Good design isn't just about looking great — it's about making information easy to understand. In this article, we explore how thoughtful information design can make content more accessible, engaging, and effective for everyone.
Accessible information is at the heart of most design goals.
Every designer, regardless of their discipline, is regularly tasked with transforming complex information into an engaging experience. When done right, the end user can quickly comprehend what is being communicated without assistance.
This ideal interaction between end user and complex information can be referred to as having created 'accessible information'. If an end user struggles with or is unable to comprehend what's being communicated, then the design has failed to properly transform the original information into an accessible format.
The consequences can be significant when information isn't accessible.
Consider a patient misreading a label on their prescription medication that affects their recovery & health. Or, a traveller who struggles to read a transit map and misses their flight due to a missed connection.
For designers, there is an important responsibility to consider how accessible the information is within their design. This affirms to the designer that their design choices directly impacts their end users.
Some design challenges have serious risks when information isn't properly designed.
Information is a broad term used to describe one or more types of content regarding a topic. To gain a more practical understanding of what 'information' refers to, designers may consider breaking it down into individual components:
Instead of implementing a more generalized approach of making information more accessible, designers may find it easier to assess the design effectiveness for each individual component.
What the information refers to or is in reference to.
Why this information is relevant.
Additional considerations that may affect comprehension.
Who is receiving the information.
Where this is being communicated.
These components provide an efficient way to quickly assess a variety of design decisions regarding the accessibility of the information.
A component approach also makes it easier to understand where a design may be weakest, or have failed if previously implemented. Having this understanding empowers designers to make better decisions on how to improve their designs.
An accessibility assessment involves looking at one or more design decisions to determine if each component is clearly accounted for in the design.
Quick collaboration with sticky notes is a great way to define these components during a project.
It's recommended to start with assessing if a design accounts for the topic first, as this will typically be the first thing an end user will look for. If the topic doesn't match what someone is looking for or expecting — they will look somewhere else.
Typically, a designer will incorporate a key phrase or visual element that is synonymous with the topic. This can be considered as a 'starting point' for the information, informing the end user that they're looking in the right place.
Knowing what phrase or element to use depends on the topic itself, but should always be clearly in reference to the topic.
For example, a designer creating a digital banner for a city recycling initiative may want to include & accentuate the recycling symbol in their design. Additionally, using a photo of someone recycling or a recycling bin alongside the symbol helps further clarify that the information is referring to the subject of recycling.
However, it's important to consider that being too direct or 'on the nose' can result in less engaging designs. Creativity capturing the topic provides a more interesting experience for the end user, and typically results in better user engagement.
Considering the previous example, the designer may want to approach recycling more creatively as a way of improving engagement while keeping the information accessible. The designer instead chooses to use a photo of cardboard as the background of their banner, modifying the text to appear printed on the paper. The design still clearly establishes recycling as the topic, while inviting the end user in to enjoy a creative interpretation of this subject.
Using key phrases or visual elements is an opportunity for designers to use creativity to identify a topic for the end users.
Although the underlying focus is accessible information, it is important to consider that less interesting designs may discourage end users from even engaging with the design at all.
Symbology is a powerful tool for quickly establishing a topic or context.
Having established the topic within the design, end users will quickly look to understand the relevancy of the information. If the purpose isn't apparent, then end users won't know what to do with the information and will then disengage from the design.
An efficient way to establish purpose is to highlight a benefit or consequence of receiving the information. Designers may consider what the results are from comprehending the information, and then finding a creative presentation of that result.
As an example, a designer working on directional signage in an airport would look to incorporate icons symbolizing the amenities along a path. They may want to include a restroom icon alongside gate numbers & arrow markers to inform travellers that there is a restroom along the path.
Or, a designer may include black and yellow diagonal stripes on a document as part of a caution message. Although this design choice isn't a phrase or picture, the pattern & colour combination signifies to the reader that the information contains important cautionary information.
With purpose and relevancy, designers will often look to use reserve when communicating this component. Over explaining the relevancy of information is often unnecessary, as end users will typically understand purpose quickly if the design choices are appropriate.
Users will often look for icons first, as they're quicker to recognize than having to read multiple terms or phrases.
In some scenarios, additional context is needed to understand information, and can result in a lack of comprehension if not provided. Another way of considering this situation is that end users 'won't know what they don't know'.
