Information Design III:
"Interaction Design- Beyond Human-Computer Interaction," by H. Sharp
Chapter Five of Sharp’s book discusses the affective aspects of interface design, defining affective as something that generates an emotional response. The chapter describes how the design of interactive systems can provoke an emotional response in users. The ultimate goal of a designer is to strike a balance between designing interfaces that are functional while pleasing to the eye. Expressive interfaces, while providing users valuable feedback in a “fun” manner, often provoke feelings of annoyance or anger if perceived as condescending or too “cutesy”. Overly complex interfaces designed to execute relatively simple actions often evoke negative emotions as well. Another condition that may elicit feelings of negativity are designs that do not meet user expectations, either functionally or aesthetically. Obtuse messages often evoke feelings of annoyance.
This ties into Norman’s model of “emotional design” which claims that the emotional attachment we have with products is as important as how easy we find to use them. In turn, Norman states that designs that evoke positive emotions make people more tolerant when dealing with minor issues or defects.
The chapter also discusses the controversial use of virtual agents in learning environments.There is much debate surrounding the implementation of anthropomorphism in interaction design, where designers assign human attributes to virtual objects. While, some users appreciate the human touch these designs afford, many criticize the approach as condescending, causing users to feel inferior or stupid. Many users find them annoying and artificial and feel the agents have insincere personalities.
I use the iPod as an example of a device whose design strikes a good balance between form and function. The menus are clean, easily navigable and efficient. Songs are well-organized and accessible in multiple ways (i.e. by artist, genre, song, album or playlist). Because of its stellar design, I am less annoyed when I occasionally have to reboot the device. I notice my annoyance quadruples when I need to reboot my PC or when I have to reset my Internet router. I believe my annoyance lies in that my router and PC malfunction routinely, while at the same time I find little pleasure in working with either device. If they malfunction, then there is nothing left but annoyance! At least with the iPod, the fun, interactive and efficient design elicits feeling of pleasure up until the point when the device freezes on you...
Tuesday, September 25, 2007
Information Design III:
Have you ever been “The target of an invocation” before?
As you know, I’m currently working on a software implementation for Girl Scouts of the USA. This software is know as Personify and represents one of the worst examples of interface design I’ve yet encountered. I thought I’d showcase one of the error messages the software returns as an example. I’ve included this example under the subject of emotional design, as it serves to increase feelings of anger and frustration in our users. As you can see, the message is non-descriptive, offering no explanatory feedback to help the user avoid actions that trigger the error message in the future. By the way, when users receive this message, the only thing they can do is shut down the application and restart Personify.
Have you ever been “The target of an invocation” before?
As you know, I’m currently working on a software implementation for Girl Scouts of the USA. This software is know as Personify and represents one of the worst examples of interface design I’ve yet encountered. I thought I’d showcase one of the error messages the software returns as an example. I’ve included this example under the subject of emotional design, as it serves to increase feelings of anger and frustration in our users. As you can see, the message is non-descriptive, offering no explanatory feedback to help the user avoid actions that trigger the error message in the future. By the way, when users receive this message, the only thing they can do is shut down the application and restart Personify.
Wait... I can't include a screenshot of the error message because Blogger won't let me upload the image. I keep getting an error message. Very frustrating! Maybe the site designers should read Astletner's article and debug their software!
Information Design III:
"Designing Emotionally Sound Instruction: The FEASP Approach," by Hermann Astleitner
The article provides instructional strategies for designers to promote instruction that is emotionally sound. The author underscores the roles that emotions (both positive and negative) play in education, and outlines twenty instructional strategies that can be implemented to reduce negative emotions while promoting positive emotions during instruction.
The author distinguishes between “cognitive”, “motivational” and “emotional” processes which impact one’s ability to learn, stating that emotions have an evaluative effect on learning and may initiate, terminate or disrupt information processing. He underscores the role that “emotional intelligence” (EQ) plays in successful living. EQ involves the ability to express emotion appropriately and constructively, to promote emotional and intellectual growth. He states that educators are assuming a larger role in facilitating the development of EQ in students given social changes which have elevated the role of educators as supporters. The propositions he prescribes aim to provide instructional strategies to educators on how to reduce negative emotions while promoting positive emotions to elicit desired outcomes from students. The prescribed framework only deals with emotions (i.e. fear, envy, anger, sympathy and pleasure) that are relevant in the social context of education and do not require long-term treatment programs.
