WavyBrainy

Infographic created by CNN during President Obama's March 24, 2009, press conference.

Infographics, contrary to urban legend, were not invented by USA Today. One of the most famous infographics created by Charle’s Minard in 1885 depicts the failure and eventual retreat of Napolean’s army in Russia by correlating time, temperature, and mortality rates. (For stunning contemporary examples, visit visualcomplexity.com) Infographics allow us to visualize hundreds and even hundreds of thousand of data points, so we can see patterns, extract information and make decisions. Cloud navigation found on many blogs and websites shows key words that represent content. In turn the size of the word may communicate popularity or the amount of underlying content. This allows us to understand very quickly what a site is about without a single click of the mouse. Aside from keeping innovative designers off the dole for the near future, infographics are a survival mechanism that keeps us from drowning in a sea of data. Use them!

1. The Visual Display of Quantitative Information by Edward R. Tufte

I remember Ideopia’s first business phone, playing with numbers and their corresponding letters on the keypad, hoping on hope to hit a dirty word, e.g. 1-800-BITCHNADS, the phone company wouldn’t catch. Now these hybrid numbers are usability nightmares that simply annoy customers.

1. They have to ‘translate’ letters to numbers.

2. International customers have different letters or none at all.

3. On PDAs, Blackberries and cell phones, it’s cumbersome to switch between a number and a letter.

4. Mobile phones now have expanded Qwerty keyboards that don’t adhere to a manufacturing standard, and thus have letters that correspond to numbers in ways you never intended.

The late comedian Sam Kinison said, “Tell us what to do, and
we will do it!” Sam
was talking about sex. If only the knuckleheads who write directions were so clear. Like companies that want
consumers to use and prize their products.

Yep, it’s Saturday morning and I have an axe to grind. It came in a 90lb. box with 200 some odd pieces.
Surely you can guess what this product is by looking at the part labels.

Are you thinking a Stinger Missile, or a scooter?
Sorry to disappoint, but it’s just a prefab tv table.

There’s a bigger issue at stake here other than blowing my morning.
That is: we may live
in a fantastic digital world, but the interface MUST be human.

Let’s not blame computers or their designers, either. Humans suck
at communication in general. What if we applied the
standards of this prefab furniture manufacturer to a 911 call:
The 911 operator tells you to start CPR, “measure
three inches up on the sternum from the solar plexus and give your
friend a wallop. Hard enough
to jump start the heart, but not enough to launch a broken rib
through the heart itself.” If you’re not explicit in your directions, expect them to arrive dead on arrival.

Listen up you sod heads, just tell me to find the wodden dowels
and I will do it!