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Finding Your Way Through the Forest

Posted by Kim M

I chose to do my analysis on Ricketts Glen State Park. I think it is a good example of the theory of wayfinding.


I used to live near there and spent many pleasurable hours hiking their trails with my kids. I used to complain to my children about the design of their signage long before I knew that I would be taking this class. I also got lost on more than one occasion.
When you enter the park there is a large information center that is relatively new and there was clearly a lot of research into its design. There are a lot of displays and a large map on the wall of the entire park and their trails.


Once you enter the park things are not so clear.

There are very few images to help convey information to someone from another country or even to a younger child.

The trails are blazed with small metal signs like the one in the picture. The problem is, they are few and far between and sometimes they fall off. This is where the getting lost comes into play.
Isn’t this helpful…


There aren’t a lot of signs explaining how dangerous some of the trails are. This is the only sign they have up and it has been up for years. There is a cutout from a newspaper article about a hiker’s dangerous fall. The article is yellow with age and very hard to read.


The purpose of information design is to educate and explain a message or directions in the clearest way possible using the least amount of narrative. I believe that Ricketts Glen State Park should upgrade their signage and add images and icons to help hikers to know where they are and where they are going. Clearly, interactive design doesn’t work in this natural setting, but I believe some more current signage could still be used and keep the rustic natural look that the park wants to maintain. I also think that there should be more information on the historical perspective of the park and the different trails. This is not a situation where color or font is going to make the difference that it does in other settings. What will make a difference in this situation is the proper signs in the right places.

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Trimming the Tree: A Visualization Exercise

Posted by Kim M

The Information Design Workbook went into detail about different design tools that are used to solve information design challenges. The use of color, scale, structure, rhythm, motion and sound are basic tools that help convey the message of the designer. The goal of the designer is to create a project that can be easily navigated by differentiating types of information and creating a sense of hierarchy that helps the end user have a good experience. Adding an interactive component enhances the communication experience for the user. Today you will find several interactive programs of simulation on different websites that help customers or clients make choices. You can get free virtual hair styles to see how they would look on you, you can purchase eyeglasses after uploading your picture and seeing how the glasses look on your face, and a person can design their own home and select and view options for a new vehicle.

Since this blog is focused on Christmas, I have added an interactive game that allows you to decorate a Christmas tree. If this was a real web based business, selling Christmas trees already decorated and brought to your door, I feel the website would have much better graphics. The game does give you an idea of how a business might use this type of interactive web application to increase sales. Unfortunately there are ads prior to the start of the game, so please be patient and try it out.

Works Cited
Baer, K. (2009). Information Design Workbook. Beverly, MS: Rockport Publishers.
Jacobson, R. (2000). Information Design. London: MIT Press.

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Concept Mapping

Posted by Kim M


For representing and presenting information, a concept map is an excellent tool. The purpose of the concept map is to show the relationship between concepts. Usually the concepts are presented in a hierarchical form with the most general information at the top and the more specific information below it. In most circumstances, a concept map is created to answer a question or help one understand a situation or event. A very important part of a concept map shows cross links revealing the relationship between concepts from different segments of the map. (Novak & Cañas)
 
Graphics have the ability to transform our understanding of an issue by releasing us from words, labels, and classification systems. (Jacobson, 2000) The mind can detect patterns and repetition when viewing information in graphic form. This allows the user to see the “big picture,” allowing one to focus on a part of the whole, while at the same time, being aware of the entire picture. A concept map is just one tool used in graphic design that has this ability.

Below is a very simple concept map. Imagine someone not knowing what is required for a traditional Christmas dinner or event. Perhaps they don’t know where to buy the things they need. I wasn’t able to put this in hierarchical form because I wasn’t answering that kind of question.

Works Cited

Jacobson, R. (2000). Information Design. London: MIT Press.
Novak, J. D., & Cañas, A. J. (n.d.). The Theory Underlying Concept Maps and How to Construct and Use Them. Retrieved November 15, 2011, from Institute for Human and Machine Cognition: http://cmap.ihmc.us/publications/researchpapers/theorycmaps/theoryunderlyingconceptmaps.htm




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The Information Design Process

Posted by Kim M


Any successful business project begins with a thorough examination and knowledge of the business processes, rules, industry, and intended audience and for an external designer, the company’s decision makers. This initial research can take quite a bit of time. Although there is always data available about a particular business or industry, getting to know the human capital that is involved in the design process is far more difficult and time consuming. To help ease this process along at reasonable rate, creating a diagram of the process gives everyone a feel for the big picture. Listing all of those involved and what their role is in the design process will facilitate communication throughout the project’s existence. A soft timeline of what is expected is an excellent reference tool for the life of the project. 

