Re: Learning more from harder-to-read fonts?
Jose Marconi Bezerra de Souza <[email protected]> Sun, 5 Jun 2011 07:59:48 -0300
| Newsgroups | gmane.comp.infodesign.general |
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| Message-ID | <[email protected]> |
--===============1135644210== Content-Type: multipart/alternative; boundary=001517476980aeec1704a4f4e2c3 --001517476980aeec1704a4f4e2c3 Content-Type: text/plain; charset=windows-1252 Content-Transfer-Encoding: quoted-printable Colleagues, I wonder if one day one of us will write something like "Infodesign-cafe to= p 10 discussions", it could be so illuminating. It could also instigate people to continue discussing. I am not a specialist in the subject (typography for reading), but I have t= o say that any research that defies information designers=92 established assumptions i= s =93good=94 research. This research in particular remind me that our obsession with =93clarity=94= and =93fluency=94 is not =93the=94 route to design =93effective=94 information = design artefacts. The question =93how to make people to remember and/or learn things for some period of time?=94 is more complex than we may think. =93To err is human=94 and sometimes can lead to =93meaningful=94 learning. So, what are these "forgiveable" learning contexts? Rather than being considered =93acceptable=94 or =93correct=94 by our peers= , our designs could work primarily as learning tools and, therefore, the strategic placement of =93desirable difficulties=94 (we shou= ld go far beyond the typographic layout) can be in tune with learning theories an= d goals. So, what are the "best" desirable difficulties that we have designed so far= ? Jos=E9. On 5 June 2011 06:38, Rob Waller <[email protected]>wr= ote: > To pick up on Gunnar's remark that 'Academics are the only ones we can > expect to do the difficult and non-profitable work of seeking generalizab= le > knowledge'. > > It seems to me that the experience of our own field is that much of the > most insightful and generalisable knowledge comes from reflective > practitioners (Donald Schon's term) who may or may not have have academic > connections: scanning my bookshelf I can see Ken Garland, Robin Kinross, > Gerard Unger, Karen Schriver, David Sless, Per Mollerup, most O'Reilly > authors, etc, etc. > > Incidentally, my iPad keeps trying to correct 'generalisable' to 'general > usable'. I think it's got a point. If we're not content with being a craf= t, > let's aim to be a technology not a science. > > And don't forget that academic work is actually profitable for those who = do > it - publishing research papers is how we/they build careers. > > Educational psychologists have been testing radical typographic ideas for > many years, as Gunnar says. There was a brief fad for 'chunked' or 'squar= e > span' typography in the fifties (North & Jenkins 1951, Nahinsky 1956, Kla= re, > Shuford & Nichols 1957) in which sense phrases were presented spaced or > stacked. > > A broader view of reading is that it is a strategic process in which a > range of differently paced activities combine as readers (here, my iPad, > ever insightful, suggests 'raiders') engage in scanning and searching as > well as close reading. Whatever else it might be proven to do in the lab, > messing with legibility is surely not going to help at this level. > > Another random thought to add to the mix... In the early days of the Open > University in the UK (1970s), which taught almost entirely through writte= n > texts, there was concern that students would just rattle through course > texts without pausing to reflect. So frequent self-assessment exercise we= re > used to engineer reflective moments, and opportunities for feedback > (influenced by the programmed learning concept of positive reinforcement, > too). But they also introduced a device known as a 'student stopper'. Thi= s > was a bold, sometimes decorative bar across the page which students were > told meant 'stop and think about what you've just read'. > > Rob Waller > > ___________________________________________________________________ > > Use the following address to post a message to all