On 22/10/2012, at 6:03 AM, G. Mauricio Mejνa wrote:
> We should aim to transferable/generalizable design knowledge (design elements or design methods) that could be applied to other health and non-health visual communication design problems.
I think you will find that that is what many of us in the field have been doing for some time.
There are many examples of this in the pages of Information Design Journal. After a few years of working in this area, I have written a few pieces on my own experience as have many others. I think we now have some of the transferrable/generalizable design knowledge of which you speak.
See for example:
Sless D 2004
Designing public documents
Information Design Journal + Document Design Journal 12 (1) 24-35
My own view, for what it's worth, is that we can generalise design methods but not elements, but that would take some time to explain.
On another point, I think there are very serious problems with notions of literacy that inform some of this work. I think I wrote a review of research in this area. It's in the same review section of our website which is accessible to our subscribers.
Finally, there are different ways of thinking about the relationship between health information and people. Not all health information is directed primarily at bringing about a health outcome, though that is a worthwhile outcome. In our own case, most of our work is based on the agreed national policy proposition that people have a right to know. How they then use that information is up to them. Our task is to ensure that they can do what they want to do with the information provided in a simple and rewarding way. The details of the balance between so called 'rhetorical' factors and other features is well spelled out in both the practice and research.
I think you could make a useful contribution to this ongoing work.
David
--
blog: www.communication.org.au/dsblog
web: http://www.communication.org.au
> We should aim to transferable/generalizable design knowledge (design elements or design methods) that could be applied to other health and non-health visual communication design problems.
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 9489 8640
Skype: davidsless
60 Park Street Fitzroy North Melbourne Australia 3068
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