Introduction to Information Design

Announcements

• Patricia Hill Collins
  March 30th at 7:00pm
  McKnight Hall--Cone Center

Interface Design and Imagination in Technical Communication

According to several journal responses I've gotten over the years, there appears to be no place for imagination in technical communication. Apparently, facts are facts and they're unambiguous. Unfortunately, facts aren't just given; they're constructed and interpreted. One's perception or a group's adherence to "truth" (often called myth) can cause a person to misinterpret facts.

Interfaces are perfect examples of hi-tech screw ups. A growing concern in design these days deals with usability. Instead of having the tech experts decide what goes into an interface, the firm brings in users to test products or documentation for products to determine if the interface or documents are effective. In other words, can users get from Point A to Point B without issue?

But then there are interfaces that lie.

Visual Appeal

Visuals are rather important in technical communication as you undoubtedly know. I want you to tell me what makes a particular visual appropriate for a particular purpose. Check out the "famous" Visual Rhetoric Page.

Why visual rhetoric?

Future Work

Next class (3/23) your Set of Instructions assignment is due, and we'll start our research discussion.

Several of you let me know on the midterm that you're comfortable with researching at Atkins Library, but many others are not. Don't worry, technology has greatly improved the research experience. The greatest difficulty is sifting through the vast amount of material.