OUGD504 - Target Audience

It is very important that my target audience is considered throughout my design process. I understand that I am not designing for myself or the client but the user of my interface. As I have more of an understanding about my target audience (as users will most likely be designers) I can look more in depth at what features and aesthetics are most appropriate. Being a design student myself and constantly surrounded by this audience, I have the opportunity to find out directly what the user would want from my app. One way of doing this is to ask my peers a number of questions about how hey currently find typefaces and how my interface could enhance their experience.

How do you currently find the typefaces you use within your design work?

Websites such as Fonts In Use, Designspiration and Behance show designers examples of typography. The people I talk to often use these services for inspiration. They usually then search the fonts used to find if they can be downloaded.

Do you ever search for the typefaces you see day to day?

Feedback showed me that my peers often ignore the fonts they see and like unless they are unique or widely used as they can be difficult to identify. This is something I am looking to solve within my brief.

What service do you use to download fonts?

I found from the design students I talked to that they often use programs such as Google Font and Adobe Typekit to download their desired fonts as these service are clear, easy to use and often offer free alternatives to paid alternatives

Do you often share the typefaces you find with your friends and peers or keep them to yourself?

I found that the students I talked to do often share the typefaces they use. I noticed this is common within the studio where people often ask each other what is being used in each project.

Would you be interested in a service that helps you find new fonts, see how fonts have previously been used and help identify fonts you see but cannot name?

The people I asked for feedback felt this would be useful within their design process as would help expand their knowledge of existing fonts.