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Info.Design © 2008 www.infodn.com direct email: [email protected]
National Academies
Communicating Complex Information: Part II
Thom [email protected]
PrincipalInfo.Design, Inc.www.infodn.com
Info.Design © 2008 www.infodn.com direct email: [email protected]
Overview
We bring together words and images in ways that enable people to understand, take action, or make decisions.
We are challenged to think strategically about content – how we focus it, organize it, and present it.
We have the opportunity to present words and images in a way that support readers’ interests.
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This week you will:
Review “what sticks” and explore homework
Identify when to use text, icons, visual aids, and information graphics
Use visuals to help people make comparisons
Use text and visuals to tell a story
Identify and incorporate techniques for refining your work.
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Time Chunk #1:What Sticks?Homework Examples
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What Sticks From Last Week
We:
Experienced what happens to us (humans) as we interact with information.
Learned a strategic framework for communicating complexity.
Explored techniques for focusing content.
Explored techniques for presenting content.
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Explore homework
Assemble into groups of three (or four) “Show and tell”
Show to group members what you did; relate your results to lessons from Week 1.
Identify person to report back his/her example to the class.
Report back. “What choices did you make to improve your
communication product to make the complex clear?”
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Time Chunk #2:Identify when to use icons, words, visual aids, information graphics
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Overview
If we are to create documents that take readers seriously, we will need a view that allows us to imagine readers other than ourselves actively engaging with words and pictures.
Karen Schriver, Dynamics of Document Design, p3
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Humans Want Meaningful Data
“If information does not inform (support someone in understanding) than it is only data, only stuff.”
– Richard Saul Wurman
Info.Design © 2008 www.infodn.com direct email: [email protected]
Humans Want Meaningful Data
“If information does not inform (support someone in understanding) than it is only data, only stuff.”
– Richard Saul Wurman
Our Choices:
Words
Images
Icons
Information Graphics
Animation
Video
Sound
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Humans Want Meaningful Data
"Words form the thread on which we string our experiences."
– Aldous Huxley
Our Choices:
Words
Images
Icons
Information Graphics
Animation
Video
Sound
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Words
Words are representations of information.
When we “write” we form words and present them in a specific order.
Readers interact with the words and word order to create meaning.
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Proliferation of Words
In modern scientific research, 25 % of published materials are graphs, tables, diagrams, and images. The other 75% are words.
– Edward Tufte, Beautiful Evidence
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Words are often best for:
Abstract concepts Such as truth and justice
Procedural information Sequencing thoughts on page Content provides step-by-step
instruction highlighting numbers
Qualifying information Such as IF/THEN
Developing argument
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Humans Want Meaningful Data
“The mind’s eye is magical.”
– David Finn “How to Look at Everything”
Our Choices:
Words
Images
Icons
Information Graphics
Animation
Video
Sound
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Use Images to:
Define an entity Show time relationships Localize information Support memorization Present detail
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Images Define
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Images Define:We “see” by relating images to what we know
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Images Define:We “see” by relating images to what we know
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Images Show Time Relationships/Sequence
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Images show time
Timelines illustrate progression
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Images show time
Images support timelines
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Images show time
Illustrated process
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Help users see sequence and hierarchy
Help users find sequence and hierarchy and organization.
Use graphic cues to prioritize the way information is received
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Graphic cues (numbers) prioritize the way information is received
Images show time
Illustrated procedure
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Images Show Location
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Images Show Location (and change)
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The computer-generated image shows our galaxy, the Milky Way, based on millions of new observations by a NASA orbiting space telescope.
It is shown as it would appear to an imaginary observer - from a vantage
point of trillions of miles.
Images Show Location (supported by words)
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Images localize information
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Images Aid in Memorizing
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Images Show Detail
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Images can support or replace words
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We must link words and images
“Split Attention Effect”Mental integration is cognitively taxing.
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We must link words and images
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Create images that support words
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Link Words and Images
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Humans Want Meaningful Data
Icons = Visual Representation
Our Choices:
Words
Images
Icons
Information Graphics
Animation
Video
Sound
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Icons can present challenges
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Icons often present challenges
Without words, icons are often inadequate.
Arbitrary Meanings change
(telephone, swastika)
Not clear Difficult to remember and learn
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Challenges with Icons
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Humans Want Meaningful Data
“If information does not inform (support someone in understanding) than it is only data, only stuff.”
