Just 15 years ago, we picked up disposal cameras from the local grocery store when we planned on going school field trips, camping, etc. Snapping the perfect picture would take two minutes as the blue light would have to light up before the photo could be taken. Each time the process of photo snapping required the rotation of a knob to reset the camera on the proper roll. Finally, after taking twenty-seven pictures, the disposable camera would simply be of no use anymore. The camera would be taken to Walmart or Walgreens for the roll to be developed. Clearly, times have changed. After the invent of the digital camera, snapshot can be viewed within seconds after the picture is taken. Instantaneous decisions can be made whether or not the shot needs to be re-done. The technology of cameras is not the only technology that has advanced in the last fifteen years. Whether it be cars, cell phones, or computers, a variety of gadgets have been transformed.
When the leap was made from green cell phone backgrounds to the color cell phone backgrounds, people were in awe. Immense advancements have been made in the technologies especially related to the fields of visual graphical design. “Technology has always played a role in data visualization, and over the past two decades it has revolutionized its design, production, and reception.” (Kostelnick, 117). Today we see graphs and charts everywhere, whether that be in class, on the news, or even in travel brochures. Charles Kostelnick, who is a professor at Iowa State University, has further researched this topic. His interests include the history of visual communications, international and cross-cultural communication, the visual rhetoric of professional communications. He discusses each of these topics in his paper, The Visual Rhetoric of Data Displays: The Conundrum of Clarity.
Kostelnick believes graphical excellence is achieved when intricate ideas are presented in a manner with clarity, precision, and efficiency. It is important to communicate with your audience in a manner that they will comprehend the greatest amount of information in the shortest amount of time. While listening to presentations, one of the biggest problems the audience complains about today is the idea of “Powerpoint Poisoning”. The presenter writes the points he or she will share in his or her powerpoint, and he or she shares them verbatim. Clearly, this is not the same as sharing the greatest amount of information in the least amount of time; it is being redundant. Therefore, the key is to maintain clarity. Brasseur defines clarity as the “perceptual cognitive-based school of thought” (117).
Holding this approach ensures optimal communication between the designer and user. While designing data, the question should be what display technique will allow me to convey myself most clearly to the audience. In order to have optimal interpretation, it is necessary to avoid clutter and be visually precise. Today,
The design templates and wizards of graphing software make readers particularly vulnerable. Three-dimensional displays often hide data or impede the reader’s ability to make comparisons; pie, donut, and shaped areas; and options for filling bars, plot frames, and other forms can result in eye-straining clashes of color and patterns. By undermining the clarity of the display, these perceptual faux pas also weaken the ethos, or credibility, of the designer (118).
By making designs too complex, the designer may receive a contradictory response as compared to the response he or she may have hoped to create.
Another important aspect of optimal communication is the awareness of the audience’s cultural background. In his article, he goes to mention how “different readers have different interpretive frameworks that profoundly influence what they find clear and credible in data displays” (119). For example, different colors have a unique significance in different cultures. Depicted, in Figure 1, in the United States, the white on the American flag means innocence or purity. In contrast, the white on the Indian flag means the light, leading the country on the path of righteousness. So, the color white on a bar graph can create different ethos depending on those from unique cultural backgrounds.
In addition to cultural background, analyzing the educational background may aid in conveying key points. A physicist may completely extrapolate a convoluted technical chart, however, this may not be the case for a lawyer reading the same chart. Hence, “a simple, low-key display…may engage…[the audience] quite successfully” (119), however, sometimes to ignite the attention of the audience, it may also be important to include the clutter. Keeping the “physical, perceptual, and historical context” (120) in mind aids in designing graphics as well. Kostelnick conveys the idea of KAIROS, which means it is necessary to keep the given rhetorical situation in mind to adjust a particular display. Presenting in a meeting with executives creates a different ambiance then presenting to a class of kindergarteners.
Today, we live in a “dog eat dog” world. We do not innately know how to create and read charts; we acquire such skills through experience as it is all learned. When one gets a new job, he has to learn the techniques and methods of the company. The same principle can be applied to data designs as they, too, are socially constructed. Regardless of what job one may apply for, basic skills regarding visualizing data are necessary. Not everyone is adept to rapidly pick up the new technological tools offered. Hence, softwares such as Powerpoint or Excel allow anyone to make their designs through just a few clicks. Such mediums have allowed us to move into a digital age. There are so many companies today which are paperless or working to be completely paperless, This has been possible due to digital data and designing.
Digital data design whereby the display is produced and interpreted entirely on a screen, has opened up opportunities to invent novel designs and to widen the pool of conventional forms, including some from the past, and thereby socialize design by redefining our concept of visual literacy. Because many digital online displays are interactive, they allow readers to adapt them to their varying needs and interests, fulfilling traditional rhetorical goals (122).
While reading through Kostelnick’s work, I continually thought about Felder’s Writing for the Web. As Kostelnick is introducing his argument, one of his first statements was the need to be concise, which was also one of Felder’s underlying themes. Another link I saw between both Felder and Kostelnick was the idea about active reading. Kostelnick, writing in reference to digital displays, while Felder, writing in reference to writing for the web, both mention how the medium of the Internet allows one to be more interactive. When one comes across something interesting on the Web, simply clicking on the hyperlink can take one to more information on the topic of interest.
The point behind graphical designs is to present in such a manner to get the most amount of information across in the simplest method possible. Felder says one should make bullet lists and keep short sentences. Kostelnick explains the same idea, visually, by creating simple graphs or charts which are easily readable. In his article Kostelnick mentions the Mosaics and how it failed because it required too much time for the audience to figure out how to use it. Both Felder and Kostelnick could have predicted this because while readers are on the web, they are looking for quick answers and short cuts. Such complex tools are clearly not serving those purposes.
Kostelnick made great points about digital graphic design. The task of presenting the greatest amount of information in the simplest way is not an easy task. Yet at the same time, in my experience, I have learned the the most when presenters follow this protocol. I also agree with Kostelnick that it is important to connect to one’s audience. Whether that is by telling a story, a joke, or a personal experience, hooking the reader in will definitely aid in conveying the main ideas later.
As students at Santa Clara University, we are surrounded by all kinds of technology that are extremely interactive. As we enter the library, we are surrounded by LED touchscreens guiding us to their desired destination. There are a copious number of different softwares from Powerpoint to Photoshop to Photobooth available on the common computers which make almost anything possible. As students, we are required to be familiar with so many different softwares in order to complete projects and presentations. Understanding and using digital media will be key for further studying as well as seeking jobs in our future.