InfoUrban: Week4 inverted pyramid_familiarity

Communication Principles of ID: Inverted Pyramid

Inverted Pyramid

structure for delivering written content

OnlineMagazines

Newspapers

American Civil War telegraph was tempermental. News had to be conveyed succinctly and quickly.


LEAD

SUPPORTING INFORMATION

DETAILS



LEAD: most relevant/important like who, what where and why

SUPPORTING INFORMATION: In order of importants

DETAILS: Bottom up, easy editing


LEAD: Hard (concise), Soft (narrative)

NASA is proposing another space project. The agency's budget request, announced today, included a plan to send another person to the moon. This time the agency hopes to establish a long-term facility as a jumping-off point for other space adventures. The budget requests approximately ten trillion dollars for the project. ...

LEAD: Soft (narrative)Humans will be going to the moon again. The NASA announcement came as the agency requested ten trillion dollars of appropriations for the project. ...


http://www.veryshortlist.com/other/daily.cfm/review/2102/vsl/welcome-to-the-new-vsl/






http://www.veryshortlist.com/style/daily.cfm/review/2112/Current_cinema//?



Communication Principles of ID: Familiarity

Familiarity

emotional state effects learning


The Principle of Least Effort

searching and seeking behavior of users

Thomas Mann, a general reference librarian at US Library of Congress


The Principle of Least Effort

- humans will naturally gravitate toward what is familiar and easy...even if result is poor

- ease of use may be more important to the researcher than the quality of results



So humans are "lazy users" ....how does that effect us?


So humans are "lazy users" ....how does that effect us?

- Learn how users search content (wayfinding, online, directions, etc.)

- forecast users abilities, tools of choice, familiarity with technology, access to media, etc.

- appropriate information structure for clear and memorable communication


Reading Museumhttp://www.historypin.com/profile/view/Reading%20Museum


Uncertainty Reduction Theory

insight into social interaction and how individuals cope when meeting strangers

Charles Berger and Richard Calabrese, 1975 journal " Human Communication Research"


Uncertainty Reduction Theory

When encountering a new person/group we have 3 phases of discovery:

Entry, Personal, and Exit

=

Understand this process so that we can predict behavior to reduce uncertainty and discomfort


Uncertainty Reduction Theory:

ENTRY, PERSONAL, EXIT

communication via commonly accepted social rules:

- Shaking hands- Conversation like

"How about this weather!?" or "Nice to meet you."




relaxed and sharing info more freely

- beliefs- Values

- conversation like"where do you work"

or "what music do you like"




determine if the whether the relationship wil continue or conclude

- conversation like"may I have your business card?"

or "it was nice to meet you"




- when we are uncertain we seek information- certainty is enhanced by similarities

- what we are uncertain of is less favorable

Communication Principles of ID: Literacy

Literacy

ability to recognize when info is needed

find, evaluate, analyze and use information


Visual Literacy now images exceed the printed the word

- Focus on interpretation, appreciation, gathering and creation of images

- Images aid thinking, desision making, learning and communication

- realize not all images are objective, some altered


Semiotics signs and symbols are elements of language and communication

- informs interpretation of imagery

- meanings assigned through variables ( sender, receiver, context and culture)

- Semantics( relation between signifiers, like words,phrases, signs and symbols, what they stand for) - Syntactics (study of the principles and rules for constructing phrases )

- Pragmatics (a subfield of linguistics which studies the ways in which context contributes to meaning.)

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Word

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Phrase

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sign

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Symbol

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Linguistics


http://aristotelis9.wordpress.com/2009/05/09/semiotics/

http://aristotelis9.wordpress.com/2009/05/09/semiotics/


Signsdenotation: most commonly accepted meaning

connotation: secondary associations based on personal experience


Signs

Icons, Symbols, Indexes

literal visual representations


Signs


abstract without physical form


Signs


create connections between objects


Signs: Context, culture and experience not fixed

Communication is never static. Experiences evolve and so does the meaning we ascribe to signs

Quick Tips for Week 4: Inverted Pyramid

- Use stories or anecdotes to place information in context for an emotional connection

- Consider previous precedents and user interaction. Will changes you apply help or hinder communication

- Stick to the facts to enhance skimming and scanning for things with time constraint.

Quick Tips for Week 4: Familiarity

- Evolutionary change through incremental steps

- Use familiar to introduce new concepts

Quick Tips for Week 4: Literacy

- Use customary icons and symbols to ensure communication.

- Be aware of Cultural changes to ensure consistent communication (telephone looks different now that than

- be familiar with the visual language of your audience. Do they prefer photos or icons or text? A literary review or ethnographic study can help.

Technology

InfoUrban: Week4 inverted pyramid_familiarity