subscribers: > [email protected] > > To subscribe, unsubscribe or change your options, visit: > http://list.InformationDesign.org/mailman/listinfo/infodesign-cafe > > For all Information Design matters: > http://InformationDesign.org > > Problems? Write to: > [email protected] > ___________________________________________________________________ > > --=20 *Jos=E9 Marconi Bezerra de Souza (PhD, 2008)* Consultor em design da informa=E7=E3o e professor do Mestrado e Gradua=E7= =E3o de Design da UFPR *Information design consultant and university lecturer (Brazil) PhD **- Department of Typography & Graphic Communication, The University of Reading (UK, 2008)* *Master of Arts - **Department of Three-Dimensional Design, The Birmingham City University (UK, 1992)* --001517476980aeec1704a4f4e2c3 Content-Type: text/html; charset=windows-1252 Content-Transfer-Encoding: quoted-printable Colleagues,<br><br><br>I wonder if one day one of us will write something l= ike "Infodesign-cafe top 10 discussions", <br>it could be so illu= minating. It could also instigate people to continue discussing.<br><br> <p class=3D"MsoNormal"><span lang=3D"PT-BR">I am not a specialist in the subject (typography for reading), but I have to say that = <br>any research that defies information designers=92 established assumptions is = =93good=94 research.<span>=A0 </span></span></p> <p class=3D"MsoNormal"><span lang=3D"PT-BR">=A0</span></p> <p class=3D"MsoNormal"><span lang=3D"PT-BR">This research in particular remind me that our obsession with =93clarity=94 and = =93fluency=94 is not =93the=94 route to design =93effective=94 information design artefac= ts.<span>=A0 </span><br></span></p><p class=3D"MsoNormal"><span lang=3D"PT-= BR">The question =93how to make people to remember and/or learn things for some period of time?=94 is more complex than we may think. <br>=93To err is human=94 and sometimes can lead to =93meaningful=94= learning. <br></span></p><p class=3D"MsoNormal"><span lang=3D"PT-BR">So, w= hat are these "forgiveable" learning contexts? <br></span></p> <p class=3D"MsoNormal"><span lang=3D"PT-BR">=A0</span></p> <p class=3D"MsoNormal"><span lang=3D"PT-BR">Rather than being considered =93acceptable=94 or =93correct=94 by our peers, our design= s could work primarily as learning tools and, <br></span></p><p class=3D"MsoNormal"><spa= n lang=3D"PT-BR">therefore, the strategic placement of =93desirable difficu= lties=94 (we should go far beyond the typographic layout) can be in tune with learni= ng theories and goals.</span></p><p class=3D"MsoNormal"><span lang=3D"PT-BR">S= o, what are the "best" desirable difficulties that we have design= ed so far?</span></p><p class=3D"MsoNormal"><span lang=3D"PT-BR"><br> </spa= n></p> <p class=3D"MsoNormal"><span lang=3D"PT-BR">=A0</span></p> <p class=3D"MsoNormal"><span lang=3D"PT-BR">Jos=E9.</span></p> <br><br><div class=3D"gmail_quote">On 5 June 2011 06:38, Rob Waller <span d= ir=3D"ltr"><<a href=3D"mailto:[email protected]" ta= rget=3D"_blank">[email protected]</a>></span> wrote= :<br> <blockquote class=3D"gmail_quote" style=3D"margin:0 0 0 .8ex;border-left:1p= x #ccc solid;padding-left:1ex"> <div bgcolor=3D"#FFFFFF"><div><span style=3D"font-size:medium">To pick up o= n Gunnar's remark that 'Academics are the only ones we can expect t= o do the difficult and non-profitable work of seeking generalizable knowled= ge'.</span></div> <div><span style=3D"font-size:medium"><br></span></div><div><span style=3D"= font-size:medium">It seems to me that the experience of our own field is th= at much of the most insightful and generalisable knowledge comes from refle= ctive practitioners (Donald Schon's term) who may or may not have have = academic connections: scanning my bookshelf I can see Ken Garland, Robin Ki= nross, Gerard Unger, Karen Schriver, David Sless, Per Mollerup, most O'= Reilly authors, etc, etc.</span></div> <div><span style=3D"font-size:medium"><br></span></div><span style=3D"font-= size:medium">Incidentally, my iPad keeps trying to correct 'generalisab= le' to 'general usable'. I think it's got a point. If we= 9;re not content with being a craft, let's aim to be a technology not a= science.