Designers may assess if the information they're handling requires additional context, and if so — will look to reference that to improve comprehension. This can be done through a variety of ways, but is most often accomplished through the consideration of visual hierarchy.
What this refers to is helping an end user move through information by having them start their experience at a specific, often highlighted part of the design.
For example, a designer creating ID badges for an organization may want to clearly establish which division the individual belongs to. This may affect their access and privilege when showing their ID badge, so it is important for anyone reviewing it to know this information as soon as possible. The designer then places a division brandmark at the top of the badge, giving reviewers immediate context about the individual before looking at the other information included.
An approach that can be used to efficiently determine required context is listing out variability in the information. Is it time sensitive? Does it refer to a specific agency? Is it part of a connected string of messages?
Asking these questions can help narrow down any needed context, allowing designers to then find a creative and appropriate way to include this additional information.
Context matters. It's always important to think about how a design will be used in a practical application.
Understanding who is handling the information is often just as important as understanding what is being communicated. Tailoring information to specific recipients allows for more meaningful takeaways by the end user.
Ideally, a designer has access to some form of user profile that helps guide their design decisions when communicating to a specific audience.
When this profile isn't available to designers, there is an added difficulty of determining the best design decisions for the task. However, designers should be able to infer from the information itself what design decisions they should consider and avoid.
As an example, a designer receives a basic brief on creating announcement emails for an upcoming folk music event. By considering that the recipients will have chosen to subscribe to notifications regarding folk music, the designer gains some insight into visual design decisions they will want to make. The designer references this genre in the artistic elements used in the email, being sure to avoid artistic choices that would be more appropriate for a different genre of music.
Using a different example, a designer is provided with a detailed brief and user profile for creating digital display ads going on buses. They learn that the target audience has lower reading comprehension abilities based on the provided profile. The designer ensures that the words used in the ad can be understood by those with a lower reading level, while also ensuring they are clearly visible atop the background design elements. These design decisions help improve how accessible the information is for the target audience, increasing how engaging the ad will be over time.
Designers will often need to adapt their design decision making to their target audience when designing accessible information. This need comes from different user preferences and requirements that affect their ability to comprehend the information being communicated.
Thinking of the target audience early and frequently helps keep a design aligned with the end users.
Nearly all design decisions are impacted by the medium that the information is being communicated through. A visual medium will allow for completely different opportunities than an audio medium.
Even with similar mediums, significant differences can exist that may make some design decisions less effective when reused across multiple contexts. This possibility requires designers to be well aware of how their design decisions may need to adapt depending on the situation.
For example, a designer is assigned to create an announcement being displayed on a website and as a digital ad within a video platform. The designer is aware that they could use the same design for both applications, but some design choices are better suited for only one of the platforms. The designer then creates a non-animated digital banner for the webpage, and an animated version for the video platform. This ensures the webpage version doesn't distract from the content on the page, while the video ad provides a visually engaging presentation for viewers.
When information does need to extend across multiple contexts, designers may want to plan out how their design decisions will vary across the placements.
Tailoring design decisions to the medium shows an understanding of what the end user is looking for, improving the overall engagement than a design created from more generalized choices.
Considering the placement of a design aids in understanding the full context of the information challenge.
Accessible information can be approached through a variety of methods when designers focus on individual components. In addition to providing an efficient approach when improving accessibility, designers also benefit from having more opportunities to evaluate their design decisions.
These opportunities require critical thinking from the designer, as they combine knowledge, experience, and wisdom together to make the best decision possible.
When designers are tasked with information accessibility, they may find it most valuable to consider it as an opportunity to improve their design abilities further. This positive mindset not only leads to more growth opportunities, but also results in better design choices.
Although design choices are often abstract, sometimes being as simple as choosing one colour over another, they do have direct impacts on end user comprehension. These impacts affect how users move through spaces, avoid dangerous scenarios, and take advantage of opportunities.
It never hurts to discuss your design approach with a friend or colleague to help catch considerations you may have missed.
Accessibility is a very broad subject, especially within the many design disciplines. Because of this, many designers struggle with being constantly aware of every accessibility concern they need to be mindful of.
Like other broad and complex subjects, breaking them down into smaller parts is always an efficient way to understand them.
Designers should avoid feeling as though they have to know everything about these complex subjects, as it sets an unnecessary expectation for them to meet. Instead, designers should feel confident in their ability to identify key areas of a subject that they can focus on individually.
