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MN GIS/LIS 2014 Keynote: From Sensemaking to Sharing - The Importance of Design in Geographic Analysis and Communication

MN GIS/LIS 2014 Keynote: From Sensemaking to Sharing - The Importance of Design in Geographic Analysis and Communication

This presentation discusses the innate power of visual design and provides examples of design that emphasizes the placement of function over form.

Presented at the annual Minnesota GIS/LIS consortium in Rochester, MN.

Joshua Stevens

October 03, 2014
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  1. The Importance of Design in Geographic Analysis and Communication Joshua

    Stevens! ! PhD Candidate and NSF IGERT Fellow in Big Data Social Science at The Pennsylvania State University ! @jscarto JoshuaStevens.net
  2. The Importance of Design in Geographic Analysis and C #mngislis14

    What does it mean for a thing to be designed?
  3. The Importance of Design in Geographic Analysis and C #mngislis14

    - Don Norman, ‘The Design of Everyday Things’ 
 “Well-designed objects are easy to interpret and understand. They contain visible clues to their operation. Poorly designed objects can be difficult and frustrating to use. ! They provide no clues — or sometimes false clues. They trap the user and thwart the normal process of interpretation and understanding.”
  4. The Importance of Design in Geographic Analysis and C #mngislis14

    Design is not about placing aesthetics first - or making things ‘pretty.’
  5. The Importance of Design in Geographic Analysis and C #mngislis14

    Design is about providing mental lubrication that makes interactions and decisions easier.
  6. The Importance of Design in Geographic Analysis and C #mngislis14

    1. It requires effort 2. Design should imply a purpose 3. Seek visual congruence 4. Be an outsider 5. Know when to go off the map 5 Things to Think About for Good Design
  7. The Importance of Design in Geographic Analysis and C #mngislis14

    1: Good Design Requires Effort “Making the solution seem so completely inevitable and obvious, so uncontrived and natural - it's so hard!” - Jony Ive (Apple)
  8. The Importance of Design in Geographic Analysis and C #mngislis14

    85,564 suicide records 226,224 incidences of personal crime 30 years of work …invented his own mechanical “computer” to tabulate the data! 1: Good Design Requires Effort
  9. The Importance of Design in Geographic Analysis and C #mngislis14

    Every design has a cognitive cost 1: Good Design Requires Effort
  10. The Importance of Design in Geographic Analysis and C #mngislis14

    You User Every design has a cognitive cost 1: Good Design Requires Effort
  11. The Importance of Design in Geographic Analysis and C #mngislis14

    You User Put thought into the design so the user isn’t forced to! Every design has a cognitive cost 1: Good Design Requires Effort
  12. The Importance of Design in Geographic Analysis and C #mngislis14

    2: Good Design Implies its Purpose A design can only provide a solution if it addresses the problem the user has, and does not suggest a use that isn’t possible.
  13. The Importance of Design in Geographic Analysis and C #mngislis14

    How fast is ‘green?’! How far is point A from B?! How long will various routes take? 2: Good Design Implies its Purpose
  14. The Importance of Design in Geographic Analysis and C #mngislis14

    How fast is ‘green?’! How far is point A from B?! How long will various routes take? travel time = distance velocity 2: Good Design Implies its Purpose
  15. The Importance of Design in Geographic Analysis and C #mngislis14

    3: Seek Visual Congruence The visual presentation of data must be congruent with: ! 1: The underlying data and phenomena ! 2: The human vision system
  16. The Importance of Design in Geographic Analysis and C #mngislis14

    What is the most important area of this map? Where do your eyes go first? 3: Seek Visual Congruence
  17. The Importance of Design in Geographic Analysis and C #mngislis14

    3: Seek Visual Congruence What is the most important area of this map? Where do your eyes go first?
  18. The Importance of Design in Geographic Analysis and C #mngislis14

    3: Seek Visual Congruence What is the most important area of this map? Where do your eyes go first?
  19. The Importance of Design in Geographic Analysis and C #mngislis14

