資訊設計要領
在資訊設計的過程必需界定產品的範疇和觀眾的性質、規劃產品製作計畫要項、以流程圖〔flowchart
〕表現產品的內容。
以下五件事情在進行資訊設計之前要先作考慮：
第一：目標﹝Goals﹞
What
do you want this product to accomplish?
Who
you want to reach and how, in turn, depend on the product's message
and purpose. Information design begins here -- not by arranging
content, but by defining goals.
How
do goals drive design?
| If
you want users to .... |
Then
your design might need ... |
| Learn
and Retain |
Clarity,
simplicity, direcness, repetition, and reinforcrment; modular
breakdown of information into short presentations; testing and
remediation where appropriate |
| Have
Fun |
Variety,
surprises, randomness, and wit; unpredictable events that change
each time the product is used |
| Understand |
Conceptual
explanations; "how it works" illustrations and video;
graphs, charts, simulations |
| Experience |
High
level of interactivity; user control of actions and events;
realistic sights and sounds |
| Act
or Buy |
Well
defined features and benefits; a clear call to arms/options;
toll-free phone number, interactive order forms, etc. |
| Get
Answers |
Reference-style
organization; fast access; searchable index of contents |
第二：觀眾﹝Audience﹞
Who
do you need to reach, how can you reach them, and what do they want?
The
right technology for delivering any content depends on who will
use it and how. This means finding out about the needs and interests
of the audience.
Defining
conditions of use
| Audience |
What
is the target user's ... |
Ages?
Gender? Education? Experience with computer? |
| Usage |
Will
the product be ... |
Used at
home? Used at Work?
Viewed and controlled by a single person?
Projected in front of a group?
Demonstrated close-up by one person to one or more others?
Used
just once, occasionally, or frequently?
|
| Environment |
Will
the environment |
Noisy enough
to interfere with program sound?
Quite, like a library or classroom?
Particularly bright (outdoors) or dark?
Unpredictable (if the display computer is portable)
|
| Equipment |
What
can you assume about |
The kind(s)
of computer equipment users have?
The
performance users' computer can deliver?
|
第三：工具﹝Tools﹞
What
technologies will you use to create and deliver the content?
Realistic
planning is possible only when the project's scope and complexity
are known. These depend largely on the authoring and delivery methods
you choose (internet, CD-ROM, whatever).
第四：計劃﹝Planning﹞
Do
you have time/money/resources to create or obtain content?
Content
can be organized only after you've decided what you have the resources
to produce. This is the result of practical project planning. Creating
a content inventory list is often the first step of planning. The
earlier you do it, the better you'll be able to predict the consequences
of your design decisions.
For
example:
a content inventory list for interactive company brochure
| Section |
Content
Item |
Task |
Have |
Need |
| Introduction |
Logo
art
Background image
Narration
Music |
Digitize
Obtain and Scan
Script, record, digitize
Obtain and digitize |
X |
X
X
X
|
| Company
Tour |
Video
Narration
Music |
Record
and digitize
Script, record, digitize
Obtain and digitize |
|
X
X
X |
| CEO
Interview |
Video
Q&A |
Script,
record, digitize |
|
|
| Employee
Profiles |
Video
of each
Bios & info on each |
Record
and digitize
Research and Write |
|
X
X |
第五：組織﹝Organization﹞
How
should the content be organized?
The
term "information design" suggests you're only arranging
information. But organizing content is just one part of information
design.
流程圖
資訊設計策略可以由流程圖來檢視。流程圖並沒有一定的形式，只要它能夠為資訊設計提供一個清楚的指示圖就好。
流程圖將內容以結構方式呈現，讓產品運作的方式一目了然。同時也為資訊設計接下來的互動設計提供一個工作基礎。
譬如設計一個四層互動層次的流程圖，很可能會發展得很複雜，而使得使用者如墜五里霧中，失去繼續瀏覽的耐心。對於這個問題有一個解決的方法，就是提供可隨時回到主畫面的按鈕，或提供輔助畫面，讓使用者隨時可以從畫面中取得協助。不管使用者進到哪一層，他們永遠只需按一個鈕，就能回到主畫面。
資訊設計師只要為使用者減去一步回到主畫面所需的動作，就能讓多媒體產品多一分效率。
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