Why this matters
Having the right information is not enough. It also has to be understood. A sign nobody can read or an app nobody can figure out has failed, no matter how correct the content is. Information design is the craft of shaping information so the message actually lands with the people it is for.
The idea
Information design organizes and expresses information for a purpose so the intended audience gets the message. Three core methods:
- Abstraction keeps only the essential message. A pictogram (a wordless sign at a station or airport) and an icon on your phone are abstraction.
- Visualization shows information visually, like turning survey results into a table or graph.
- Structuring organizes by relationship, level, or order, like a website's hierarchical menu or a department-store floor map.
Designs also have to be usable. The user interface (UI) is how people and a device exchange information: a CUI uses typed keyboard commands, while a GUI uses icons and buttons you can click or tap intuitively. UX (user experience) is the overall feeling of using something. Usability is how easy it is to use, and it differs per user. Accessibility is how easily a wide range of people can use it. Universal design aims for something everyone can use regardless of age, language, nationality, or ability.
Finally, the LATCH method gives five ways to organize information: by Location, Alphabet, Time, Category, and Hierarchy.
Picture it
flowchart TD ID[Information design] --> M[Methods] ID --> U[Usability] M --> Ab[Abstraction: pictograms, icons] M --> Vi[Visualization: tables, graphs] M --> St[Structuring: menus, maps] U --> UI[UI: CUI vs GUI] U --> Acc[Accessibility and universal design]
Worked example
A school wants to help visitors. They make wordless pictograms for each room, which is abstraction. They organize the school website into hierarchical menus, which is structuring. They turn a survey into graphs, which is visualization. Three different design methods, each chosen for what it does best.
Now usability: the same website should be easy for everyone. Making it work for a wide range of people regardless of ability is accessibility, and designing it from the start so all people can use it without difficulty is universal design.
Your turn
Try the practice: sort examples into abstraction / visualization / structuring, match each usability term to its meaning, and pick which interface is the GUI.
Recap
- Information design = shaping information so the message reaches its audience.
- Methods: abstraction (pictograms/icons), visualization (graphs), structuring (menus/maps).
- Usability terms: UI (CUI vs GUI), UX, usability, accessibility, universal design; organize with LATCH.