Comments for robert hempsall - information designer

Comment on AIG life insurance application form by When less is just more work « robert hempsall – information designer

When less is just more work « robert hempsall – information designer — Fri, 19 Feb 2010 13:12:22 +0000

[...] space is left, not by what information the user needs to put in. Here’s an example from the AIG life insurance application form before I redesigned it, just to make my [...]

Comment on You know you’ve made it when… by Recycling bin advice label « robert hempsall – information designer

Recycling bin advice label « robert hempsall – information designer — Mon, 18 Jan 2010 16:03:47 +0000

[...] to see how it looked in reality, take a look at the You know you’ve made it when [...]

Comment on Event: Designing information for everyday life, 1815-1914 by ali

ali — Mon, 11 Jan 2010 09:41:23 +0000

(In plummy voice) I pronounce this comments box well and truly open and gawd bless all who sail in her

Comment on The difference between a plain language writer and information designer by Robert

Robert — Fri, 06 Nov 2009 21:47:52 +0000

Thanks for that Bryant

Your point about people now demanding plain language is spot on, as it should be of course. In these time-pressed times, people want information they can absorb quickly and the two major factors in how quickly people can absorb information is how easily they can find it and how easily they understand it.

Text will always be text and hence will always need to be simple, although there’s more need for consideration of the medium it’s delivered in now, but the ever-changing technologies present a new set of changes for information design, which is partly reflected by some web designers calling themselves information designers.

Thanks

Robert

Comment on The difference between a plain language writer and information designer by Bryant

Bryant — Fri, 06 Nov 2009 18:30:29 +0000

Hi,
I am grateful for this information. I don’t think I had ever really stopped to think about the distinction between these two job positions, but it most certainly makes a lot of sense. I share your outlook (and pain, at least in certain circumstances) as somebody that is involved in translating as well as preparing texts for demanding clients that are pitching to an even more demanding public.
Should you be interested, I invite you to take a look on my own blog post concerning plain language at http://translation-blog.trustedtranslations.com/the-importance-of-plain-language-2009-11-05.html.
Thanks, and cheers!

Comment on I'm not wanted – apparently by Robert

Robert — Tue, 20 Oct 2009 17:45:26 +0000

Thanks for the feedback Pete

I assume, like me, you’ve never come across anyone who wants their life made more difficult?

I agree with you about the creativity needed for information design. I have to admit I sometimes refer to myself as ‘not doing creative stuff’ but that’s really as a point of differentiation from the crowd, particularly when talking to non-designers. The nature of the work I do has so many rules to make it effective that there is an obvious lack of what could be termed ‘visual creativity’ so the creativity comes in working round problems rather than just going with the obvious and easy to do solution.

If the next form or set of instructions wasn’t created by me feel free to submit them to http://www.makethissimple.com

Best wishes

Robert

Comment on I'm not wanted – apparently by Pete

Pete — Mon, 19 Oct 2009 19:53:49 +0000

I’m one of the visitors who followed the link to your site from the CR blog. What he said doesn’t make any sense as surely if anything we need more of this. All the forms and instructions you have worked on are much much clearer than they were previously. I hope the next form I have to fill out has been designed by you!

Maybe he is more interested in ‘creative’ design so your work just wasn’t to his liking. Saying that, I think information design does require creativity – just a different kind.

Comment on A couple that made me chuckle by Robert

Robert — Thu, 25 Jun 2009 21:30:08 +0000

Hi Charlotte

You’ve got to think there are some stories that the journos have the headlines written for and are just waiting for the day they can use them. I’ve tried to find a website with some of the best ones, but no joy yet. I can’t believe no one has thought of it!!

Comment on The smallest bin in the world? by Robert

Robert — Thu, 25 Jun 2009 21:26:28 +0000

I think I’ll tell that one to my daughter. The highlight of her school trip to the zoo was seeing an elephant poo – I think she’d like the idea that they use wipes!!!

Comment on A leisurely form by Robert

Robert — Thu, 25 Jun 2009 10:32:47 +0000

Hi Edward

The OCR thing was my initial thought, but the angle of the picture above isn’t because I can’t use a scanner, it’s how it is!! Unless there is some new OCR technology that works at 5 degrees that I don’t know about.

You’ve hit the nail on the head though. As with so many of the examples of bad practice I come across, it’s people applying some convention they’ve seen somewhere else, because they don’t have the time or inclination to decide what is actually best. Another example I like to get off my chest every now and then is bar charts (instead of pie charts) to show percentages.