IIID Conversation: Design for Emergency Management, 18 January 2024, 17:00 UTC

This time we delve into the emerging discipline of Design for Emergency Management, where the application of design takes on a comprehensive role in preventing and addressing disasters.

This time we delve into the emerging discipline of Design for Emergency Management, where the application of design takes on a comprehensive role in preventing and addressing disasters.

This talk will discuss the distinctions between this emerging discipline and traditional design, and showcase how design methods bring innovative evidence-based perspectives to the complex challenges presented by natural hazards such as earthquakes, hurricanes, flooding, and wildfires. This role extends far beyond aesthetics, and the discussion will underscore the imperative for collaborative endeavors that encompass a variety of stakeholders and ensure inclusive representation.

Saskia and Claudine together with Tingyi S. Lin, Klaus Kremer, Rodrigo Ramírez created the book ‘Design for Emergency Management’ that highlights the design research for change.

From the publisher: ‘This book highlights the urgency of ensuring that a wide range of stakeholders and a diverse representation of the public comes together to work towards preventing disasters. It contributes methods to actively engage communities in managing and minimizing disaster risk such as earthquakes, hurricanes, flooding and (wild) fires.’

Editors: Saskia van Manen, Claudine Jaenichen, Tingyi S. Lin, Klaus Kremer, Rodrigo Ramírez
Publisher: Routledge
Book site

Booking for the IIID Conversation: Eventbrite

Saskia van Manen is co-founder of Design for Emergency Management. She is also a visiting research fellow at the Open University (UK). Saskia has always been fascinated by the power of nature, and volcanoes in particular. As disasters only occur at the interface between nature and society, she has increasingly worked across discipline boundaries. Her interest is in facilitating sustainable and inclusive community-led action on disaster risk reduction, resilience strengthening and climate adaptation through Earth-centered and evidence-based design. She holds a PhD in Volcanology, an MA in Product Design and Innovation and an M.Sci. in Geophysics.

Claudine Jaenichen
Claudine Jaenichen

Claudine Jaenichen specializes in information design, focusing on the interplay between design, cognition, and situational design for cognitively demanding events. She advocates for inclusivity in design, particularly in evacuation information and public information projects, using participatory design and benchmarking to measure success and audience communication. Claudine is actively involved in international design communities, serving on the Executive Board of Directors for the Design Network for Emergency Management and as Vice President of the International Institute of Information Design (IIID). Her work spans various fields including humanities, government, social sciences, and sciences, reflecting her commitment to interdisciplinary engagement and design advocacy.

AI Unleashed: 27 to 29 November 2023 (hybrid)

Exploring the Frontiers of Artificial Intelligence: An excellent opportunity for creative professionals to acquire the most up-to-date AI knowledge.

Exploring the Frontiers of Artificial Intelligence,
Asian Convergence 2023

An excellent opportunity for creative professionals to acquire the most up-to-date AI knowledge. The programme will include keynote presentations, seminars and roundtables, exhibition and sharing programmes with young designers and students.

Jointly organised by The Hong Kong Federation of Design and Creative Industries (FHKDCI), The Design Alliance Asia (tDA Asia) and Hong Kong Design Institute (HKDI).

For details of the event and registration

The event is free of charge.

IIID Conversation with Sheila Pontis, 7 December 2023, 16:00 UTC

Sheila Pontis will introduce and talk about her new book.

Join us for the next in our series of IIID Conversations. Sheila Pontis will discuss her new book, Information Design Unbound. It’s an important new resource about the theory and practice of information design.

As the complexity of problems facing people, organizations, and the planet grows, the role of information design is more important than ever. Infographics, data visualizations, and other well-known artifacts are part of a broader suite of information design interventions that help promote clarity and understanding.

For designers to realize the full potential of information design in the face of new and ambiguous challenges, they need to build on traditional practices as well as integrate emerging approaches.

Sheila saysAs the complexity of problems facing people, organizations, and the planet grows, the role of information design is more important than ever. Infographics, data visualizations, and other well-known artifacts are part of a broader suite of information design interventions that help promote clarity and understanding.’

Information Design Unbound: Key Concepts and Skills for Making Sense in a Changing World’ provides a comprehensive introduction to the field. The emphasis is on developing essential strategic thinking and visual problem-solving capabilities. It is written and designed with students’ needs in mind. This book brings information design fundamentals to life. It includes exercises to allow students to put lessons directly into practice. Many case studies demonstrate how information designers think and work, and generous illustrations clarify concepts in a visually engaging way.