The Emotional Design (EDI) model for instruction is a systematic approach which states that after performing an analysis of the emotional problem, instructional strategies should be implemented that reduce fear, envy and anger while promoting sympathy and pleasure. Fear is defined as a negative feeling that surfaces from situations perceived as threatening or dangerous. Envy is defined as a negative feeling resulting when someone desires something possessed by others or is afraid of losing one of their own possessions. Anger comes from being hindered from achieving a desired goal and being forced to an alternate action. Sympathy is a positive emotion that promotes the desire to help others, while pleasure is the result of mastering a situation. Once the emotional strategy has been designed it must be implemented then evaluated.
While I agree that emotions impact learning in significant ways, I disagree with the author's assertion that educators should play a key part in ensuring the emotional well-being of students. Requiring educators to play the role of a "supporter" adds significant pressure to their already demanding jobs and detracts from cognitive learning goals. While a learning environment should strive to promote a positive emotional experience, educators can only do so much to mitigate the emotional triggers inherent in today's society.
"Designing Emotionally Sound Instruction: The FEASP Approach," by Hermann Astleitner
The article provides instructional strategies for designers to promote instruction that is emotionally sound. The author underscores the roles that emotions (both positive and negative) play in education, and outlines twenty instructional strategies that can be implemented to reduce negative emotions while promoting positive emotions during instruction.
The author distinguishes between “cognitive”, “motivational” and “emotional” processes which impact one’s ability to learn, stating that emotions have an evaluative effect on learning and may initiate, terminate or disrupt information processing. He underscores the role that “emotional intelligence” (EQ) plays in successful living. EQ involves the ability to express emotion appropriately and constructively, to promote emotional and intellectual growth. He states that educators are assuming a larger role in facilitating the development of EQ in students given social changes which have elevated the role of educators as supporters. The propositions he prescribes aim to provide instructional strategies to educators on how to reduce negative emotions while promoting positive emotions to elicit desired outcomes from students. The prescribed framework only deals with emotions (i.e. fear, envy, anger, sympathy and pleasure) that are relevant in the social context of education and do not require long-term treatment programs.
The Emotional Design (EDI) model for instruction is a systematic approach which states that after performing an analysis of the emotional problem, instructional strategies should be implemented that reduce fear, envy and anger while promoting sympathy and pleasure. Fear is defined as a negative feeling that surfaces from situations perceived as threatening or dangerous. Envy is defined as a negative feeling resulting when someone desires something possessed by others or is afraid of losing one of their own possessions. Anger comes from being hindered from achieving a desired goal and being forced to an alternate action. Sympathy is a positive emotion that promotes the desire to help others, while pleasure is the result of mastering a situation. Once the emotional strategy has been designed it must be implemented then evaluated.
While I agree that emotions impact learning in significant ways, I disagree with the author's assertion that educators should play a key part in ensuring the emotional well-being of students. Requiring educators to play the role of a "supporter" adds significant pressure to their already demanding jobs and detracts from cognitive learning goals. While a learning environment should strive to promote a positive emotional experience, educators can only do so much to mitigate the emotional triggers inherent in today's society.
Monday, September 17, 2007
Information Design II:
“Information Visualization”, by Shneiderman, B., & Plaisant, C.. from chapter 14.5 of Designing the User Interface
The author defines information visualization as the use of interactive visual representations of abstract data to enhance learning. Information visualization involves the discovery of patterns and relationships in data. Information visualization researchers aspire to provide interfaces for manipulating large datasets interactively (i.e. data mining). The trade uses visual bandwidth and the human perceptual system to enable users to answer questions they didn’t know they had. Information visualization tools must be built to satisfy universal usability principles of functioning on multiple platforms, display sizes and network connections while facilitating access for users with disabilities or language barriers. Other challenges for information visualization include how to manipulate import data (how to organize data to achieve a the desired result); how to combine visual representations with textual labels that are visible without being overwhelming; how to see related information in order for learners to make meaningful judgments; how to view large volumes of data; how to integrate data mining; how to foster collaboration with others; and how to achieve universal usability.
