK Coursework
Usability testing for video games is a subject that draws a range of opinions with varying support from both User Researchers and Video Game developers. Over the last 10 years there has been a sharp increase in the amount of usablity testing done in a games development however the form it takes is often different in many ways to traditional usability testing of software and websites.One of the key factors that must be considered in the approach of usability testing of video games is that the purpose of the product is to be fyn and etertaining where as software and web sites or more often supposed to be productive and efficient. This research study looks at opinions across bith industires and tries to provide guidance of how testing can be applied to the relatively ne gaming technology of motion control video games which have recieved rather poor reviews despite excellent asales of the hardware.
"How should you test the Usability of motion control video games?"
Related Info
Wii Testing
IGN Zelda motion control opinions
Video Game Testing
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Portfolio - Gallery01
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DMK Coursework
2011
This was a group project (with , and ) part of the DMK course. We designed a prototype smart-phone app for Kingston University students that would enhance their daily university activities.
Bahar
Ya-Hui
John
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