Authors: Sheila Pontis & Michael Babwahsingh
Publisher: Bloomsbury Visual Arts, 2023.

[Website about the book].

Booking for the IIID Conversation: Eventbrite

Sheila Pontis is an information designer, researcher, educator, and partner at Sense Information Design. With more than 20 years in higher education, her courses and research blend information design, cognitive science, and field research with creative thinking to help people reconnect with their imagination, envision new realities, and feel empowered to lead change — in their own lives and in society. .

Her research has been published in numerous peer-reviewed journals and presented at multiple conferences. She is author of Making Sense of Field Research: A Practical Guide for Information Designers (Routledge, 2018) and coauthor of Communicating Knowledge Visually: Will Burtin’s Scientific Approach to Information Design with R. Roger Remington (RIT Press, 2021). Sheila has a degree in Graphic Design from the University of Buenos Aires, Postgraduate and MPhil degrees from the University of Barcelona, and a PhD from the University of the Arts London.

TEDx talk by Karel van der Waarde

Karel’s TEDx talk is published right on time. It highlights some arguments why the European legislation about medicines information in package leaflets needs to be changed.

Enabling patients by listening to them

Karel’s TEDx talk “Enabling patients” is published right on time. It highlights some arguments why the European legislation about medicines information in package leaflets needs to be changed.

Fortunately, it is now possible to provide feedback about a proposal for revision of this legislation. The deadline is November 8.

If the proposal is not modified, we’ll continue to have these useless, expensive, unsustainable, and embarrassingly poor leaflets for a few more decades. Patients deserve better.

IIID will provide feedback about the proposed revision to the European Commission.

Karel van der Waarde on the TEDx stage

Live lectures: Swiss Center for Design and Health

The Swiss Center for Design and Health AG (SCDH) offers the opportunity to link digitally to five lectures on July 10 and 11. Three keynote in-person lectures and two online interviews will be focused on opening discussions, pose questions, and use case studies to illustrate the integration of design and health, demonstrating the benefit that this integration had brought and can bring to both health and design.

The Swiss Center for Design and Health AG (SCDH) will hold a working symposium, and offers the opportunity to link digitally to five lectures on July 10 and 11.
If you are interested in having access to the lectures in real time, please notify Yvonne Uhlig yvonne.uhlig@scdh.ch

The 2023 Symposium aims at creating recommendations to the SCDH for their programs of action and research, and also to help health officials, managers, designers, and front-line healthcare personnel improve current practices in both health promotion and healthcare.

The lectures
Three keynote in-person lectures and two online interviews will be focused on opening discussions, pose questions, and use case studies to illustrate the integration of design and health, demonstrating the benefit that this integration had brought and can bring to both health and design. They will be followed by 20/30 minutes of Q&A and comments by the audience.

Monday, July 10

Daniel Wahl, PhD
Regenerative Design for Human and Planetary Health
11:00 to 12:15

Arch. Angela Mazzi
Improving Our Environment: Exploring the design/health axis

13:40 to 14:40

Guillermina Noël, PhD
Make you magic: Can designers foster caring between patients and healthcare providers?

14:40 to 15:40

Dr. Thomas Zeltner
Love is in the Center of Health Care

18:00 to 19:00

Tuesday, July 11

Dr. Juan P. Brito
Designers and health practitioners’ collaboration at the Mayo Clinic,
Rochester, USA.

16:00 to 16:40

The Swiss Center for Design and Health AG (SCDH) (https://scdh.ch) is the national center in Switzerland at the interface between design and health.
Funded in 2019 and operational in Nidau/Biel-Bienne since the beginning of 2022, the SCDH brings together healthcare practitioners and designers from several fields to foster collaboration and the improvement of health and healthcare. It carries out research to develop new knowledge and working methods.

Visualizing Knowledge conference 2023 – Visualizing Uncertainty

16 June 2023, Aalto University, Finland – livestream available!
We’re going through uncertain times. In a complicated world where it seems that everything we encounter brings doubt and unpredictability, it is easy to forget that this can be a positive thing. Uncertainty makes way for possibility and opportunity. In pursuit of understanding and visualising the complexity that surrounds us, we can point out new perspectives and approaches that can bring a hopeful and optimistic future which hasn’t been set yet.

16 June 2023, Aalto University, Finland – livestream available

Visualizing Knowledge, a conference, a showcase and workshops, invites you to discuss and explore uncertainty in a new light. Let’s find prevalent questions and explanations through information design and Data visualization to unravel the complexity.

