Information Design/Instructional Design

According to Edward Tufte Information design should be more about the information rather than the artistic aspect of Information/Instructive design.

"Information graphics should draw the viewer (users) attention to the sense and substance of the data not to something else."

However, Saul Carliner, e-learning expert, believes that,

"Information design is the visual method of explaining and interpreting complex information and data to help the user achieve a particular objective."

More recently today, Information design/Instructional design involves a combination of visual aesthetics and practicality to present information in a clear and efficient way. Words and graphics are used together to communicate a message that is easy for the viewer to understand and follow. Good information/instructional designs are comprehensible, rapidly and accurately retrievable and easy to translate. They also allow people to navigate around three dimensional space easily and comfortably in both real and virtual contexts.

Examples of Information/Instructional Design

Some examples of Information/Instructional design include:

Road Signs - The most obvious example, which have a clear practical purpose enabling them to be easily read by anyone.

Promotional Posters - A form of instructional design, promotional posters clearly outline when and where events will be held.

The Cityrail Network Map - This is a map of the city of Sydney's railway lines. Navigational in nature, it shows its users every railway line and station in Sydney and is colour coded to ensure clarity.