Presentation of case study on teaching creative representations of data and information at the SIGDOC 2019 The ACM conference on Communication Design. October 5, 2019. Portland, OR.
Student work by BA/BFA in Art and Design, and MDes in Integrative Design at the University of Michigan, Ann Arbor.
3. Context
artdes 333: information design
•BFA/BA in Art and Design
•Minors and Majors in other Schools
•Mostly Studio and Big Projects
•Up to 20 students
5. ProjectsonNon-ConventionalVisualizations
2017 Cohort 2018 Cohort
Futuristic Interactive
Visualizations
Data
Self-Portraits
• I sought to give structure,a
design framework,as a way to
guarantee a good execution
while providing a theoretical
basis that sustains the work.
• I decided to leverage the studio
culture while promoting a more
material and conceptual
exploration as part of the
making process.
8. DesignFrameworkforInteractive
EmbodiedVisualizations
2017 Cohort
critical design-design fiction-speculative design
design
rhetoric
interaction
gestalt
physical
visualization
+ +
•Rhetorical Situation
•Low,Middle,and High
Style
•Logos,Ethos,and Pathos
Ehses (2008) Lim et al.(2009) Moere & Patel (2009)
•Connectivity
•Continuity
•Directness
•Movement
•Orderliness
•Pace
•Proximity
•Resolution
•Speed
•State
•Time-depth
•Representational Fidelity
•Data-mapping Metaphor
•Symbolic Representations
•Definition of the situation
•Definition of the artifact's goal
•Definition of variables
•Creation of the first concept
•Refinement based the notion of logos,ethos,and pathos
•Refinement based on the notion of level of style
•Peer critiques (several times)
•Refinement based on interaction gestalt attributes
•Refinement based on physical visualization principles
•Elaboration of a poster to present the design concept
activities
9. DesignFrameworkforInteractive
EmbodiedVisualizations
2017 Cohort
critical design-design fiction-speculative design
design
rhetoric
interaction
gestalt
physical
visualization
+ +
•Rhetorical Situation
•Low,Middle,and High
Style
•Logos,Ethos,and Pathos
Ehses (2008) Lim et al.(2009) Moere & Patel (2009)
•Connectivity
•Continuity
•Directness
•Movement
•Orderliness
•Pace
•Proximity
•Resolution
•Speed
•State
•Time-depth
•Representational Fidelity
•Data-mapping Metaphor
•Symbolic Representations
•Definition of the situation
•Definition of the artifact's goal
•Definition of variables
•Creation of the first concept
•Refinement based the notion of logos,ethos,and pathos
•Refinement based on the notion of level of style
•Peer critiques (several times)
•Refinement based on interaction gestalt attributes
•Refinement based on physical visualization principles
•Elaboration of a poster to present the design concept
activities
Itdidn'twork!
(As I expected)
10. TakeawaysCase1
•Be realistic
• Too much theory will not make the students come up with better projects.
• Theory can be difficult to understand,especially,in short period of time.
• Undergraduate students work differently than grad students.
• Team work can go wrong.
• The development of visual,critical,and systems thinking takes time and is
progressive.
• Students have different levels of design competence and skills.
•Be pedagogical
• Students need examples,visual information.
• There is an end-of-term burn out effect to consider
• Most senior students are accustomed to learning using the apprenticeship
model.
15. DesignApproach
artwork production (2d or 3d)
physical
visualization
Moere & Patel (2009)
•Representational Fidelity
•Data-mapping Metaphor
•Symbolic Representations
Just introduced for
inspiration purposes
visualization
principles
Tufte (1990)
•Macro/micro readings
•Layering
•Small Multiples
•Storytelling
Introduced earlier in
the semester
+
2018 Cohort
16. DesignApproach
artwork production (2d or 3d)
physical
visualization
Moere & Patel (2009)
•Representational Fidelity
•Data-mapping Metaphor
•Symbolic Representations
Just introduced for
inspiration purposes
visualization
principles
Tufte (1990)
•Macro/micro readings
•Layering
•Small Multiples
•Storytelling
Introduced earlier in
the semester
+
•Self-characterization: biological and as an individual,family,culture.
•Self-characterization: personal history: past,present,future.
•Identification of quantitative and qualitative variables.
•Deconstruction of such variables to find new representational forms.
•Synthesis of data and definition of macro and micro readings.
•Sketching.
•Design critiques.
•Material explorations.
activities
17. DesignApproach
artwork production (2d or 3d)
physical
visualization
Moere & Patel (2009)
•Representational Fidelity
•Data-mapping Metaphor
•Symbolic Representations
Just introduced for
inspiration purposes
visualization
principles
Tufte (1990)
•Macro/micro readings
•Layering
•Small Multiples
•Storytelling
Introduced earlier in
the semester
+
•Self-characterization: biological and as an individual,family,culture.
•Self-characterization: personal history: past,present,future.
•Identification of quantitative and qualitative variables.
•Deconstruction of such variables to find new representational forms.
•Synthesis of data and definition of macro and micro readings.
•Sketching.
•Material explorations.
activities
Itpartiallyworked!
(As I expected)
18. TakeawaysCase2
• Without a uniform evaluation instrument is difficult to know how well
students have learned theoretical concepts.
• Apprenticeship works to instruct theoretical concepts,but it can be exhausting
for the instructor because of the need of reiterating.
• Art production and studio-based instruction are useful to develop visual,
critical,and reflective thinking for information design and visualization.
23. 1. A non-computational,non-scientific,craft-oriented,studio-
based learning experience is useful for the development of
exploratory forms to depict data and information.
2. A better understanding of non-visual materials is significant to
ideate innovative forms to convey data and information.
3. However,the role of visual thinking and making as the core of
communication and information design must not be forgotten.