We’re going through uncertain times. In a complicated world where it seems that everything we encounter brings doubt and unpredictability, it is easy to forget that this can be a positive thing. Uncertainty makes way for possibility and opportunity. In pursuit of understanding and visualising the complexity that surrounds us, we can point out new perspectives and approaches that can bring a hopeful and optimistic future which hasn’t been set yet.

Join us to explore the role of information design in decision making in the context of the growing influence of AI. We’ll meet in Helsinki for talks and workshops with experts, researchers, educators, innovators, and enthusiasts to share profound knowledge through research, practice based design research, projects, questions and ideas to showcase what’s inside the black box.

How do we visualise the complexity of the world we’re living in? We are inviting experts and new talent alike to explore the unknown in everything between developing energy transitions, the growing presence of AI tools, ethical considerations in crisis reporting and the future of access to open science.

More information and registration

On Data and Design #24 – Data and Design

On Data And Design is an evening lecture series initiated by Darjan Hil in 2018. The goal is to connect design, data science, coding, and many other disciplines at the intersection of data visualization.

Data and Maps:

Thu, 22 Jun 2023 18:00 – 19:00 CEST

On Data And Design is an evening lecture series initiated by Darjan Hil in 2018. The goal is to connect design, data science, coding, and many other disciplines at the intersection of data visualization. The talks are all available online for free. https://www.ondataanddesign.com/

Join the 24th edition of On Data And Design about the world of “Data and Maps”. This online event will take place on June 22, 2023, at 6:00 pm CET (Mitteleuropäische Sommerzeit). An expert panel will discuss the latest trends and techniques in data visualization and mapping. Discover how to effectively communicate complex data through beautiful and informative maps. This event is perfect for data analysts, designers, and anyone interested in the intersection of data and design. Don’t miss out on this exciting opportunity to learn from the best in the field.

Register now to secure your spot!

IIID Conversation with Rui Caminha, 1 June 2023, 15:00 UTC

Rui Camilha introduces award-winning legal information design from Villa – Visual Law Studio, in Brazil.

Legal Design for Legal Efficiency

Images of legal documents

Villa is the leading company in Latin America specializing in Visual Law and Legal Design, recognized as the largest and most awarded in this field. Our main goal is to enhance legal communication, making it more efficient for the public and for businesses seeking transparent and accessible relationships with their consumers.

In this presentation, we are delighted to share two of the most iconic projects that mark our journey. We will explore the complete process of ideation, development, and the results achieved. The first project is the “Easy Contract for TIM,” a mobile telecommunications adhesion contract designed to transform store customer experience. We will discuss how we implemented Visual Law and Legal Design techniques in this contract, simplifying the legal content and making it more understandable and user-friendly for TIM’s customers.

The second project we will present is the “Visual Law and Plain Language Handbook,” created for the Court of Justice of Mato Grosso. This handbook was developed with the aim of teaching Brazilian judges the methodology of project creation using Visual Law and clear language. In addition to explaining how the handbook was developed, we will highlight how the implementation of these practices can encourage more effective communication between magistrates and the public, especially in complex legal cases.

During the presentation, we will explore the challenges faced during the development of these projects, as well as the benefits and results achieved. We will share valuable insights on how Visual Law and Legal Design can revolutionize legal communication, making it more accessible, understandable, and, above all, efficient.

Rui Caminha

Introducing Rui Caminha: Lawyer, digital entrepreneur, graduate from the University of São Paulo, currently pursuing a master’s degree at FGV-SP. Founder and CEO of Juristec+, co-founder, and director of Villa – Visual Law Studio. Legal Design lecturer, international presenter, with over 15 years dedicated to legal innovation, and pioneer in the development of technologies and solutions in legal data analytics, legal AI, analytics, and Visual Law.

Register here for the IIID Conversation

Call for presentations: Information+ conference 2023

After a virtual Information+ in 2021, this is again an in-person event, with special emphasis on exchange and community building.

22nd – 24th November 2023
Edinburgh, UK

The conference invites three types of contributions: Presentations, Workshops & Activities, and Exhibition Pieces. Proposals from all relevant fields and areas of professional practice, research, and pedagogy are welcome.

Information+ is an interdisciplinary conference that brings together researchers, educators, and practitioners in information design and data visualization to discuss common questions and challenges in these rapidly changing fields. Information+ seeks to foster productive exchanges amongst the variety of people involved in the theories, practices and pedagogies of analyzing and communicating information.