When building learning environments, it is critical that designers organize information in multiple organizations to support an array of learning goals. For example, learners at different stages of understanding will need to analyze information in different ways. Novices may choose to explore a website in a linear or comprehensive fashion, while experts will have specific questions to which they will want to answer efficiently. In addition, the more adept learners become, the greater level of analysis they may want to perform on data This is where information visualization becomes critical. It enables learners to view information in multiple ways to arrive at new conclusions and achieve a greater level of understanding.
“Information Visualization”, by Shneiderman, B., & Plaisant, C.. from chapter 14.5 of Designing the User Interface
The author defines information visualization as the use of interactive visual representations of abstract data to enhance learning. Information visualization involves the discovery of patterns and relationships in data. Information visualization researchers aspire to provide interfaces for manipulating large datasets interactively (i.e. data mining). The trade uses visual bandwidth and the human perceptual system to enable users to answer questions they didn’t know they had. Information visualization tools must be built to satisfy universal usability principles of functioning on multiple platforms, display sizes and network connections while facilitating access for users with disabilities or language barriers. Other challenges for information visualization include how to manipulate import data (how to organize data to achieve a the desired result); how to combine visual representations with textual labels that are visible without being overwhelming; how to see related information in order for learners to make meaningful judgments; how to view large volumes of data; how to integrate data mining; how to foster collaboration with others; and how to achieve universal usability.
When building learning environments, it is critical that designers organize information in multiple organizations to support an array of learning goals. For example, learners at different stages of understanding will need to analyze information in different ways. Novices may choose to explore a website in a linear or comprehensive fashion, while experts will have specific questions to which they will want to answer efficiently. In addition, the more adept learners become, the greater level of analysis they may want to perform on data This is where information visualization becomes critical. It enables learners to view information in multiple ways to arrive at new conclusions and achieve a greater level of understanding.
Information Design II:
“Construction and Interference in Learning from Multiple Representations,” by Wofgang Schnotz and Maria Bannert
Dual-coding Theory posits that information is remembered better which text is integrated with pictures. Mayer supports this theory, stating that pictures under specific conditions support the understanding of technical or physical phenomena.
Spoken or written texts, mathematical equations or logical expressions are descriptive representations. Symbols have an arbitrary structure. On the contrary, pictures, sculptures or physical models are depictive representations consisting of iconic signs. They possess specific inherent structural features that are associated with the content they represent. Mental model construction implies a transition from a descriptive to a depictive representation.
The authors, as a result of their findings, state that dual-coding theory is incomplete because it does not take into account that subject matter can be visualized in different ways and that the form of visualization affects the structure of the mental representation. While it assumes that adding pictures to text is advantageous, the theory ignores the notion that the picture may interfere with mental model construction. This is particularly potent for learners with prior knowledge in a domain if they are presented with poorly-designed pictorial representations. Research states that learners with little prior knowledge in a subject matter are the ones who benefit most from the integration of images with text.
“Construction and Interference in Learning from Multiple Representations,” by Wofgang Schnotz and Maria Bannert
Dual-coding Theory posits that information is remembered better which text is integrated with pictures. Mayer supports this theory, stating that pictures under specific conditions support the understanding of technical or physical phenomena.
Spoken or written texts, mathematical equations or logical expressions are descriptive representations. Symbols have an arbitrary structure. On the contrary, pictures, sculptures or physical models are depictive representations consisting of iconic signs. They possess specific inherent structural features that are associated with the content they represent. Mental model construction implies a transition from a descriptive to a depictive representation.
The authors, as a result of their findings, state that dual-coding theory is incomplete because it does not take into account that subject matter can be visualized in different ways and that the form of visualization affects the structure of the mental representation. While it assumes that adding pictures to text is advantageous, the theory ignores the notion that the picture may interfere with mental model construction. This is particularly potent for learners with prior knowledge in a domain if they are presented with poorly-designed pictorial representations. Research states that learners with little prior knowledge in a subject matter are the ones who benefit most from the integration of images with text.
