Definitions of information design
The Information Design Special Interest Group of STC addresses 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.
According to William Safire writing in the New York Times on May 6, 2001, Richard Saul Wurman says he invented the term information architect in 1975, when he was national chairman of the American Institute of Architects convention, called "The Architecture of Information." (http://www.asis.org/SIG/SIGIA/definition.html).
Many definitions of information design have been offered by our members and others. Some of these definitions follow.
ID SIG members, 2005
Erik Reel offers this definition:
Information Design transforms data into clear, meaningful, easily-accessed information. It originally derived its techniques from graphic design, cognitive psychology, human factors research, and industrial design; and continues to draw from these and any other field that provides insight into how humans assimilate and understand information and the media through which it is conveyed.
Erik notes: "I do not know the full history of this term, but I do know that I worked for a group that had ID in its title and in my job title a good 18 years ago. It usually takes a long time for a term like this to sneak into actual job titles, so it has obliviously been around awhile."
Donna A. Ford (http://www.writeondesign.com) comments:
"Information Design is not designing information the right way; it is finding the right way to design and deliver that information. Too often a print document is well laid out without any flaws (designed the right way), when it really should have been released on CD or the web for easier updating on a regular basis (the right design)."
Saul Carliner
saulcarliner.home.att.net/id/newmodel.htm#definition
Preparing communication products so that they achieve performance objectives established for them. This involves:
- Analyzing communication problems
- Establishing performance objectives that, when achieved, address these objectives
- Developing a blueprint for a communication effort to address those objectives
- Developing the components of the planned communication effort solution
- Evaluating the ultimate effectiveness of the effort
Design Council on Information Design
www.designcouncil.org.uk, www.kelake.org/articles/id/definition.html
Information design is concerned with transforming data into information, making the complex easier to understand and to use. It is a rapidly growing discipline that draws on typography, graphic design, applied linguistics, applied psychology, applied ergonomics, computing, and other fields. It emerged as a response to people's need to understand and use such things as forms, legal documents, computer interfaces and technical information.
(Information designers) consider the selection, structuring and presentation of the information provider's message in relation to the purposes, skills, experience, preferences and circumstances of the intended users. To do this they need specialist knowledge and skills in graphic communication and typography, the psychology of reading and learning, human-computer interaction, usability research and clear writing, plus an understanding of the potential and limitations of different media.
IIID
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.
InfoDesign
www.bogieland.com/infodesign/whatis.html has a collection of definitions.
Information Design Atelier
Information design (ID) is the technology aimed at structuring information in artifacts so as to make it available and optimally useful.
Nathan Shedroff
www.nathan.com/thoughts/unified/2.html
Information Design addresses the organization and presentation of data: its transformation into valuable, meaningful information.
searchcrm.techtarget.com
This site provides an extensive definition.http://searchcrm.techtarget.com/sDefinition/0,290660,sid11_gci214367,00.html Posted May 2005.
whatis.com
whatis.techtarget.com/definition/...
Information design is the detailed planning of specific information that is to be provided to a particular audience to meet specific objectives.
Wikipedia
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Information_design. Posted May 2005.
Undated definitions posted as of August 2003; links verified March 2005.