</span><div> <span style=3D"font-size:medium"><br></span><div><span style=3D"font-size:m= edium">And don't forget that academic work is actually profitable for t= hose who do it - publishing research papers is how we/they build careers.= =A0</span></div> <div><span style=3D"font-size:medium"><br></span></div><div><span style=3D"= font-size:medium">Educational psychologists have been testing radical typog= raphic ideas for many years, as Gunnar says. There was a brief fad for '= ;chunked' or 'square span' typography in the fifties (North &am= p; Jenkins 1951, Nahinsky 1956, Klare, Shuford & Nichols 1957) in which= sense phrases were presented spaced or stacked.=A0</span></div> <div><span style=3D"font-size:medium"><br></span></div><div><span style=3D"= font-size:medium">A broader view of reading is that it is a strategic proce= ss in which a range of differently paced activities combine as readers (her= e, my iPad, ever insightful, suggests 'raiders') engage in scanning= and searching as well as close reading. Whatever else it might be proven t= o do in the lab, messing with legibility is surely not going to help at thi= s level.=A0</span></div> <div><span style=3D"font-size:medium"><br></span></div><div><span style=3D"= font-size:medium">Another random thought to add to the mix... In the early = days of the Open University in the UK (1970s), which taught almost entirely= through written texts, there was concern that students would just rattle t= hrough course texts without pausing to reflect. So frequent self-assessment= exercise were used to engineer reflective moments, and opportunities for f= eedback (influenced by the programmed learning concept of positive reinforc= ement, too). But they also introduced a device known as a 'student stop= per'. This was a bold, sometimes decorative bar across the page which s= tudents were told meant 'stop and think about what you've just read= '.</span></div> <div><br><font color=3D"#888888">Rob Waller</font></div><div></div></div></= div><br>___________________________________________________________________= <br> <br> Use the following address to post a message to all subscribers:<br> =A0<a href=3D"mailto:[email protected]" target=3D"= _blank">[email protected]</a><br> <br> To subscribe, unsubscribe or change your options, visit:<br> =A0<a href=3D"http://list.InformationDesign.org/mailman/listinfo/infodesign= -cafe" target=3D"_blank">http://list.InformationDesign.org/mailman/listinfo= /infodesign-cafe</a><br> <br> For all Information Design matters:<br> =A0<a href=3D"http://InformationDesign.org" target=3D"_blank">http://Inform= ationDesign.org</a><br> <br> Problems? Write to:<br> =A0<a href=3D"mailto:[email protected]" targ= et=3D"_blank">[email protected]</a><br> ___________________________________________________________________<br> <br></blockquote></div><br><br clear=3D"all"><br>-- <br><img src=3D"http://= art-deco-sertanejo.com/marconi/images/conjunto.jpg" height=3D"65" width=3D"= 200"><br><b>Jos=E9 Marconi Bezerra de Souza (PhD, 2008)</b><br><font size= =3D"1">Consultor em design da informa=E7=E3o e professor do Mestrado e Grad= ua=E7=E3o de Design da UFPR<br> <b><i>Information design consultant=A0=A0and university lecturer=A0(Brazil)= <br> PhD </i></b><i>- Department of Typography & Graphic Communication, The = University of Reading (UK, 2008)</i><br><b><i>Master of Arts - </i></b><i>D= epartment of Three-Dimensional Design, The Birmingham City University (UK, = 1992)</i></font><br> --001517476980aeec1704a4f4e2c3-- --===============1135644210== Content-Type: text/plain; charset="us-ascii" MIME-Version: 1.0 Content-Transfer-Encoding: 7bit Content-Disposition: inline ___________________________________________________________________ Use the following address to post a message to all subscribers: [email protected] To subscribe, unsubscribe or change your options, visit: http://list.InformationDesign.org/mailman/listinfo/infodesign-cafe For all Information Design matters: http://InformationDesign.org Problems? Write to: [email protected] ___________________________________________________________________ --===============1135644210==--