Design Matters

The Information Design SIG of STC has defined information design by the scope of its activities.

The SIG has addressed application of design principles to translating complex, unorganized, or unstructured data into valuable, meaningful information.

The practice of information design requires an interdisciplinary approach combining skills in areas including graphic design, writing and editing, instructional design, human performance technology, and human factors.

Information design is the design of visual displays of data. This definitiion is expanded in Wikipedia.

Information design is the detailed planning of specific information that is to be provided to a particular audience to meet specific objectives. This definition is expanded on the whatis.com site.

This site provides an extensive definition.

Information Design addresses the organization and presentation of data: its transformation into valuable, meaningful information. This definition is greatly expanded on Nathan Shedroff’s site.

Information design (ID) is the technology aimed at structuring information in artifacts so as to make it available and optimally useful (source: ID SIG website, 2003.

 Peter J. Bogaards offers a collection of definitions.

Information design is the defining, planning, and shaping of the contents of a message and the environments it is presented in with the intention of achieving particular objectives in relation to the needs of users (source: ID SIG website, 2003).

Information design is concerned with transforming data into information, making the complex easier to understand and to use. (more…)

(Information Design is) preparing communication products so that they achieve performance objectives established for them. This involves:

1. Analyzing communication problems
2. Establishing performance objectives that, when achieved, address these objectives
3. Developing a blueprint for a communication effort to address those objectives
4. Developing the components of the planned communication effort solution
5. Evaluating the ultimate effectiveness of the effort

Saul expands on this definition in his article on information design.