Submission deadline: May 31st, 2023

Information and submissions

IIID Conversation with Sheila Pontis, 4 May 2023, 15:00 UTC

Information designers know that they should create solutions that address users’ needs. But while some of us claim to do it all the time, in reality many find it hard to integrate this way of working into our daily practice.

A human-centered research clinic for information designers

Information designers know that they should create solutions that address users’ needs. We accept the need for human-centered research, and we promote it to our clients. But while some of us claim to do it all the time, in reality many find it hard to integrate this way of working into our daily practice – to find participants, to design studies, to identify what to ask, to interpret results.

Sheila Pontis, one of the foremost experts on human-centered research for information design, will introduce her own work, and answer your questions on how to bring research into practice. The session will be a dialogue, structured around your questions submitted in advance.

For example, you might ask: I’ve to create a visual explanation about quantum computing for children – how can I know where I should focus on or what concepts are harder for them to understand? I’ve developed icons for a multicultural venue – how can I be sure they’ll be understood? I’m working on information about a medical treatment but can’t get access to real patients – how can I work around this? How many people do I need to recruit to test a new app I’ve designed?

Originally from Argentina, Dr Sheila Pontis has degrees from the University of Buenos Aires (BA), the University of Barcelona (MA, MPhil), and London College of Communication, University of the Arts London (PhD). She is now based in the USA, where she teaches and researches at MIT, and is a partner at Sense Information Design, New York. Her research bridges and contributes to several domains, including creativity and well-being, information science, human-computer interaction, information design, sensemaking and cognitive science. She is also active as reviewer of several journals and conferences.

Sheila is the author of three books: Making Sense of Field Research: A Practical Guide for Information Designers (Routledge, 2018), Communicating Knowledge Visually: Will Burtin’s Scientific Approach to Information Design (RIT Press, 2021, co-authored with R. Roger Remington), and Information Design Unbound: Key Concepts and Skills for Making Sense in a Changing World (Bloomsbury, November 2023, co-authored with Michael Babwahsingh).

Register here for the IIID Conversation

IIID Visionplus conference

Information Design for Healthcare – draft programme now online!

25-26 May 2023

The 19th Visionplus conference focuses on healthcare, prevention, and well-being:

Information Design for Healthcare

Visionplus 19 Logo

Programme

Registration

Finding a way through healthcare systems, healthcare buildings, and healthcare finances is often a challenge, even when we’re healthy and wealthy. Information is crucial to enable people to act appropriately.

The focus of the conference is on questions like:

  • How do information design principles relate to patients and their health?
  • Could information design be beneficial for the outcomes of treatments, care, and well-being?
  • Do patients really notice and appreciate information design?
  • What kinds of evidence and reasoning is required to show the relevance of information design in health contexts?
  • Can information design bridge the communication gap between patients and care-professionals?
  • Could information design really alleviate some of the pressures on healthcare systems?
  • How to visualise information about risks and benefits?

Please direct any questions to: research.education@iiid.net

Summer School preview, 14 March 14:00 UTC

Thinking of coming to the Information Design Summer School this May? To help you decide, join our free taster session on 14 March.

Thinking of coming to the Information Design Summer School this May? To help you decide, join our free taster session on 14 March at 1400 (UTC time zone).

The preview session will include a short introduction to the summer school programme, and a demonstration exercise – we will critique some real life examples of good and bad design, to show how we use design theory and design patterns to diagnose problems and find solutions. The tutors will all be there to introduce themselves and answer your questions. You will be able to feel the atmosphere of the summer school and understand the approach we take.

The Information Design Summer School will be held face-to-face, 22-24 May in Vienna. It’s organised by the Simplification Centre in partnership with IIID. You can find out more at www.simplificationcentre.org.uk/summer-school

Registration for Summer School preview

IIID Conversation with Karel van der Waarde, 6 April 2023, 15:00 UTC

Taking medicines is a stressful activity. Opening a cardboard box, reading a leaflet, handling tiny pills, checking the dosage and the time, and considering potential side-effects require the capacities of a strong, astute, and healthy adult.

Medicines information: Are we really enabling patients to take medicines?

Taking medicines is a stressful activity. Opening a cardboard box, reading a leaflet, handling tiny pills, checking the dosage and the time, and considering potential side-effects require the capacities of a strong, astute, and healthy adult. Several of these activities are fairly difficult, especially when our dexterity, eye-sight, and mental flexibility decreases.