Information Design II:
Direct the Video: An example of misuse and underuse of object affordances
http://www.gogirlsonly.org/games/
In his book, “The Design of Everyday Things”, Norman states that designers should take advantage of affordances, or perceived properties of how something could be used, to provide clues for usability. While playing “Direct the Video”, an online game accessible from the Girl Scout of the USA website, I felt that game designers did not take advantage of objects’ affordances to guide me through the experience in a natural way. In fact, at times I felt they used incorrect representations which compelled me to try to execute actions which resulted in no feedback. All in all, I was unclear whether my actions would return the desired result as the game progressed.
When you launch the game you are able to place your cursor over one of four characters you can select to star in a music video you direct. Your cursor turns into a pointer, indicating you should be able to click on a character to execute an action. When you click, however, nothing happens. Placing your cursor on each character only returns a phrase spoken from each character. Each sound bite blends into other characters’ sound bites as you move your cursor around. This results in an annoying clashing of noise (Yikes!). The use of event-driven sound is prevalent throughout the site and at times does little to enhance the user’s experience. The sound is not iconic, reminding me of a slot machine. Because you are designing a music video and need to hear the sound of the final product, you can’t turn off these sounds and are stuck with them throughout the game.
But I digress…I was talking about affordances! In the section where you choose your music for the video, you see four CD’s with a musical style labeled on each. When you hover your cursor over each CD, you hear the music that would be played as part of your video. When you click each CD, you receive no feedback and are unclear whether you’ve selected the music for the video. I like use of CD’s as a representation, but feel it would be more intuitive if users dragged the CD to a CD player. This would better assure the user that the CD selected would be played in the video. I like the section where you drag pictures to a filmstrip which represents scenes in the background of the video, but felt that additional guidance could have been helpful the first time out.
Direct the Video: An example of misuse and underuse of object affordances
http://www.gogirlsonly.org/games/
In his book, “The Design of Everyday Things”, Norman states that designers should take advantage of affordances, or perceived properties of how something could be used, to provide clues for usability. While playing “Direct the Video”, an online game accessible from the Girl Scout of the USA website, I felt that game designers did not take advantage of objects’ affordances to guide me through the experience in a natural way. In fact, at times I felt they used incorrect representations which compelled me to try to execute actions which resulted in no feedback. All in all, I was unclear whether my actions would return the desired result as the game progressed.
When you launch the game you are able to place your cursor over one of four characters you can select to star in a music video you direct. Your cursor turns into a pointer, indicating you should be able to click on a character to execute an action. When you click, however, nothing happens. Placing your cursor on each character only returns a phrase spoken from each character. Each sound bite blends into other characters’ sound bites as you move your cursor around. This results in an annoying clashing of noise (Yikes!). The use of event-driven sound is prevalent throughout the site and at times does little to enhance the user’s experience. The sound is not iconic, reminding me of a slot machine. Because you are designing a music video and need to hear the sound of the final product, you can’t turn off these sounds and are stuck with them throughout the game.
But I digress…I was talking about affordances! In the section where you choose your music for the video, you see four CD’s with a musical style labeled on each. When you hover your cursor over each CD, you hear the music that would be played as part of your video. When you click each CD, you receive no feedback and are unclear whether you’ve selected the music for the video. I like use of CD’s as a representation, but feel it would be more intuitive if users dragged the CD to a CD player. This would better assure the user that the CD selected would be played in the video. I like the section where you drag pictures to a filmstrip which represents scenes in the background of the video, but felt that additional guidance could have been helpful the first time out.
Information Design II:
"The Design of Every Day Things", by Donald A. Norman
Chapter 1
Norman’s first chapter distinguishes between well-designed and poorly designed objects, identifying the principles behind good design. Norman defines well-designed objects as “easy to interpret” and “understandable” (2). This ease of interpretation is often linked to the visibility of natural clues which guide the user in her actions. Designers should take advantage of affordances, or perceived properties of how something could be used, to provide clues for usability. Poorly designed objects leave users without any guidance on how to use the object. Norman sites the example of a telephone as being a device that lacks visibility. Because of the volume of functions, telephones typically lack enough buttons to lay out all of the functions available to the user. Norman also sites examples of excessive visibility, such as the VCR, where too many controls are available, likening such appliances to “Hollywood’s idea of a spaceship control room” (7). Balance of visibility is critical to illustrate how to operate the device’s critical functions. Norman states that technological advancement is problematic for design. As technologies inherit more features, the number of features often exceeds the number of controls. Norman calls this phenomenon the “paradox of technology” (31). Well-designed objects also should provide a good conceptual model to allow users to predict the effects of their actions. The designer’s conceptual model should match the user’s mental model as much as possible or else the user will not know how to interpret the device. Designers should also use mapping when designing objects. Mapping is the term describing the relationship between the controls of an object and the effects in the world.