    Notice the color scheme! goes from light to dark,! to light, to dark… 3: Seek Visual Congruence
  20. The Importance of Design in Geographic Analysis and C #mngislis14

    Rainbow color schemes introduce false patterns and hide real trends Choose perceptual color schemes and pair phenomena with design 3: Seek Visual Congruence
  21. The Importance of Design in Geographic Analysis and C #mngislis14

    How computers represent color: via Subtleties of Color by Rob Simmon 3: Seek Visual Congruence
  22. The Importance of Design in Geographic Analysis and C #mngislis14

    How humans perceive color: via Subtleties of Color by Rob Simmon 3: Seek Visual Congruence
  23. The Importance of Design in Geographic Analysis and C #mngislis14

    Instead of different colors (hues), rely on value (shifts in darkness). Then add 1-2 hues with increasing saturation to further distinguish class breaks. 3: Seek Visual Congruence
  24. The Importance of Design in Geographic Analysis and C #mngislis14

    3: Seek Visual Congruence http://www.radicalcartography.net/index.html?midwest
  25. The Importance of Design in Geographic Analysis and C #mngislis14

    http://project.wnyc.org/commute-times-us/embed.html 3: Seek Visual Congruence
  26. The Importance of Design in Geographic Analysis and C #mngislis14

    http://project.wnyc.org/commute-times-us/embed.html 3: Seek Visual Congruence
  27. The Importance of Design in Geographic Analysis and C #mngislis14

    3: Seek Visual Congruence via NASA Earth Observatory
  28. The Importance of Design in Geographic Analysis and C #mngislis14

    3: Seek Visual Congruence via NASA Earth Observatory
  29. The Importance of Design in Geographic Analysis and C #mngislis14

    Even monochrome scales are tricky: we do not perceive value linearly 3: Seek Visual Congruence
  30. The Importance of Design in Geographic Analysis and C #mngislis14

    Even monochrome scales are tricky: we do not perceive value linearly 3: Seek Visual Congruence 0 - 10% 40 - 50% 90 - 100%
  31. The Importance of Design in Geographic Analysis and C #mngislis14

    Even monochrome scales are tricky: we do not perceive value linearly 3: Seek Visual Congruence 0 - 10% 40 - 50% 90 - 100%
  32. The Importance of Design in Geographic Analysis and C #mngislis14

    How we see one color also depends on its surroundings! 3: Seek Visual Congruence
  33. The Importance of Design in Geographic Analysis and C #mngislis14

    4: Be an Outsider Design for an audience you don’t know, on a topic you’re unfamiliar with, or with a tool you haven’t used*
  34. The Importance of Design in Geographic Analysis and C #mngislis14

    Design for an audience you don’t know, on a topic you’re unfamiliar with, or with a tool you haven’t used* 4: Be an Outsider
  35. The Importance of Design in Geographic Analysis and C #mngislis14

    Design for an audience you don’t know, on a topic you’re unfamiliar with, or with a tool you haven’t used* 4: Be an Outsider
  36. The Importance of Design in Geographic Analysis and C #mngislis14

    5: Know When to Go Off the Map “A map says to you, ‘Read me carefully, follow me closely, doubt me not.’ ! It says, ‘I am the earth in the palm of your hand. Without me, you are alone and lost.’” - Beryl Markham, 1983
  37. The Importance of Design in Geographic Analysis and C #mngislis14

    5: Know When to Go Off the Map http://uxblog.idvsolutions.com/2014/07/major- league-baseball-players-by-country.html
  38. The Importance of Design in Geographic Analysis and C #mngislis14

    5: Know When to Go Off the Map Jishai Evers http://jishaievers.com/
  39. The Importance of Design in Geographic Analysis and C #mngislis14

    6: Wait, there wasn’t six…. Keep doing good work with each other!
  40. The Importance of Design in Geographic Analysis and C #mngislis14

    Thank you! Slides available online at: speakerdeck.com/jscarto JoshuaStevens.net @jscarto Joshua Stevens