In my dissertation I investigate the quality dimension of interactive information design and its influence on the communication of research. What constitutes "good design" in the context of visual science communication? How does a creative design process influence the visual expression of interactive communication products? Theory and practice are to be made fruitful together.
This research examines the hypothesis that a good design facilitates comprehension and identifies design factors influencing the efficacy of contemporary visual science communication to a general public . To investigate this hypothesis, I employed the methodology of my own design practice to analyze and catalogue interactive multimedia products. An interview study with design experts will shed light on the creative process leading to a good design. Furthermore, it is necessary to consider the social embedding of the design of science communication. What are the key design principles for engaging the attention of the intended audience and facilitating the learning process?
In order to ascertain whether well-designed communication has a higher potential for mediation than an unattractive one, it is necessary to determine how good design is constituted and what the aesthetic factors of qualitative visual science communication are. This leads to two research questions:
Relevance
The evolution of graphic design, interface design, and the advent of computer-generated visualizations ‒ enabled by the exponential growth of data ‒ have shaped the principles of graphic coding, which now permeate our everyday lives. The political and societal reverberations of the pandemic, coupled with the ongoing discussions surrounding climate change, has led to a heightened focus on graphic visualizations. The necessity for a visually literate society, capable of decoding the different means of visual science communication, has already been identified by scholars engaged in the fields of science communication and education research.
Despite this social relevance, the aesthetic and emotional dimensions of information graphics and data visualizations have so far been little researched - especially from a design perspective.
Visualizing entities at the macro or micro level, as well as highly abstract or very complex concepts and phenomena that are profoundly disparate from our everyday experience are challenges of science communication. Research in the field has thus far concentrated on the analysis of visuals employed in the context of internal science communication, rather than in the context of external, public communication. So an investigation of visual principles in external science communication is very much needed.
Key-Words
Visual Science Communication, User Experience, Information Design, Good Design, Aesthetics