User-Centered Information Design

Facilitator: Noah Iliinsky
Company: ComplexDiagrams.com
Session Title: User-Centered Information Design
Session #: 404

Date: Tuesday, February 24, 2009
Time: 2:00pm - 3:30pm
Room: California

Description

This session teaches a practical process for designing successful informative visuals.

It begins by discussing the importance of understanding your audience's needs, and perception and cognition factors that enhance the effectiveness of your visual. This knowledge is then used to inform a step-by step design process, which takes you from a blank page to a complete, successful visual. The process specifically addresses choosing what information to include, where to put it on the page, what it should look like, how it should be labeled, what the links and axes look like, etc. A portion of this session will be dedicated to working on your own diagram and optionally receiving feedback; please bring problems, questions, works-in-progress, etc.

Audience and Skills

This session requires no actual drawing skills. It is designed for people who have information or knowledge that they need to present in an effective and compelling visual way. All sorts of source data or knowledge are welcome and appropriate. 

Additional Information/Links/Materials

Here are some samples of related talks I've given. Note that this conference session includes more material, and time to work on your own visual. Please bring questions, source material, etc! 

A (very condensed) 5 minute presentation, from Ignite Seattle 5.

A 46 minute presentation from Infocamp Seattle 2008.  

Design process guidance notes. 

Session Notes

Please add yours here!