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Note: all the (figures) mentioned
in the text are found at the end
of the essay.
INTRODUCTION
“The design of statistical graphics is a universal matter like mathematics
and is not tied to the unique features of a particular language”
It has passed around 28 years since the above mentioned line saw light in the publication of
Edward Tufte, an American statistician and information design expert among many other
things at the Yale University. Even though the “statistics” being represented is only a micro‐
portion of the whole deal, today this universal language surrounds us in everyday life, the
quantity of information that flows around is exponentially expending, and the presence of
the figure of a person organizing this information the so called “Information designer” is
inevitable and crucial.
Today not only we are evolving into beings with multitasking capabilities, but we have
mastered the ability to look into an information world of many dimensions, thanks to the
representation of this information that it itself has evolved from simple letters to containers
with time and spatial dimensions. We owe our capabilities to important historic figures like,
Playfair, Minard, Snow (fig. 1,2,3) and many others, those who were responsible of putting the
first keystones.
When searching of what information design is all about, most of the texts, manuals, and
online resources define it as the action of making the communication of complex
information as clear, precise, and as efficient as possible.
It’s not only about clarity, precision or efficiency, but another important factor or outcome of
designed information is that the visual and graphic appearance of information reveals
patterns that might not be as apparent as they would in any other format. (fig. 4)
Today, as the ICT horizons are widened, information designers are gaining new tools to better
organize and represent the info. Cosmos.
Examples that can be made are infinite in number, but it’s required only few to demonstrate
certain concepts.
REAL‐TIME INFORMATION DESIGN
Talking about Real time information design, writing this essay I have my Smartphone besides
me, it’s quite simple and quite cheap, but it’s an outstanding tool. While a decade ago real
time information was only reserved to higher governmental and military organizations today
most of us carry in our pocket devices that can communicate us real time information. A very
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simple yet remarkable example is “Google Maps” (fig. 5) it’s enough for me to have internet
access to check real time traffic status on the road, just hooking it up with the GPS I am able
to calculate real‐time which road I have to take to avoid traffic and get to work as early as
possible, or better my phone will automatically do all that for me.
Another interesting example would be “Real Time Rome”, I just wanted to make a
comparison the info. Design of the 1970’s and that of today (fig. 6), let’s take an Urban and
Rural population distribution in the united states map of 1970’s and compare it of what’s
possible today. Even though we can log‐on via internet services and have the same map
which is updated real‐time, “Real Time Rome” (fig. 7) was a similar project but at a micro‐
scale.
Done in 2006 in the Venice Biennale in Italy with MIT and the Telecom company, the project
aggregated data from cell phones (Obtained using Telecom Italia’s innovative Lochness
platforms), buses and taxis in Rome to better understand urban dynamics real time. As we
see it in the (fig. 8,9) during certain events it was possible to see cluster of people present at
this major events. Even if it was only an experiment, it’s a matter of years when we will be
able to tap on with our phone and check real‐time where are the major events happening
through cell‐phone mapping. Before concluding this section I just received an sms from the
municipality of Venice of all the details that I need about the upcoming “acqua‐alta”
information. It couldn’t get any real‐timely better than that.
INTERACTIVE INFORMATION DESIGN
While Real‐Time information design is all about fresh and updated information by the minute
and there way of representation (interface, device, method ecc.) another important factor
regarding information design is the way that we interact with the information.
Talking about the “interaction” element, these interaction can be either Human‐ Machine, or
it can occur within the information Machine – Machine or Software – Software.
Again the examples here are infinite, I want to take a personal experience to show how the
environment of interacting with information is changing. Couple of months ago I was at the
Marco‐Polo airport in Venice waiting for someone, and I noticed a slick quite big screen on a
certain angle, not too far from the international doors where people came out. It was called
“Vicky” (fig. 10, 11) and it is a project led by the “Regional tourism department”. What’s more
interesting about it and I would sound absurd of saying it but no‐one was near the screen,
nowhere near public places was a similar interactive devices was found, and some people just
passed by observing it as if it was an advertisement screen like any other, but it sure wasn’t.
Geared up with new ultrasonic and infra‐red sensors, you would just go near, point out your
finger without touching the screen, and it gave you all the information you needed as a
tourist, from nearest hotel to restaurants, taxis and so on. This example and many similar
ones appearing all around us are a proof of how the way we interact with the information
world is changing, and changing so fast that we need time to learn, adapt and accept them.
The above mentioned example is important because it’s a very “primitive” and naive step
towards unimaginable ways of interacting with the world around us, as time goes by devices
are evolving from getting to small to vanishing completely, what we will witness in the near
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future is the total absence of devices that permit us to interact with the info. Cosmos, from
advanced censors, to brain‐machine interfaces (fig. 12).
Another interesting and revolutionary example Human‐Machine interface is Microsoft’s’
Project Natal.
A new controller initially destined for their gaming platform the XBOX 360 and soon for
general use, it’s an special camera‐sensor that can detect 48 body joints (fig. 13), and it has
also voice and facial recognition features. It’s not too far where virtual realties will get almost
physical realties, simple objects that surround us will act based on how we physically move or
command.
Off course the interaction examples that I gave were all Human‐Machine ones, another
interaction is noted between machine and machine, or more accurately software‐software
and the way that they interact to communicate us information in a dynamic way, an
interesting web example can be that of Moma’s “Design and the Elastic Mind” exhibition
website (fig. 14), at the moment you get into the site you can see different subjects written
with a spherical icon on top, at a certain point animated lines start to emerge and connect
and link all the information that has certain elements in common, the same when you go to
the search section and type a certain keyword, a line will bounce off the box and connect all
the subjects that contain the keyword that you were searching for.