Chapter 2
This chapter discusses the psychology of everyday actions, stating that users often blame themselves when they are unable to execute an action. Norman likens the result to the phenomenon Learned Helplessness. Learned Helplessness states that when people repeatedly fail at a task, they often deduce that they are incapable of executing the task. Subsequently the user stops trying and feels helpless. Norman states that the root of learned helplessness may be poorly designed everyday objects themselves. According to Norman, taught helplessness stems from the psychological effects of badly designed objects which promote faulty mental models.
Norman then describes the Action Cycle people follow when executing an action and states that the Seven Stage structure can act as a designer’s checklist to ensure that each action can be executed by the user.
"The Design of Every Day Things", by Donald A. Norman
Chapter 1
Norman’s first chapter distinguishes between well-designed and poorly designed objects, identifying the principles behind good design. Norman defines well-designed objects as “easy to interpret” and “understandable” (2). This ease of interpretation is often linked to the visibility of natural clues which guide the user in her actions. Designers should take advantage of affordances, or perceived properties of how something could be used, to provide clues for usability. Poorly designed objects leave users without any guidance on how to use the object. Norman sites the example of a telephone as being a device that lacks visibility. Because of the volume of functions, telephones typically lack enough buttons to lay out all of the functions available to the user. Norman also sites examples of excessive visibility, such as the VCR, where too many controls are available, likening such appliances to “Hollywood’s idea of a spaceship control room” (7). Balance of visibility is critical to illustrate how to operate the device’s critical functions. Norman states that technological advancement is problematic for design. As technologies inherit more features, the number of features often exceeds the number of controls. Norman calls this phenomenon the “paradox of technology” (31). Well-designed objects also should provide a good conceptual model to allow users to predict the effects of their actions. The designer’s conceptual model should match the user’s mental model as much as possible or else the user will not know how to interpret the device. Designers should also use mapping when designing objects. Mapping is the term describing the relationship between the controls of an object and the effects in the world.
Chapter 2
This chapter discusses the psychology of everyday actions, stating that users often blame themselves when they are unable to execute an action. Norman likens the result to the phenomenon Learned Helplessness. Learned Helplessness states that when people repeatedly fail at a task, they often deduce that they are incapable of executing the task. Subsequently the user stops trying and feels helpless. Norman states that the root of learned helplessness may be poorly designed everyday objects themselves. According to Norman, taught helplessness stems from the psychological effects of badly designed objects which promote faulty mental models.
Norman then describes the Action Cycle people follow when executing an action and states that the Seven Stage structure can act as a designer’s checklist to ensure that each action can be executed by the user.
- First, people devise a goal of what is to be achieved.
- Goals are then transformed into intentions, or specific statements of what is to be done.
- A specific action is decided upon.
- The action is executed.
- The state of the world is perceived.
- The state of the world is interpreted.
- The outcome is evaluated.
Norman later concludes the chapter by stating that the principles of visibility, conceptual models, mapping and feedback, as discussed in Chapter 1, provide support for each of the seven stages below. Norman also states that within this course of action, users can experience gulfs of execution and evaluation where they are unsure how to map controls to the intended action or they are unsure if actions were executed successfully. The Gulf of Execution is the gap between the intentions of the user and the allowable actions of the device. The Gulf of Evaluation indicates the amount of effort that the user must exert to determine whether goals and intentions have been met with success.
Chapter 3
Chapter 3 distinguishes between knowledge in the head and knowledge in the world. Both knowledge in the head and knowledge in the world can be distributed to accomplish a task. The combination of information in the world, information in the head and constraints (both natural and cultural) can result in precise behavior. Knowledge in the head is defined as memory. Norman distinguishes between arbitrary or rote memory (difficult because learners do not understand the reasons for their actions), memory for meaningful relationships (the Japanese motorcycle example) and memory through explanations (the Audi sunroof example). Memory is also described as knowledge in the world as we create physical reminders in the world that trigger memory. Good natural mappings reduce the need for information to be committed to memory (the stove example). Labels often point to a poor design. If a design is labeled, designers should consider revamping the design to make us of natural mappings instead. The chapter concludes with the trade offs between knowledge in the head and knowledge in the world. Knowledge in the world acts as its own reminder, helping users remember what they otherwise could forget, while knowledge in the head is more efficient, never requiring users to reinterpret an environment. Users need to go through a learning process to acquire knowledge in the head which can be difficult and time-consuming. Knowledge in the world is easy to learn, but is more difficult to use as environments change.
