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WHAT IS INFORMATION?. Sus Lundgren. Processing Data. Which information can you get from the bus stop image? Which country is it? Is it in the center of town? Is there a lot of traffic? Is it safe to stand there? Is there a bus coming soon?
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WHAT IS INFORMATION? Sus Lundgren
Processing Data • Which information can you get from the bus stop image? • Which country is it? • Is it in the center of town? • Is there a lot of traffic? • Is it safe to stand there? • Is there a bus coming soon? • Our minds constantly process data around us; the same processes are gone through when we encounter a new UI
But When • When does information become information? • The difference beteween two numbers is 29. Which are the numbers? • The larger number can be divided with nine • The larger number can be divided with three • The smaller number is negative • The smaller number is -2
What is information? • Knowledge gathered through observation, examination or by instructions? • But what about the information we create ourselves (e.g. ”Party at my place”)? • Differences that can be detected, and matter? • Data that has been structured (according to a certain purpose)? • Data related to a context
What is information? • What we want/need to know, explained in a way we understand • What one needs to know to solve a problem/answer a question • Data that has been interpreted
Redundancy • Redundancy = unnecessary/extra information Good or bad? • Excise • Reduces insecurity • Thursday the 14th of September – what if that is a Wednesday • Information-density gives natural redundancy
Wishful Thinking • We tend to interpret the information so that it suits our wishes/needs • …för endast 499,90! • We look for redundancy • Viva Las Vegas • We want confirmation • If another customer buys or tries out a sweater we are more likely to buy it too; it has been approved
properties • Can be shared infinitely • More or less media dependent, normally best suited for one or two similar media • Statistics are easiest to express in numbers or graphs, not in writing or on film • Context dependent sumprunkare • Has a certain ”durability” • Doesn't exist until it has been interpreted • Can be destroyed, but not through ”consumption” • Can degenerate over time
properties • May be more or less valid • Anyone: Horse no 3 will win • Expert: Horse no 3 will win • In many cases the opposite of chaos • Reduces insecurity? Tufte: "Confusion and clutter are failures of design, not attributes of information."
Expressing information • When expressing information there are many ways • With words and wording • ”He is a programmer” vs ”He has a MSC in computer engineering” • With placement and size • The larger and closer to the top (or sometimes center) the more interesting • And the smaller the less interesting • With grouping Massoud Johanna Veronica Jean Paul Magnus Lars Abraham Mirsada
With underlining; clearly this part of the phrase is more important With separating lines Expressing information • With inlining • With spacing, e.g. quotations in a text • With color & shape • With small multiples, sketches, photos, pictures…
Corrupting information • If information is skewed or somehow put in the wrong context it may be corrupted. What is this? G J L S
Corrupting information • A map – rotated the ”wrong” way Göteborg Jönköping Linköping Stockholm
Tufte • Chartjunk? • Your favorites?
