Graphics and Icons: ePortfolio Chunk #4 - February 7, 2011

A similar question can be posed about graphics as was posed about animation:  Why are graphics influential tools?  I suppose that many of the same answers would hold true for graphics as for animations.  Graphic images have the power to capture attention and can engage learners/users more fully in websites/applications, yet they can also serve as distractions and detract from learning.

The eHow website describes graphic design as the "process of combining text and visual images to communicate" (http://www.ehow.com/facts_4962548_definitions-graphic-design.html), which is a key function:  communication. 

The University of Saskatchewan Web Design for Instruction website identifies four functions of graphics:

1. attentional - pictures or graphics attract attention to the material or direct attention within the material
2. affective - pictures enhance enjoyment or affect emotions and attitudes
3. cognitive - the cognitive use of graphics involves using pictures to increase comprehension (for example, providing elaboration for a text explanation), to improve recollection and retention, or to provide information that is not otherwise available
4. compensatory - the compensatory use of pictures involves helping poor readers by adding pictorial clues to decode text (citing Levie & Lentz

It would seem that for our design project, creating a video tutorial, that the function we will be most focused on is cognitive - for the purpose of increasing comprehension.  We may also engage in using graphics for 'attentional' purposes, however affective and compensatory purposes will be secondary. 

The University of Saskatchewan website also offers the following tips regarding the use of graphics:

• illustrated visuals that contain text-redundant information can facilitate learning
• illustrated visuals that are not text-redundant neither help nor hinder learning
• illustration variables (cueing) such as size, page position, style, color, and degree of realism may direct attention but may not act as a significant aid in learning
• there is a curvilinear relationship between the degree of realism in illustrations and the subsequent learning that takes place (p. 766)  (citing Anglin, Towers, & Levie) (although I'm not quite certain what the 'curvilinear' relationship really means!)
• Visuals that complement the text information being presented increase the likelihood for retention of that information, but visuals which are not related to the text have no effect on retention ( Misanchuk, Schwier & Boling ).

I came across the following examples of improved PowerPoint presentations - 

This text dense slide is transformed when percentages are represented in a graphical form, below.

 

Looking at this slide makes me weary!  The graphical slide below is refreshing in comparison.

 

Even a quick glance at these slides is enough to demonstrate the value of carefully chosen graphics.  The slides are by Dave Paradi (www.VisualSlideRevolution.com) and are part of a series.

Edward Tufte has a short article on PowerPoint presentations, "PowerPoint is Evil: Power Corrupts, PowerPoint Corrupts Absolutely", in which he discusses the "particularly disturbing ... adoption of the PowerPoint cognitive style in our schools"and the general ubiquitousness of PowerPoint presentations.  It is an interesting read that leads to the conclusion:  Respect your audience.

AP/Wide World Photos

Tufte satirizes the totalitarian impact of presentation slideware.

Don Norman (jnd.org) offers a good argument against gratuitous graphics, which can be frustrating, make web pages take longer to load, and simply distracting.  What Norman advocates is "appropriate design, design that fits the need" - which is exactly what we are looking for in our projects.  As Norman notes, "All factors must be in balance. Usability and functionality should not overwhelm the user, but then neither should beauty and cleverness in graphics destroy usability and functionality. Things must be in balance, and in today's world of limited bandwidth and slow responses times, functionality requires lean, simple sites." Our goal for our project:  balance, usability, functionality -- appropriate design.  www.VisualSlideRevolution.com A bit more from Edward Tufte:  Information on 'Sparklines' through excerpts from Tufte's newest book:  Beautiful Evidence