Chapter 4
This chapter, entitled “Knowing What to Do”, discusses how people know how to deal with novel situations. Norman starts the chapter by stating that the difficulty in dealing with novel situation is directly related to the number of possibilities. Design can signal the appropriate action through natural constraints which limit what can be done with the object. Other clues come from the affordances of objects. (Affordances indicate the range of opportunities while constraints limit them.) Physical constraints rely on the physical world. Semantic constraints rely on the meaning of the situation to control a set of actions. Cultural constraints rely on accepted cultural conventions. Norman concludes the chapter by stating that it is critical to “make visible the invisible” through use of good displays which provide visual feedback. If appropriate, sound can provide useful feedback to users as well.
It scares me how little designers adhere to Norman's guidelines above. For example, I still cannot retrieve voicemail messages from my work's mailbox from home ("what do I press now, '*8'?"), and still pull handles in my office building when they need to be pushed. My yanks and spasms cause quite a chuckle at the office at my personal expense. I appreciate Norman's sound advice which has helped me discontinue the negative internal dialog that used to ensue when I was unable to use a device properly and has made me look at the design of everyday things with a critical eye.
Monday, September 10, 2007
Information Design I:
"Representation, Meaning and Language," by S. Hall
The chapter offers an introduction to the concept of representation, defining it as the means of connecting meaning and language to culture. In other words, representation is the production of meaning through language. While there are various theories of representation, the article focuses on the constructionist approach to representation, which posits that meaning does not merely exist in things but is constructed through the process of representation. Through the process of representation concepts are organized into meaningful categories or internal concept maps. The constructivist theory states, however, that meaning cannot simply be internalized but must be translated effectively into language as a means of representing these concepts, as we use symbols translated into language to communicate with others of a common culture. The understanding of meaning, language and representation are vital in the study of culture as members of a culture share a common concept map and language.
If meaning is constructed through the process of representation, the representations selected in a learning context must be translatable to the language or understanding of the learner. If representations are not chosen wisely, learners will not understand how to extract meaning from the situation, rendering the representation meaningless. Because representations and language are distinct to every culture, it is critical that designers choose representations that are appropriate for the culture of the audience.
"Representation, Meaning and Language," by S. Hall
The chapter offers an introduction to the concept of representation, defining it as the means of connecting meaning and language to culture. In other words, representation is the production of meaning through language. While there are various theories of representation, the article focuses on the constructionist approach to representation, which posits that meaning does not merely exist in things but is constructed through the process of representation. Through the process of representation concepts are organized into meaningful categories or internal concept maps. The constructivist theory states, however, that meaning cannot simply be internalized but must be translated effectively into language as a means of representing these concepts, as we use symbols translated into language to communicate with others of a common culture. The understanding of meaning, language and representation are vital in the study of culture as members of a culture share a common concept map and language.
If meaning is constructed through the process of representation, the representations selected in a learning context must be translatable to the language or understanding of the learner. If representations are not chosen wisely, learners will not understand how to extract meaning from the situation, rendering the representation meaningless. Because representations and language are distinct to every culture, it is critical that designers choose representations that are appropriate for the culture of the audience.
Information Design I:
"Information Design: Emergence of a New Profession," by Robert E. Horn
Horn defines Information Design as the art or science of preparing information so that it can be used by people effectively. Information Design enables people to access the right information at the right time in the most efficient form. The goals of this field are to:
"Information Design: Emergence of a New Profession," by Robert E. Horn
Horn defines Information Design as the art or science of preparing information so that it can be used by people effectively. Information Design enables people to access the right information at the right time in the most efficient form. The goals of this field are to:
- Develop understandable documentation that is easily retrievable and easy to apply to practical solutions.
