PBA Front-End Programming

Communication

Communication

Why do we communicate…?

Communication

• Pass information• Persuation• Coordination• …?

Communication

Communication

Why do we make websites…?

Communication

• The purpose of a website is to communicate!• The purpose of a website is (usually) not to

demonstrate technical brilliance • What can we do with this wonderful web

programming technology…?• How can we implement this wonderful web

design…?

Communication

• Specific purposes of communication can be as diverse for websites as for real life:– Pass information [READ THIS!]– Persuation [BUY THIS!]– Coordination [DO THIS!]

• There are obvious overlaps…

Communication

• What is the specific purpose (with regards to communication) for a website for:– A political party (UK Labor Party)– An online bookstore (Amazon)– A web design tutorial (WebStyleGuide)– An aid organisation (Red Cross)– An online universe for kids (Club Penguin)– A social media (Facebook)

Communication

• How does communication work…?

Communication

• Computers are lucky!

Communication

• In the ideal world– The sender has a certain ”mental state” about

some information– The sender communicates something about this

information to the receiver– The receiver is now in the same ”mental state”

about this information

Communication

• Humans don’t work like that…

Oh John, listen, I’ve decided to

come out of the closet!

What were you doing

inside a closet…?

Communication

• What hinders ”perfect communication”?– Language (verbal and non-verbal)– Noise (actual and ”semantic”)– Context (culture, background, assumptions,…)

Communication

• Many theories and frameworks for analysis of communication

• One prominent theory/model: Social Constructionism

• The Constructionist View: ”How you say something determines what the message is”

• Cannot separate form and content

Communication

• If we accept the Constructionist View, what are the consequences?– No absolute truths– No absolute messages– People – and groups of people – construct their

own reality (consensus reality), so…– Always consider the point-of-view of the receiver

of any information

Communication

• Consensus reality– Is Nike the best brand of sports shoes…or have

enough people agreed that it is so?– Is Global Warming a scientific fact…or have

enough people agreed that it is so?– Is Facebook the best website for social inter-

action…or have enough people agreed that it is so?

Communication

• Cognitive bias– The tendency for people to make ”poor”

decisions, based on a particular situation– Is this relevant when designing websites…?– Depending on your purpose – cognitive bias can

be ”exploited”– Example: Red Cross (I would rather help ”this one

child”, than all these anonymous thousands…)

Communication