Dervin crafts a clear and logical methodology
pertaining to information design. She has labeled her approach "Sense
Making" as it is the underling focus. Information can only be useful if it
can be understood. Information can only be understood by those that possess the
tools that allow them to comprehend the information. Information varies over
time, culture, and person to person. "Information is an instrument of power imposed in discourse on those without power" (Dervin 37).
These are a few of Dervin's concepts incorporated in her theory. A significant advantage
to this approach is that there is no such thing as a universal absolute truth
when it comes to information design. The same approach will not work for all
people and it will not work perpetually over time. Information design is ever
changing, and requires constant vigilance. Information design evolves as society
and develops. These varying concepts is a chief advantage to Dervin's Sense
Making methodology. Unfortunately, there is an underling problem that lingers
with Dervin's theory. There can never be a "correct" approach. There
are only relatively correct approaches that will work most of the time for most
people. Even then, the effectiveness will likely fade over time. The
disadvantage here is that framework or architecture needs to be redesigned often
to keep up with the varying needs of the target audience.
Take this Blog for example. Today
the visual design meets my needs and suits the target audience. Tomorrow that
might not be the case though. If there is any change in the target audience,
this blog will require a review on its effectiveness. The tricky part is
determining if there was a change and what impact that will have on my design.
If my children started readying this site, I may want to change the language so
they can more easily understand my thought process. If my audience spread to viewers
outside of this class, I might want to give some additional background
information on the scope and intent of this site. I will have to keep a close
eye on who is viewing this site and decide if I am implementing an effective information
design strategy.
I like the layout of your blog and how you used it as an example. As you mentioned Dervin is all about sense making. For some people putting information in a blog simple and more creative while other people make think otherwise.
ReplyDeleteHi Dan,
ReplyDeleteI agree with your assessment, "there are only relatively correct approaches that will work most of the time for most people" because people have a tendency to approach things and to interpret information design they are comfortable with.
I enjoyed reading your post about Devin’s theory. I understand when you mention that the disadvantage of the theory is that the design would need to be adjusted if the target audience changes or if the needs of the target audience changes. As you also mention, the theory talks about, how society and its needs are constantly changing over time, so in my opinion, there isn’t much of a choice, information design will always be an ever changing discipline which I also feel just makes it more interesting.
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ReplyDeleteDan,
ReplyDeleteThe way you have this set-up with the unfocused background is colorful and pleasant to look at.Your layout is simple to follow which makes it very user friendly and appreciated. Janice Szalkowski
Great post Dan,
ReplyDeleteToday's ever changing world is all about adaptation and moving forward with the progression of technology and society. When we as a people evolve so should the way that information is delivered to us. Thanks for the enjoyable read.
Anthony
My very loose understanding of these theories (the key word being loose and I might be stretching it when I say understanding) is that the name of the game is adaptation. At least it makes sense to me that info design, much like life, or sports, or you name it, is all about the adjustments we make to have things make sense. This requires some form of feedback so that we can know that the changes we make are helping us to make sense of our own existence, or our teams defense (or total lack thereof). These adjustments should make for a happier human.
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