And for concluding, another example is the “Thinking Machine 4” (fig. 15)online interactive
chess game, programmed with java, at the moment that I make my move, colorful lines start
to emerge from both ends, showing every single possible move, off course it’s almost
impossible to follow these lines and to make a move based on them, but who knows, if today
we have developed abilities to read multi‐dimensional information, maybe one day will be
able to follow complex itineraries like the one mentioned here.
BIBLIOGRAPHY
Books EMERSON. J., Visualizing Information for Advocacy – An Introduction to Information Design, Tactical Tech, India 2008.
NORMAN. D., La Caffettiera del Masochista – psicopatologia degli oggetti quotidiani, Giunti Editore, Prato 2009.
TUFTE. E., The Visual Display of Quantitative Informatio – SECOND EDITION,Graphics Press LLC, Connecticurt 2007.
Internet Sources http://lifehacker.com/240397/google‐maps‐traffic‐information
http://www.moma.org/interactives/exhibitions/2008/elasticmind/#
http://senseable.mit.edu/realtimerome/
http://80.86.159.20/index.php?page=viki
http://www.gizmag.com/honda‐asimo‐brain‐machine‐interface‐mind‐control/11379/
http://www.xbox.com/en‐US/live/projectnatal/
http://www.turbulence.org/spotlight/thinking/chess.html
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Information_design
http://www.cf.ac.uk/psych/contactsandpeople/lecturing/wright‐patricia‐prof‐overview_new.html
http://jamesnsears.com/applets/spies/
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fig.1
William Playfair
Chart showing at one
view The price of the
quarter of Wheat, &
wages of labour By the
week from the year
1565 > to 1821.
fig.2
Charles Joseph Minard
Carte figurative des
pertes successives en
hommes de l'Armée
Française dans la
campagne de Russie
1812‐1813
fig.3
A map drawn by Dr. John
Snow (1813‐1858), a
British physician,
showing cases of cholera
in the London epidemics
of 1854, clustered
around the locations of
water pumps.
fig.4
Rewiring the Spy
is about whether blogs
and wikis could be used
by agencies like the C.I.A.
and F.B.I. to combat
terrorism. The
visualizations create a
three‐dimensional space
in which the physical
relationship of actors,
weapons and targets
suggest their level of
connection in an attack.
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fig.5
Google Maps,
a version of the map
showing real‐time
traffic status in Los
Angeles.
fig.6
Population distribution
in urban and rural
areas in the united
states 1970.
fig.7
Real Time Rome
Movements of mobile
phone users during
important events in
Rome:
fig.8
Real Time Rome
Density of people using
mobile phones at
different historic
attractions in Rome.
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fig.9
Real Time Rome
Changing positions of
Atac buses, indicated
by yellow points, and
the relative densities of
mobile phone users,
represented by the red
areas.
fig.10
Viky
An interactive Tourist
guide system at Venice
Marco Polo Airport.
fig.11
Viky
An interactive Tourist
guide system at Venice
Marco Polo Airport
fig.12
Honda
Their new brain‐
machine interface
letting the user control
the robots movement
by thought.
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fig.13
Project Natal
A new 3d camera
letting users interact
with machine using
their whole body as
input.
fig.14
Moma’s Website
Design & the Elastic
Mind, where subjects
are interactively
connected by
animated lines.
fig.15
Thinking Machine 4 is
an online chess game
where once you make
your move the game
will elaborate and
show all the possible
future moves of you
and your opponent.
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LeftReal-time “acqua-alta”alert system throughsms.
RightMaps, Transport& Various information touch system.Napoli
ACTV VaporettoTransport lines mapVenice
LeftSiena - TrainDigital Time Tableof Buses.Siena
RightVikyAn interactive Touristguide system at VeniceMarco Polo Airport
INFORMATION DESIGN IN EVERYDAY LIFE
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fig. 21 (Geography)The Remotest place on Earthcombined a series of maps showing the most interconnected and remote places on earth..
fig. 22 (Enology)The Italian Wine SystemThis map is the representation of the Italian wine system in 2005, from production to consumption.
fig. 23 (Geology)EarthQuake 3Dsimple and easy to use desktop display of the world's last 20 significant earthquakes.
fig. 25 (Music)visual i/zerfind how different lyrics intersect with each other.
fig. 26 (Music)reactablecollaborative interactive electronic music instrument.
fig. 27 (Biology)LeftMetabolic Pathwaysmetabolic research in many life science fields fig. 28 (Biology)Rightunified and integrated numeric index of all known drugs.
INFORMATION DESIGN IN SCIENTIFIC DISCIPLINES
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fig. 29 (Massimo Botta)films viewed in a monthInformation design courseUrbino
fig. 31 (Abraham Moles) Epistemologic fieldof Abraham Moles
fig. 30 (Abraham Moles)Iconicity scale ofAbaraham Moles
fig. 32 (Jacques Bertin)"vibratory effect"
fig. 33 (Jacques Bertin)Variables used in maps
fig. 34, 35, 36 (Otto Neurath) Many of his works from De moderne mensch ontstaatEen reportage van vreugde en vrees
Work, free time, sleep: divisions
War economy: coal, oil, iron, copper, cotton, wheat and rice; each picture represents 10% of world production." [p.85]
"Birth statistics in a Central European town." [p.46]
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fig. 37, 38 (Otto Neurath) Work, free time, sleep: divisions.
Economic scheme: -usage of natural resources; -semi manufactured articles; -finished manufactured articles; -distribution and services; each figure represents 500 inhabitants: youth; people who work inside the economic scheme; housewives, students, etc; -older people. [p.65]
fig. 39 (Edward Tufte)Edward Tufte’s data visualization, “The Movable Feat: New York’s 25th Marathon”
INFORMATION DESIGN BY AUTHOR