On 9 May 2014, at 12:49 pm, Terence Love <[log in to unmask]> wrote:
> An example, working out the best layout for an interface that will present
> information of different types at many different resolutions and screen
> sizes and has to work well for all of them and for old and young alike.
> A traditional design way is to make some images of different kinds of
> layouts and then try and work out (perhaps using lots of discussion and
> stakeholder collaboration) which ones work and fail and perhaps understand
> why at least a little and then revise with lots of cycles through the
> process creating more and more images until eventually finding something
> that might work - ish.
>
> Alternatively, one can represent what is known about screen layouts,
> readability, information distribution, usability, ergonomics etc in simple
> math. Then, imagine absolutely ALL the possible images that could be
> creatively invented using the traditional design approach. Think of this as
> the solution search space. Somewhere in all those zillions of possible
> images is the few that will work, and somewhere in that group are the ones
> that offer optimal designs. Now, see the simple maths above as a way of
> slicing away all the parts of the solution space in which solutions are
> unsatisfactory. What is left is a maths representation of a space of
> solutions with the best designs. Typically the maths is simple arithmetic
> and algebra - just repurposed and applied to design. Often it can be done
> using simple sketches of abstract phenomena. This is simple abstraction if
> design knowledge processed in and out of maths, it's not mathematical
> rocket science.
Ahh Terry,
You make it all sound so simple. I have been working in this areas for the last 30 years. In my not so humble opinion, I don't think you know what you are talking about. When I first started working on this I called it Advanced Graphic Logic Nowadays it generally goes under the heading of Responsive Design. I was and remain involved in a number of commercial and research projects in this area. Interestingly, the major barrier to pushing this work further is computational! We just don't have the mathematical tools to do the job. The reasons for this lie outside of mathematics, though well within the interests of information designers!
One day someone might tackle this issue, but I don't see it on anyone's research horizon today.
David
--
blog: http://communication.org.au/blog/
web: http://communication.org.au
Professor David Sless BA MSc FRSA
CEO • Communication Research Institute •
• helping people communicate with people •
Mobile: +61 (0)412 356 795
Phone: +61 (0)3 9005 5903
Skype: davidsless
60 Park Street • Fitzroy North • Melbourne • Australia • 3068
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