– Richard Saul Wurman
Our Choices:
Words
Images
Icons
Information Graphics
Animation
Video
Sound
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020406080
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West
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graphs
Tables Graphs Charts MapsQuality Preciseness Quantitative
Patterns
Relationships Spatial & Directional
Example Spreadsheet Histogram Venn Diagram Demographic Map
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maps
charts
Type of Information Graphics
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Reasons for Using Information Graphics
Provide emphasis
Display abstract concepts
Compare large amounts of data
Depict relationships
Condense information in a meaningful way
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Uses of Information Graphics
Planning Analyzing Monitoring Communicating
Information graphics easily enable the transfer of information from one field of study to another.
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Bar graph
Graphs show quantitative patterns and comparisons
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Types of Information GraphicsTypes of Information Graphics
GraphsGraphs
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Lines are one of the most versatile building blocks of information graphics
Use line graphs to chart amount and change
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Line graphs
Types of Information GraphicsTypes of Information Graphics
GraphsGraphs
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Use scatter graphs to show relationships and concentrations of data
Scatter graphs (dot graphs)
Types of Information GraphicsTypes of Information Graphics
GraphsGraphs
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display quantitative relationships between two or more groups of information
help people answer questions such as: how many, how much translate numbers into pictures
Graphs in general
Types of Information GraphicsTypes of Information Graphics
GraphsGraphs
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Build Graphs so people can: Retrieve large amounts of information
See overall patterns of data
See deviations, trend and relationships
Compare information
See anomalies in data
Rapidly absorb the essence of the information
Leave meetings sooner
Types of Information GraphicsTypes of Information Graphics
GraphsGraphs
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Pie chart
Captures snapshot Displays relationships on a coordinate
system Compares a component to the whole
Types of Information GraphicsTypes of Information Graphics
ChartsCharts
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Build Charts so people can: Measure area
• CAUTION: research shows that people can judge position or length (bar graph) than they can measure area.
Compare one segment to the whole
See percentage as it relates to 100%• CAUTION: use “reference angle” at 12 o’clock to help
users see the percentages better
Types of Information GraphicsTypes of Information Graphics
ChartsCharts
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Display relationships without being plotted on a coordinate system
Compare a component to the whole
Use charts to:
Types of Information GraphicsTypes of Information Graphics
ChartsCharts
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Tables Graphs Charts MapsQuality Preciseness Quantitative
Patterns
Relationships Spatial & Directional
Example Spreadsheet Histogram Venn Diagram Demographic Map
Tables compare large amounts of data in a small place
Types of Information GraphicsTypes of Information Graphics
TablesTables
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Present data best when user wants to know exact amounts
Example: Tax table… helps people identify specific amount of money they owe on taxes.
Present data more compactly than paragraphs
Assist the user making comparisons and seeing relationships
Support expert audiences
Types of Information GraphicsTypes of Information Graphics
TablesTables
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Build Tables so people can: Compare large amounts of data
Find exact amounts.• Example: Tax table… helps people identify
specific amount of money they owe on taxes.
Compare information
See relationships
Search through large amounts of data
Types of Information GraphicsTypes of Information Graphics
TablesTables
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Show navigation through space
Show location --
Types of Information GraphicsTypes of Information Graphics
MapsMaps
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Show information visually in relationship to its physical (spatial) location.
Types of Information GraphicsTypes of Information Graphics
MapsMaps
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Build maps so people can: see spatial and directional
relationships make a rapid comparison of
individual values see overall quantitative values locate places and things
Types of Information GraphicsTypes of Information Graphics
MapsMaps
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Tool: Chart Chooser
www.chartchooser..juiceanalytics.com
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What we can tell others:
We do not have to depend on paragraphs as our only route for displaying content
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Time Chunk #3:Use Visuals to Help People Comprehend
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When you present data visually, you help people:
Assimilate huge amounts of data See emerging trends in data See relationships easily Highlight problems in data
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Use Visuals to Help People
Assimilate huge amounts of data
Source: Tufte, Quantitative Displayof Visual Information
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Use visuals to help people See emerging trends in data
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Use visuals to help people See emerging trends in data
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Use visuals to help people See relationships easily
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Use visuals to help people Highlight problems in data
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Time Chunk #4:Help People Take Action
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Help people take action
"If the visual task is contrast, comparison, and choice--as so often it is-- then the more relevant information within eye-span, the better."
