Scattered Blast of Thoughts on Designing with Information

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Scattered Blast of Thoughts on Designing with
Information

• Peter Merholz
• Work Epinions.com
• Personal peterme.com
• Email peterme_at_peterme.com

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Blast OneFour Methods of Designing with
Information
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1. Data-Centered Design
Four Methods

• Let the data speak
• Tufte-esque design

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2. Data Centered Design
Four Methods
Taken from http//www.ddg.com/LIS/InfoDesignF96/K
elvin/Napoleon/map.html
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2. Editorial Design
Four Methods

• Lead people through a process
• Get them to a level of understanding

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2. Editorial Design
Four Methods
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3. Information Space Design
Four Methods

• Supports search and retrieval
• Creates an environment to wander, explore
• Requires an understanding of how people
  understand data
• Supports browsing

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4. User-Centered Design
Four Methods

• Focus on users tasks, goals
• Used for creating tools, applications
• Productivity

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Blast TwoClassification Schemes

• What I want to get out of this conference

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Overcome the tyranny of hierarchy
Classification Schemes

• Megalithic top-down classification
• As taxonomy expands, becomes unwieldy to traverse
• Different people classify the world differently
• Top-down This is how things are.

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Is there a bottom-up solution?
Classification Schemes

• Basic-level categories most immediately
  understandable to human perception
• Assign attributes (metadata) and use that to
  create relationships
• Allow people to personalize the information so
  its relevant to them

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Blast ThreeA model for development