Karel van der Waarde will show examples of medical information design in context. He will question their use and provide reasons from both industry and regulations why these situations change so slowly.

Karel van der Waarde

Karel van der Waarde studied graphic design in the Netherlands (The Design Academy, Eindhoven), and the UK (De Montfort University (Leicester), and Reading University).
He started in 1995 a design- research consultancy in Belgium. The company develops and tests patient information leaflets, instructions, forms, and protocols in both digital and analogue formats. Most of the projects are related to information about medicines for patients, doctors and pharmacists. (www.graphicdesign-research.com)
In 2023 he teaches at BA, MA, and PhD level at the Lucerne University of Applied Sciences and Arts (Switzerland), and University of Hasselt (Belgium).
He is a board member of International Institute for Information Design (IIID, Vienna, Austria) and the International Plain Language Federation (IPLF), and editorial board member of Information Design Journal, Hyphen, She Ji, and Visible Language.

Register here for the IIID Conversation

IIID Visionplus conference Vienna, 25-26 May 2023

Information Design for Healthcare – call for papers open until 28 February.

Visionplus is back, even more importantly, it’s back in Vienna, Austria 🙂

The 19th Visionplus conference focuses on healthcare, prevention, and well-being:

Information Design for Healthcare

Finding a way through healthcare systems, healthcare buildings, and healthcare finances is often a challenge, even when we’re healthy and wealthy. Information is crucial to enable people to act appropriately.

The focus of the conference is on questions like:

  • How do information design principles relate to patients and their health?
  • Could information design be beneficial for the outcomes of treatments, care, and well-being?
  • Do patients really notice and appreciate information design?
  • What kinds of evidence and reasoning is required to show the relevance of information design in health contexts?
  • Can information design bridge the communication gap between patients and care-professionals?
  • Could information design really alleviate some of the pressures on healthcare systems?
  • How to visualise information about risks and benefits?

Contributions

We welcome presentations on topics such as signage, instructions, forms, maps, diagrams, symbols, in both digital and analogue situations. These could be based on research, education, professional practice as well as and historical perspectives.
The conference language is English.
Presentation format: 20 minutes plus 10 minutes discussion
Abstracts should contain between 200 and 400 words, a full paper submission is not required.
By submitting your abstract, you guarantee that you have the right to present and submit the content.

Submission deadline is February 28th, 2023
Please submit all contributions to the conference platform.

Contributions will be reviewed anonymously by at least four experts. The core review team are:

  • Prof. Jorge Frascara
  • Prof. Claudine Jaenichen
  • Prof. Dr. Guillermina Noel
  • Prof. Dr. Clive Richards
  • Prof. Dr. Rob Waller
  • Prof. Dr. Karel van der Waarde

Submissions will be reviewed until March 18th at the latest.

Author(s) of the accepted contribution must register for the conference by March 31st, 2023, they benefit from a 50% discount on the conference fee.

Please direct any questions to: research.education@iiid.net

Details on registration, venue, etc. will be published shortly.

IIID Conversation with Stefania Passera, 2 March 2023, 15:00 UTC

“I have read and understood the terms and conditions” is the biggest lie on the internet – no one reads, and definitely no one understands (except the lawyers).

Legal Information Design: Towards user-friendly contracts

“I have read and understood the terms and conditions” is the biggest lie on the internet – no one reads, and definitely no one understands (except the lawyers).

When most of us hear “contracts”, we think of impenetrable walls of legalese envisioned to protect a party at the expense of the other. But there’s another way. Through information design, contracts can be transformed into tools that work better for business, for people, and ultimately for society.

Stefania Passera, a pioneer of contract design, will show examples of her work and discuss the impact of this new, multidisciplinary approach to contracts. Legal information design is a fast-growing marketplace for information design skills and this talk will introduce IIID members to one of its leading figures.

Stefania, founder of Passera Design, is an information designer specialized in contract design and simplification based in Helsinki, Finland. With 10+ years of experience in the field, she is considered a true legal design pioneer. She collaborates with World Commerce & Contracting as Contract Designer in Residence and as curator of the Contract Design Pattern Library.

She has served as an Assistant Professor at the University of Vaasa, Department of Business Law (Finland), and earned her doctoral degree from Aalto University (Espoo, Finland). Her research has been published internationally, and she is an in-demand speaker and lecturer on contract and legal design. Her impact as a legal design pioneer has been recognized with a European Women of Legal Tech 2020 award and a WorldCC Fellowship.

Register here for the IIID Conversation