Course · Information Design
Understand complex things at a glance
0.1 / What it's about
Information design makes complex matters understandable.
Information design makes complex content easy to understand: figures, processes, locations and connections. It combines structure, typography, visualisation and language to help people find information quickly, understand it correctly and put it to use.
Key questions of the course:
QUESTION 1
How do data become understandable information?
QUESTION 2
Which order and which presentation suit a statement?
QUESTION 3
When is a graphic misleading?
QUESTION 4
How do people find their way around physical spaces and digital services?
Course framework:
TARGET AUDIENCE
Creators
Learners in graphic, media, web, or UX design, with no prior knowledge of information design.
SCOPE
8 × 90 mins
Plus final project; each module can also be used individually.
Format
Individually and as part of a team
Brief input, trying out the tool, exercise, reflection.
0.2 / Learning Objectives
After the course, you will make information easy to understand.
After the course, you will be able to:
01
Define information design and differentiate between data, information, and knowledge
02
Organising content and designing an information architecture
03
choose the appropriate and honest presentation for a statement
04
Use visual variables, text, and tables in a readable and accessible way
05
Planning and testing wayfinding systems and interactive information
0.3 / Course content
All modules and sections at a glance.
Eight modules, each with a core question and a tool. Click on a module or jump straight to a section.
MODULE 01
What makes information understandable?
MODULE 02
How do you organise information?
MODULE 03
Which representation matches the statement?
MODULE 04
When is a graphic misleading?
MODULE 05
How do you translate values into shapes?
MODULE 06
How do you make text and numbers readable?
MODULE 07
How do people find their way?
MODULE 08
How do you make information explorable?
0.4 / Procedure per module
Each module follows the same structure.
The rhythm stays the same, the content changes:
01
Introduction (10 mins)
A question or an everyday example.
02
Input (20 mins)
Concepts and examples, concise and visual.
03
Tool (15 mins)
Try out the principle in the interactive tool.
04
Exercise (35 mins)
Application to a personal example.
05
Reflection (10 mins)
What worked, what are you doing differently?
In each section, you will find a key takeaway in bold with a lightning bolt icon, an exercise behind the blue button, and a read-aloud function.
0.5 / Certificate of achievement
In the end, you have your own bespoke information design.
Final project: an information design project, individually or in pairs
01
Briefing
Target audience, situation, key message, data and format.
02
Structure
Organisational principle and hierarchy of content.
03
Draft
At least two options and a reasoned selection.
04
Test
Comprehension test with at least three people.
05
Presentation
Final version, sources, and reflection in ten minutes.
Evaluation criteria: clarity of the core message, appropriateness of presentation, honesty and references, readability and accessibility, quality of the test and reflection.
0.6 / Literature and Sources
Good graphics have sources.
• Tufte, E. R. (1983): The Visual Display of Quantitative Information
• Tufte, E. R. (1990): Envisioning Information
• Wurman, R. S. (1989): Information Anxiety
• Bertin, J. (1967): Sémiologie graphique
• Cleveland, W. S. & McGill, R. (1984): Graphical Perception. Journal of the American Statistical Association
• Cairo, A. (2016): The Truthful Art
• Cairo, A. (2019): How Charts Lie
• Knaflic, C. N. (2015): Storytelling with Data
• Munzner, T. (2014): Visualisation Analysis and Design
• Lynch, K. (1960): The Image of the City
• Gibson, D. (2009): The Wayfinding Handbook
• Further reading: Shneiderman, B. (1996): The Eyes Have It. A Task by Data Type Taxonomy for Information Visualizations · Neurath, O. (1936): International Picture Language