To get the project off the ground the design team should begin with the Creative Brief, a document from one to two pages long that is essentially a road map of the project. This document gives a clear understanding to the design team of the projects background and goals. The brief is basically documenting all that was learned in the research phase of the project. 

Anyone who is planning on teaching, informing or entertaining a group is far more successful when they know their audience. In information design, knowing the intended audience’s emotional and physical requirements for communicating your information will help the designer create a positive and winning experience for the user. Creating personas, or user profiles, which are representative members of your audience, helps the design team align the project with their needs and expectations. Creating a profile with depth and details helps the designer view the member as a full person and helps then to imagine more fully how a person will interact with their design. 

The next phase in the design process is creating a site map. This is a type of flow chart that is a visual outline of all of the components of a design project. This map helps the design team come to a general consensus of the project’s plan before beginning development. It is easy to add and delete from the site map as the project develops, allowing for easy revisions and changes. From the skeleton of the site map, the designers then move to the wireframes. These schematics give shape to the project while helping decide the which elements are least and most important and what areas are focal points and need to be showcased. The wireframes allow for more planning without worrying about color and shape. When the wireframes are finished the design team will be able to see the look and feel of the final project.

The final phase of the design process is to allow for testing. Allowing the users to test the project will reveal any problems with the design that need to modify prior to the project can be called complete. There are several different testing types. Different types can be used during the entire length of the design process. Concept tests usually occur early in the design phase because they are requesting feedback on a particular idea, in design testing you are requesting feedback on particular visual designs and how they might look, focus groups request feedback from a group of the same demographic reviewing a finished project, usability testing tests whether everything in the design is truly working, and beta and performance testing is looking for bugs in a code and checking software.
After all of the reading on the processes of information design I felt that the research was the most important part.  This is the crucial step that I believe is often missing and even though it is time consuming, it has the ability to make or break the project’s goals. I felt the process was very thorough and I couldn’t think of any areas where I could suggest improvement. 

I would like to apply this assignments information to my blog post by creating a site map.  We have been taught about the ability for a site map to help in development, but it is also helpful to upload your blog’s site map to your web server to allow search engine crawlers find out what pages are present or have changed. (Build your Site Map online)Now I realize this is a class and I don’t intend to keep this particular blog going, but it could be very beneficial in the future to know how to upload your sitemap. I am hoping the class gets involved and tests my site throughout this course, so I can modify it as needed.

Works Cited

Baer, K. (2009). Information Design Workbook. Beverly, MS: Rockport Publishers.
Build your Site Map online. (n.d.). Retrieved October 21, 2011, from XML: http://www.xml-sitemaps.com/


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Information Interaction Design

Posted by Kim M

Information Interaction Design theory has three different disciplines: Information Design – the organization and presentation of data; Interaction Design- story creating and storytelling; and Sensorial Design – using the senses to communicate to others. Using these three disciplines to communicate information doesn’t just convey data, but creates an experience for the end user. In this day and age there is a barrage of information coming at us creating information anxiety and overload, Information Interaction Design has the ability to organize the information in a way that easier to understand. 

Understanding starts with basic data. Data is simply the raw material that we use to build communication. Information is the transfer of the data in a message that reveals relationships and patterns that the data gave us. Knowledge comes from the understanding gained from experience using that information. Wisdom is a blending of all relationships and processes that are understood through the experiences we have. Combined with proper organization, clarity, and a clear goal and message, this theory of design allows people to have the most successful experience. 

In the blog environment, Information Interaction Design would be very successful. You can use all of the senses to create an experience that will be more memorable and pleasurable for the user. Interactivity with widgets, games, surveys, and website links allow the user to be engaged with the blog, creating an experience that will bring them back to view the blog many times over.
The only con to Information Interaction Design is that there are few resources for learning about the practices for students of the theory. 

I have completely changed my blog from nothing to a Christmas blog. I am hoping to make the blog informative with some interaction, particularly using the senses to make it a pleasurable experience.

Works Cited

Jacobson, R. (2000). Information Design. London: MIT Press.



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What is Information Design?

Posted by Kim M

Information design is the art of communicating ideas or concepts using visual objects. This allows the audience to absorb both complex and simple ideas quickly.  Charts, sketches, models, and video are just some of the tools used to convey information and ideas. Information design, when done correctly, can cross all levels of intellect and even international language barriers.

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