Yellowfields

An SME tonearm. The relevance to information design? Well, its about user experience. Vinyl is back, and growing in popularity. We are (re)discovering and enjoying the whole experience of putting that strange shiny black disc on a simple (basic) looking machine, then revelling in the superb sound quality that emerges. User experience is not just about our digital or virtual lives. That sense of touch (tactile quality) seems to have been largely surrogated in the present world.

We have all heard the phrases information anxiety and information overload, and we are continuously bombarded by stuff—whether we need it, want it — or even understand it. Enter information design.

However, information design is hard to define because it is multi-disciplinary and multi-dimensional. It draws on many fields, both practical and theoretical, as it is about the use, interpretation and perception of information. Influences include: language, art, aesthetics, information, communication, behaviour, cognition and media technologies.

Ultimately, it is about improving the user experience by creating valuable, compelling and empowering information and experiences. It concentrates more on informing the end user rather than persuading them as you might normally associate with the broader discipline of graphic design.

In practice it affects many objects, including forms, documents, books, information architecture, wayfinding, mapping, transport information, user guides, consultation material… well, yes, just about everything around us. A particular challenge of the 21st Century is the capture and representation of dynamic as well as static information.

Life is complicated!

“The organisation and presentation of information is one of the most important but least recognised aspects of the design profession.”

—Peter Wildbur

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