CCDN 271 Tristan Oorschot
Assignment 4 (35%) 300232859
Research Paper Tutor: Vanessa Crowe
Information Graphics: Globalisation of Symbols Due: 1/06/2012
The aim of this research paper is to find out how some symbols have already become globalised and how other important information graphics may follow similar methods to become this way. The research question is, ‘How can information graphics become globalised to align with developing technology?’ This question will help to find out how important information graphics have already become globalised and how designers can follow these methods and ideas that will allow important information graphics that they have created to become globalised so that they can be understood by a global audience. The key source for this research paper is Mobile Graphics Written by Kari Pulli and Scott Klemmer. Pulli is a research fellow at the Nokia Research Center. He recently wrote a book on 3D mobile graphics and holds a PhD in Computer Science from the University of Washington and an MBA from the University on Oulu. Klemmer is an assistant professor of computer science at Stanford University, where he co-directs the Human-Computer Interaction Group. He received his BA from Brown University in art-semiotics and computer science; his MS and PhD from UC Berkeley in computer science and is also a recipient of the Microsoft Research New Faculty Fellowship and Sloan Fellowship (Pulli, & Klemmer, 2008).
One of the most iconic globalised information graphics is undoubtedly the battery icon. It appears on nearly every handheld device of which there are thousands. Figure 1 shows an example of the standard Apple Incorporated battery icon which appears on nearly all rechargeable battery devices from the biggest laptops, to the smallest iPods. The graphic is simple yet extremely effective at showing the information it is trying to display. Pulli and Klemmer say in their article talking about cell phones that, “…the small form factor constrains the physical size of input devices and graphical displays” (2008). The important part of the quote is the limited size of the graphical displays. This makes it more important than ever that the graphic is simple and easy to understand because of its very limited size. It is clear that cell phones and laptops were the cause of the globalisation of this symbol as it was previously unknown before these devices went global. Pulli and Klemmer, state that, “…according to the International Telecommunications Union, more than 3 billion people are mobile subscribers—more than double the number of PCs in the world”(2008). This article was written in 2008, four years ago and since then the number of cell phones and mobile subscribers has only grown. With nearly all of these cell phones displaying their remaining battery life through a battery icon, similar to that shown in figure 1 it is obvious why it quickly became globalised. The simple nature of the icon and its relation to peoples past experiences and perception of the typical AA battery and the power consumption of these batteries is what made the battery icon instantly understandable by most people when they first started using these devices.
With the globalisation of symbols there is always going to be a period where the symbol has just been released and not all consumers understand them how the designer intended or the design is not understood at all. A fairly recent example of this is Apples’ desktop computer interface. Apple uses many graphics in their interfaces such as the trash can, otherwise known as the recycle bin shown in figure 2. This symbol has been understood by consumers as a way of deleting information and files from your computer from when it was first used as pointed out in User Interface Design and Evaluation, “The trash can being associated with deleting files and folders is understandable, and users had no trouble with that” (Stone, Jarrett, Woodroffe, & Minocha, 2005). From this it is understandable why people were confused by the new way Apple came up with to eject external flash drives. Apple created a system where the user had to drag the icon of their flash drive containing all their files on it into the trash can to eject it. This caused a lot of confusion as users were scared they were deleting their flash drive with all their files when they did this. “Some users thought they would lose the contents of the disk if they used the trash can” (Stone et al., 2005). This was not so much a bad graphical design as a poor understanding of how the global audience interpreted the previous information graphics that they had released. Apple rectified this problem by making the trash can change to an eject symbol, shown in figure 3, when the user started dragging their flash drive icon around the desktop. This example is an effective response to the problem that they created as they originally tried to change how people interpreted the trash can symbol. This would be similar however to trying to make a battery icon represent the phones level of reception rather than battery life. Designers did however learn an important lesson here, that once a symbol has become globalised, people have a perception and interpretation of that symbol that can not be played with or changed.
