Information Interaction Design

"It's not what you look at that matters, it's what you see." - Henry Davis Thoreau

Nathan Shedroff’s theory of information interaction design integrates three design disciplines as demonstrated in the concept map below:

Sherdoff focuses on creating meaningful interactions by giving the audience the ability to actively contribute to the experience. The strengths and weaknesses of his theory are listed in the chart below:

Interactivity is giving the audience the ability to control tools, pacing, or content to be productive or creative (p. 283). Blogs provide a forum for interactivity because viewers can add comments to your posts and share your blog on social media sites. The blogger site gives the designer the ability to include many other interactive features through gadgets and HTML coding. I plan to include many of these features in my blog, including a poll, search bar, links to other useful websites, as well as other tools. 

Shedroff's theory also discusses the importance of organizing and presenting information in a way that gives meaning. I have incorporated graphic organizers, bulleted lists, colors, and font elements to summarize information and emphasize important content. This theory also discusses the role of sensorial design, and I plan to include different forms of presentation media to stimulate the audiences' senses.

Informational Design Basics

"Good design encourages a viewer to want to  learn more" -Alexander Isley

The goal of informational design is to “present the right information to the right people at the right time, in the most effective and efficient form” (Jacobson, 1999, p. 15). This discipline is still evolving and integrates research from diverse areas of study, including graphic design, technology, computer interface design, advertising, communications, and educational psychology.  While the meaning of informational design is debated amongst practitioners, there is one principle that all agree on: creating meaning for the intended audience through effective communication.

Informational Design and Cognition

Since we are constantly inundated with visual stimuli, our brain overlooks a majority of the information presented in the environment. Therefore, informational designers must consider cognitive issues that lead to the active processing of information (Cross):

• Perception
• Interpretation
• Understanding
• Interacting

Communication is only effective if the audience pays attention, engages, and retains new knowledge. The design of visual communication determines how the brain will translate data into information that is meaningful and valuable.

Informational designers should understand the differences between data, information, knowledge, and wisdom:

Informational designers should create communications that develop knowledge. Knowledge is the highest level of understanding designers can affect directly, and these messages are the most valuable and memorable for the audience (p. 273).

Creating a Balance

Aesthetic features create a strong visual appeal, while functional characteristics ensure that information is presented effectively. “Aesthetic form and functionality need to go hand in hand, providing insights into a rather sparse and complex data set by communicating its key aspects in a more intuitive way” (Friedman, 2008).  

Effective visual communication requires a delicate balance between the aesthetic and functional aspects of informational design.

Visual Design

The elements of visual communication have a tremendous impact on how users access, learn, and remember information (Canali De Rossi).

 

The most visually appealing design is useless if it fails to “simplify, integrate, filter, and selectively emphasize information” in a way that creates meaning for the intended audience (Canali De Rossi). The aesthetic and functional value of each of these elements must be carefully evaluated when designing visual communication.

To close this discussion, I thought it would be fun to show an example of the worst informational design that I was able to find: