It has been more than 10 years since I developed the first version of MapCI Cards. The current version of the cards is the result of multiple rounds of user research that I have been conducting during the last decade. For instance, interviews and surveys helped me uncover designers’ overall problem-solving patterns and identify key conceptual design tasks, while workshops with information designers helped me examine how they work and understand their pain points in the diagram process. What I learned from these studies has helped me revise and improve the tool in line with users’ needs and professional practice demands. 

Throughout this evaluation process, I sharpened the tool goal and approach to increase its usefulness, and updated the content and format of the cards – early prototypes of MapCI were not even cards! Rather the tool was a large-scale poster with content structured in different “buckets.” Other revisions involved simplifying the content displayed in the cards, defining more useful cards, refining the design to make it more accessible, and organizing cards in a way that more accurately represented users’ sequence of conceptual design activities.

Current version of MapCI Cards

The current version of MapCI Cards is a collection of 54 cards aimed to deepen and give direction to conceptual design, leading towards the framing of a project, identification of the audience, and dissection and breaking down of complex information. The deck contains:

• 9 cards with instructions and suggestions to make the most of the deck.
• 40 cards with questions to support and guide problem definition, research, data analysis and conceptual design decisions.
• 5 blank cards to allow you tailor the deck to your needs by adding other questions that support your design process.

This version of the cards has been described as “helpful and useful” and as a “trustful experience,” which made users feel “supported” and “assisted.” Mostly, the cards have been tested in professional settings by both individuals and cross-disciplinary teams.

While I always believed that MapCI Cards was a valuable tool that all information designers should have to aid their conceptual design process, I never imagined that professionals, educators, and students would still be reaching out to get their deck. On the other hand, it shouldn’t be surprising because as the role of information design broadens and designers get involved in more complex, ambiguous, and unframed challenges, the demand for aids to support sensemaking has been growing. While the cards are a very simple tool, they do provide guidance for individuals or groups to become more aware of the basics and focus their attention of the key ingredients of any information design project.

To help meet this demand, I have (re)launched the store feature on the cards site, from where you can order either a physical or a digital version of the deck. If you do not live in the US and you want to get a physical deck, please contact me directly to arrange shipping! Enjoy your deck and share any feedback!