- Design human-computer interfaces that are natural, navigable and intuitive.
Structured writing is the foundation to some areas of information design. Structured writing ensures that "all relevant subject matter has been obtained and is presented in the form of user needs." Structured writing consists of techniques for analyzing, organizing and depicting information blocks or units of information.
As a profession, information design is experiencing a variety of tension due to a clashing of ideologies between graphic designers and technical communicators.
In recent years the field has seen a increase in the ratio of visual elements to words and has also seen a shift in the degree of integration between visual elements and words.
Information Design I:
"Things that Make Us Smart," by Donald Norman
Chapter 2: Experiencing the World
The chapter distinguishes between experiential and reflective cognition and identifies their role in the optimal design of educational multimedia
Experiential cognition is likened to automaticity or reactive thought driven by patterns of information understood largely through tuning or practice. In contrast, reflective reasoning is described as "slow and laborious", often requiring a complex thought process in an environment that affords minimum distraction. Because of its complex nature, reflective reasoning often requires external support through various aids as well as the assistance of other people. Reflective reasoning is achieved through the cognitive process of restructuring where new conceptual skills and structures must be acquired and new schema developed enabling learners to "loose themselves" in the task at hand.
Norman states that the problem with most technologies is that they force learners into experiential or reflective through almost exclusively where a more optimal flow would prove beneficial. Norman asserts that learners should be motivated while at the same time given opportunity to reflect and explore.
To me, Norman is underscoring the need to incorporate interactivity in a product's design to create a pleasurable user experience. Experiences where users "lose themselves" in the task at hand are typically creative, adaptive and pleasurable. These are the properties typical of truly interactive experiences.
Chapter 3: The Power of Representation
Norman states that "the powers of cognition come from abstraction and representation: the ability to represent perceptions, experiences, and thoughts in some medium other than that in which they have occurred, abstracted away from irrelevant details." If the representation are "just right" then new insights and knowledge can be constructed.
According to Norman, good representations capture the essential components of the event and leave out extraneous information that doesn't aid in understanding. Learners should not be distracted by irrelevant information. Representations should be appropriate for the learner and appropriate for the task. Finally, to facilitate experiential cognition, the properties of the representation should match the properties of what is being represented. (i.e. Naturalness Principle).
Norman's guidelines should be adhered to in order to eliminate germane cognitive load. His recommendation on taking advantabe of objects' affordances to reduce cognitive load and alieviate user frustration should be applied when designing multimedia simulations. The more that is done to eliminate germane cognitive load in a learning context, the more learners are able to concentrate on the learning task at hand and extract meaning from it.
Chapter 4: Fitting the Artifact to the Person
Norman describes two views of cognitive artifacts: the personal point of view or impact the artifact has on the individual, and the system point of view, described as how the combination of the artifact an person is more powerful than either in isolation. Norman categorizes cognitive artifacts as surface artifacts or internal artifacts. Surface artifacts only provide surface representations and what you see is what you get. With internal artifacts, hidden representations exist and there is more than meets the eye.
Why Blogger?
I chose Blogger.com as the host for my assignments for its ease of use and array of customization options which I found fun and motivational. From a quick preview of the site I could see Blogger served my purposes for the class. I could easily setup a page using predefined templates to get up-and-running quickly and efficiently. After setting up my page, I was able to begin posting to my blog with a single click, which directed me to page where I could compose, format and spellcheck my posting without any necessary knowledge of Html. In additional to its easy-to-use interface and ability to meet my functional requirements, the site included various "extras" which peaked my interest, motivating me to explore additional customization options. For example, I saw I was able to add a poll to my blog, lists of my interests, or even a link to a video on youtube.
I chose Blogger.com as the host for my assignments for its ease of use and array of customization options which I found fun and motivational. From a quick preview of the site I could see Blogger served my purposes for the class. I could easily setup a page using predefined templates to get up-and-running quickly and efficiently. After setting up my page, I was able to begin posting to my blog with a single click, which directed me to page where I could compose, format and spellcheck my posting without any necessary knowledge of Html. In additional to its easy-to-use interface and ability to meet my functional requirements, the site included various "extras" which peaked my interest, motivating me to explore additional customization options. For example, I saw I was able to add a poll to my blog, lists of my interests, or even a link to a video on youtube.
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