Thinking Like a Designer

Chapter 5 is entitled "Thinking Like a Designer". The reading was simple enough but contained an interesting perspective. The first concept is afforadances which are aspects of design that show how an object functions and it is to be used. Highlighting or focusing on the relevant information is one way to achieve this. Highlighting can be done by using bold, italics, underlining, cafe, typeface, specific colors, inversing elements, or size. Another way is to eliminate distractions is by identifying unnecessary information by seeing if it truly pertains to the topic at hand. Additionally, creating a clear visual hierarchy of info can help in labeling and organizing info so the data is best communicated (ie. super-catagories and scatter plots).

Accessibility or the concept that designs should be understood and used in different ways by different people. To achieve accessibility a good idea to to not over complicate the design by using easy fonts, keeping it clean, using few words, and simple language. Also, thoughtful use of text is important in titles, labels, and text notes.

The next concept is aesthetics or the idea that appearance of data matters. To be visually smart use appropriate colors, pay attention to alignment, and do not overcrowd but use white space to an advantage.

Lastly, acceptance, which deals with how it is understood by others or its effectiveness. To gain acceptance, provide multiple options and seek input, show designs side by side, and get someone to be both critical and vocal about the designs created.

Yoobi Infographic Idea: Marketing
On the supplies company, Yoobis's, site there is a short impact report that briefly describes the company's mission in providing supplies to schools in America through every purchase of their products. I would like to make an inforgraphic to create a visual summary of this report. The infographic would be divided into three parts: What We Give, Where We Give, and How You Can Help. This way there is a flow in the ideas that can be easily processed by the audience.

Iman Chicago Idea: Data 
I would like to create an infographic that entails the internal data that we collect through corner shop visits. This data contains the demographics of people visits, what is being sold, and concerns and expectations of customers. Using a scatter plot to effectively display satisfaction levels would be a good idea. In addition, using the concept of accessibility to make the inforgraphic usable by all not only volunteers but public officials and donors would be a goal as well.