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What is Information Design?
For those of you not familiar with the term, the Society
of Technical Communicators (STC) Special Interest Group on
Information Design provides the following definition:
"The field of information design applies traditional
and evolving design principles to the process of translating
complex, unorganized, or unstructured data into valuable,
meaningful information. The practice of information design
requires an interdisciplinary approach which combines skills
in graphic design, writing and editing, instructional design,
human performance technology, and human factors." [stcsig.org]
Under this definition, virtually anything written or drawn
falls under the heading of Information Design. Traditional
off-line documents (e.g. advertisements, marketing collateral,
technical documentation) to emerging online documents (e.g.
web sites, product user interfaces). And frankly, it seems
reasonable to assume that any kind of information should be
carefully planned and executed in order to meet the needs
of the target audience."
Furthermore, with the electronic delivery of information and
the Internet, information is becoming more complex. In the
past, information was designed for a single output. Today,
through the use of these technologies, information is being
designed for display in multiple outputs. For example, the
traditional product specification can now be delivered on
multiple media, using technologies to address multiple audiences.
The product specification may be delivered in multiple forms:
as a paper-based spec sheet, as a section in a user guide
or technical manual, as part of a web page, and even inside
the product user interface.
So it stands to reason that the demand for Information Design,
and Information Designers, will only increase as businesses
continue to deliver their information in multiple forms using
multiple technologies. And this demand will only grow as we
invent additional ways to deliver information to consumers
using new technologies.
What is information design?
Meet tomorrow's information designer
So where are all the information
designers?
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