Author: sheilapontis
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Infographics won’t save the world
Last week, it was all about the 10th International Information Design Conference (CIDI) with multiple daily talks, workshops and ten keynote presentations. The conference is organized by the Brazilian Society of Information Design (SBDI) and the Federal University of Paraná (UFPR), Brazil, and covers a wide range of information design topics. For my keynote talk,…
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How to explain invisible phenomena
Have you ever wondered how information designers explain “invisible phenomena” that are “too big, too small, too slow or too abstract for normal sensory comprehension”? I borrowed the term invisible phenomena from Eric Siegel to describe experiences, concepts, things or processes that are hard to understand because we cannot see them or interact with them. Making…
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NEW BOOK! Communicating Knowledge Visually
After many years in the making and a few roadblocks, I’m delighted to share that the book I co-wrote with R. Roger Remington is finally in press, and it will be available for pre-order in September. Communicating Knowledge Visually: Will Burtin’s Scientific Approach to Information Design presents a timely, in-depth examination of Will Burtin’s work…
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Making sense of mental models in information design
The use of users’ mental models in information design is essential to develop effective outputs. However, there is confusion surrounding the concept of mental models and how to use knowledge of users’ mental models in the design process. Some information designers tend to use “mental models” to refer to a whole range of concepts, even…
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Design Expertise for a world in constant change
Problems have grown in size and complexity, and with that the role of designers has broadened becoming more active in a wider range of problem situations. In this context, it is important to clarify what design expertise involves today when everyone seems to be a Designer, but not everyone is fully prepared to tackled wicked…
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Creativity + Science Course Final Presentations
After eight weeks, this Thursday was the last class of the Creativity + Science online course I taught for science PhD students at the School of Exact and Natural Sciences (University of Mar del Plata, Argentina). The course was structured in two units: Unit 1. Personal creativity: Students learned the science behind creative thinking to…
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Nurturing creativity with dots and lines
Last week at the Creativity and Science course, students completed The Dot and the Line exercise, included in the Guide to Creative Action by Parnes, Noller and Biondi, to me, the bible of creativity education. The initial goal of the exercise is to “stimulate [students] toward a self-analysis of the degree of balance between self-discipline…
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I’m a scientist and I’m creative
Yesterday I finished the third class of the online Creativity + Science course I’m teaching for PhD students at the School of Natural and Exact Sciences, University of Mar del Plata in Argentina. We have 12 students of varied backgrounds: biologist, biochemists and chemists; and from different research levels: 1st, 2nd, 3rd and 4th year…
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Essential Partnership: Content Experts & Info Designers
Collaboration is one of the 21st century skills to master. Traditionally, in information design, collaborative work involved coordination between writers, editors, and information designers to create effective messaging. But, as the scope of information design work broadens, active collaboration between information designers and content experts has become essential to make scientific, technical or other type…
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Creativity + Science: Online Course for PhD Students
Researchers aim to create new applications to their work, and to develop novel discoveries. However, many scientists start their research projects with pre-conceived ideas and assumptions, making it harder for them to make extraordinary contributions or explore the unknown. Similarly, PhD supervisors tend to give advice based on their past experiences and familiar ways of…
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How to Conduct Research Workshops in Design
Workshops are fun and can act as collaborative research experiences to elicit rich insights about your audience. Through hands-on activities or active discussion, workshops help participants discover unknown and undefined needs or identify specific steps in the way they perform a task that can then inform the design process by generating ideas and opportunities. Contextual…
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How to Conduct Diary Studies in Design
As designers, this is the method where we can be very creative. Unlike observations and interviews, diary studies give participants the active role in gathering data, while you minimize your influence on them and remain an ”˜outsider’. You would conduct a diary study when you cannot physically go to where your participants live or directly…
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