My Information Design Theory

 Our topic for this blog post was to look at the pros and cons of an information design theory, one different from what we wrote about for the group discussion. In the group forum I wrote about Nathan Shedroff's idea of meaning in design strategy[1]. In his Ted Talk, Nathan goes over five "layers" of meaning going from least to most importance.

The idea of looking closely at your audience and designing with an eye towards what is important to them, what is meaningful to them, is something I can relate to. It just makes sense to me that if you are going to create something you want people to engage with you should try to understand something about those people.

When I started thinking about this post I had a hard time framing it in my mind. Historically I haven't liked these pros and cons assignments and information design is a topic that muddies the water even further. When I look at some of the theories we have read about I don't see theories, I see tools. 

Image by jÖrg 

• Data Visualization
• UX Design
  
• Design for Usability

Data visualization is the visual representation of data, taking something hard to interpret and making it easier to see. It is pretty easy to define and while there might be a discussion on how to use data visualizations I don't find many people arguing about whether they should or shouldn't be used.
UX and usability design feel similar. 

If I am thinking about them as tools, it's difficult for me to think about pros and cons for them, just where, when, and how much to use them. Sometimes I might not need a visualization, or the person I am communicating with can't see them for some reason. That makes them the wrong tool for the job, but doesn't make them bad tools.

When I move toward topics that are clearly more theoretical the water doesn't necessarily clear up. I quite enjoyed Mike Cooley's essay on human-centered design[2]. In retrospect, some of the ideas Cooley writes about could almost be seen as prophetic. 

Image by Filo gèn'

Highly optimized systems? 

Check. 

Massive disruption? 

Here's a pandemic.

Which companies came through the last two years the best off? The ones where people were trusted and empowered. Supply chains crumbled and people figured out how to handle the fallout. While Cooley stays grounded in the design sphere, many of the ideas he writes about are similar to what you find in the modern leadership landscape. For example:

Inclusiveness - The system should be inviting and tend to invite you in and make you feel part of a community of activities with which you are familiar and on friendly terms

Engagement - A sense that one is being invited to participate in the process and which creates a feeling of empathy.

Ownership - A feeling that you have created and thereby own parts of the system. A sense of belonging and even companionship as traditional craftsmen may feel with a favorite machine tool.

 If you take away the talk of activities and processes it is very easy to confuse for something that may have come from Stephen Covey. 

So, what are the pros and cons of this theory? Cooley noted that in one company on-time delivery increased by 55 percent, work-in-process reduced by 45 percent, and overtime dropped by 75 percent. Solidly in the pro column financially. Potential increased motivation and better work life quality? Also good.

Cons? Cooley is less clear about the bad things, he is trying to sell an idea after all. One major downside I see is that there is immense pushback on these types of ideas. This was written in the 90s and there is still a ton of derision towards ideas that imply people have brains. 

Downside may be too strong of a term. Cooley's ideas run very close to many of my own. Similar to Shedroff, Cooley aims to move past the surface level of interaction with his human-centered design philosophy. He wants to see a system where one of the most important pieces, people, are able to use their imagination to continually improve the system. 

Simply put, my information design theory is that when I design my graphics, tables, apps, or whatever else I want the people interacting with them to be able to do so effortlessly. I want to use tools ethically and with the proper amount of restraint. And finally, I want to have fun doing it!

[1]Shedroff, N. (2011, May 10). TEDxTaipei 2011 - Nathan Shedroff. YouTube. Retrieved February 12, 2023, from https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=z9srqfiug8A&ab_channel=TEDxTalks 

[2]Jacobson, R. (2000). Information design. The MIT Press.

[3]"Graph of klick.jÖrg - Die Homepage" by jÖrg is licensed under CC BY-SA 2.0. To view a copy of this license, visit https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/2.0/?ref=openverse.

[4]Filo gèn', CC BY-SA 4.0 <https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0>, via Wikimedia Commons