Author: sheilapontis
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Sensemaking Activities in Information Design
Information design is not only about visualising data or information. As written elsewhere, information design is about sensemaking. Sensemaking has been defined and studied by many authors. Most well-known theories and models are the works by Russell et al. (1993), Klein et al., (2007), and Pirolli and Card (2005). All describe the process as active, purposely…
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10 Information Design Topics that Need Clarity
Countless information design articles and blog posts are written every day (too many to even name a few), prizes are given to award the quality of practice (e.g. Malofiej, IIID Awards, Information is Beautiful Awards), conferences are increasingly being organised by different institutions approaching the field from various angles (e.g. 2CO, Visualized, IDA Conference, Schematic…
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Understanding Disinformation Design
Much has been written about the recurrent creation of visualisations which fail to enhance communication and understanding, and prioritise the process of creation and visual languages over the presentation of accurate and informative content. A while ago, I was reading (again) the book Visual Explanations (Tufte, 1998) and came across a concept I didn’t remember…
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A Spiritual Approach to Information Design
If we have a closer look to information design, we will see some interesting parallelisms and strong conceptual links with the practice of Yoga (yes, Yoga). The same way information design goes beyond the creation of visual solutions, the practice of yoga entails much more than stretches and strengthening the body. In previous posts, I…
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An Ethnographic Information Design Approach
Commuting at rush hour can be a headache, but it can be a rich learning experience too. Paradoxically, although I have been closely working with the London diagrammatic map for a long time, I have never enjoyed using the tube or other public transport (when possible, walking is a better option). So, when I started…
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Who are the experts
Many people argue that the more skills and professional practice experience information designers have, the more effective sensemakers they are. This is often a crucial requisite that employers (clients, organisations, etc.) consider when selecting or hiring one professional (e.g. designer) over another. However, being an expert information designer involves various other factors as well (here…
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First International Workshop on Schematic Mapping
Next April will take place the first 2-day Schematic Mapping Workshop held at the University of Essex. The aim of the workshop is to investigate how people use diagrammatic transport maps to navigate around cities, and to gain insights on how to help us (everyone who uses public transport) understand the increasing complexity of public…
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Unravelling the sensemaking process
We deal with problems and make sense of different situations every day: From asking for coffee in the mornings to planning alternative routes when the tube we need to take presents severe delays or is suspended. The essence of problem-solving is understanding the situation, and finding the most suitable solution to address the aspect/s of…
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Emotional Information Design
Sometimes emotions can be hard to understand and define, and therefore to verbally express. Even though, when we are asked how we are doing, we tend to respond to with a simple ‘Fine’, we often are experiencing much more complex feelings than that. Sounds and gestures frequently act as complementary ways of expressing emotional states…
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A win-win situation for design theory and practice
Much has been written and discussed about the gap between design practice (industry) and theory (academia), and how to bridge that gap has become a major current preoccupation. Although professional and research designers appear to be narrowing that gap by increasingly working on collaborative projects, little has been actually done to marry those communities. Misconceptions…
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Towards a unified view of Information Design
Definitions of information design are varied, but they tend to be too narrow, too broad, too vague, or unclear. An agreed and integrated definition of information design which fully determines its goals, boundaries, processes, skill sets, rationale, and range of problems it can solve, is hard to find. However, in order to evolve, teach and be ‘improved…
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How to add rigour to Design Practice
The traditional understanding of design as merely a practice-led artistic discipline has evolved into a more holistic view including social, ethical and cultural aspects. Arguably, design is a discipline: It has principles, methodologies and theoretical frameworks which designers use to solve problems and generate solutions. Traditionally, designers’ learning process has been linked to studios, open…
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