E. Tufte, Envisioning Information, 1990
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Help people take action “We thrive in information-thick worlds because of our
marvelous and everyday capacities to select, edit, single out, structure, highlight, group, pair, harmonize, synthesize, focus, organize, condense, reduce, boil down, choose, categorize, catalog, classify, list, abstract, scan, isolate, discriminate, distinguish, screen, sort, integrate, blend, inspect, filter, lump, skip, smooth, chunk, average, approximate, cluster, aggregate, outline, summarize, itemize, review, dip into, flip through, browse, glance into, leaf through, skim, refine, enumerate, glean synopsize, winnow the wheat from the chaff and separate the sheep from the goats.”
E. Tufte, Envisioning Information, 1990
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Help people take action by:
Showing comparison Presenting alternatives Relating parts to the whole Providing enough data for
decision making
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Help people take action by:
Showing comparison Presenting alternatives Relating parts to the whole Providing enough data for
decision making
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Help people take action Showing Comparison
Place items side-by-side Help people see difference Use shapes, tables, images Show or tell how things are similar or
different
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Comparison
Place items side-by-side Help people see
difference Use shapes, tables,
images Show or tell how things
are similar or different
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Comparison Place items side-by-side Help people see difference Use shapes, tables, images Show or tell how things are
similar or different
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Comparison
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Help people take action Showing Quantitative Comparison
Compare by showing rank of items• As in a bar chart
Compare changes over time• Use line graphs or filled area graphs
Compare patterns of relationships between two or more variables
• Use a scatter graph
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Help people take action by:
Showing comparison Presenting alternatives Relating parts to the whole Providing enough data for
decision making
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Help people envision alternatives
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Alternatives:
Small multiples reveal a scope of alternatives
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Alternatives:
Bar graph data can be presented in small multiples
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Alternatives:You can portray changes over time within one graphic, rather than presenting each graphic individually.
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Alternatives:Use layering to provide different levels of visual detail
Layering: two elements work together and achieve new meaning
Merits of Layering Layering can show different layers of detail Layers can help us see contradictions Layers help us “multitask” information retrieval Layers can decrease our memory load
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“Layering” of information
supports users
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Cautions about Layering
Because layers add to our “gestalt” observation of the page, we must be careful... surplus visual activity = clutter
For example: Avoid surrounding words by boxes
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Help people take action by:
Showing comparison Presenting alternatives Relating parts to the whole Providing enough data for
decision making
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Help people relate detail to the whole
Detail slows and personifies the pace of visualization.
Advantages (according to Tufte) -High density designs allow viewers to
select, narrate, recast, and personalize data for their own uses.
-Thus, the control of information is given over to USERS (not to editors, designers, or developers).
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Help users relate parts to the whole
Use visual relationships and placement to help people compress facts Provide categories or structured order Provide callouts
Use location views to offer the viewer freedom of choice to assess, compare, and sort through detail. Use panoramic and vista views to show
how parts relate to the whole
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Use color to show categorical breakdown
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Show relationship of parts to the whole: callouts
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Location (Panorama) View
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Location (Vista) View
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Location: visually compressing facts
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Help people take action by:
Showing comparison Presenting alternatives Relating parts to the whole Providing enough data for
decision making
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Use visuals to help people Make informed decisions
Note: Nutrition Facts is considered an excellent “image” because it provides a consistent pattern for labeling.
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Make Informed Decisions
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Use visuals to help people Make informed decisions
Note: UMD’s Human Computer Interface Lab will explain new “lifelines” research at a symposium May 30, 2008
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Time Chunk #5:Use Text and Visualsto Tell a Story
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Help people visualize: Ask “what is the story”
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What we do when we tell stories
We convert knowledge Specifically, we convert
Tacit knowledge (that which is known internally)
INTO
Explicit knowledge (that which can become known by others)
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Visual “stories”
Show what something is (different points of view)
Show what’s inside Show where something is Show when something happens Show how something works Show motion
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Map Your Story
One strategy for envisioning a story is to envision events that happen in sequence
We can easily “map” that sequence by drawing a line showing “beginning” “middle”
and “end” Incorporating a curve to show “tension” in the
story (rising curve leads to story climax) Charting the story event-to-event using a
circular framework
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Final Thoughts
Showing complexity is hard work.– Edward Tufte
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Apply Knowledge
Exercise: What lessons from today’s presentation
can support you in changing/improving the example you brought to class?
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Attend to Your Words & Images: You can help your readers
We can structure information
so people can find it and use it
(and appreciate the experience)