In some cases information graphics are being used to give important safety information and if people worldwide cannot interpret this information then it may have serious consequences in the case of an emergency. In the article Infographics: Facts in focus the writer says, “…the explosion in data visualisations, infographics and mash-ups has produced a number of ill-informed, badly designed and even misleading representations.” (2010). Designers must be careful when designing these types of infographics and make sure that they do not “…produce stuff that's visually impressive but not good.” (Facts in focus, 2010). The article then goes on to say, “But there's no doubt that data can be aesthetic too” (Facts in focus, 2010). This is a very good point as infographics can be both aesthetic and strongly represent information. A good example of this today is the safety information cards on airplanes. Figure 4. shows an example of a safety card for a Boeing 747-400 aircraft, retrieved from the Air New Zealand website (2012). The safety card is typical of most found on planes today and has a look to it that is serious and official, while still being simple so that the everyday person flying can understand it. There are very few words and a lot of different infographics, including another example of a globalised graphic the iconic red circle with a line through it also known as the prohibition or universal no symbol. This symbol is used all throughout the world and it basically means, no or other forms of no such as no entry. In the case of the safety card it is showing what is not allowed on the aircraft such as smoking and mobile phones. This shows the importance of globalising symbols. If for example someone could not understand the infographics on the safety card then they may endanger themselves or others by not being able to follow the information provided. There is no denying that there are a lot of bad information graphics around. The reason that there are bad information graphics is often a lack of research and understanding of the audience or simply concentrating on the aesthetics rather than what information or data the graphic is actually trying to display. Jacques Bertin (1967), a French cartographer, supports this idea as this quote suggests. “A graphic representation is not merely a drawing, but often entails a heavy responsibility when deciding on how to proceed. One does not "draw" a graphic representation in a solid form; instead one constructs it and rearranges it until every relationship with the data has been revealed” (as cited in Banks, 2012). Bertin believes that information graphics must be designed like anything else. Researched, developed and refined to create a final product that does what it is supposed to do, in this case provide information in a simple and aesthetic way.
This topic of globalising symbols is very important because the world is becoming more and more digital and globalised. With the internet and globalised mass production, people all over the world must be able to understand the information that common information graphics are trying to portray. Big international technology companies such as Apple Incorporated and Microsoft Corporation are leading the globalisation of information graphics through technology and devices. If these companies do not use or create globalised symbols in or on their products then people worldwide will not be able to understand and use them. These and other companies must understand the use context for the devices they are creating as they are available at all times and the interactions are often brief (Pulli et al., 2008). One description of globalisation that I found in Julius’ book, Stakeholder Conflicts: A corporate perspective is, the creation of a 'borderless world' being driven by firms, not governments (1997). This relates strongly back to my idea of major companies driving the globalisation of symbols and information graphics around the world. With major companies driving the globalisation of symbols it is the people and especially the designers within these companies that carry a heavy burden on their shoulders. These designers must understand the global audience that they are designing for and how this audience interprets graphics. There are still limitations to who around the world will use their products such as, cell phones or laptops but third world countries are starting to grow and use technology like the western world. “Advances in technology and the expansion of trade have improved the standard of living dramatically for people around the world” (Turri, Maniam, & Leavell, 2006). So at the same time the designers must be aware that at any time new markets could open and the products and symbols used on them may need to be understood by this new audience as well.
How can designers implement the use the method of globalised products to create globalised symbols so that important information graphics can become like the battery or trash can icons? The truth of the matter is that with, Data visualisation on the-up, brought on by statistical data becoming more readily available, research is now a key factor in designing information graphics (Pulli et al., 2008). With adequate research the graphics they design will be understood when they become globalised through devices. If the information graphic is aesthetically sound and easy to understand then when the product it is used on does get released worldwide the graphics will be understood and accepted by the global audience as a useful and effective symbol.
The sources cited in this research paper clearly back up the idea of globalised information graphics and the importance of this now and in the future. With more information being displayed on smaller screens, information graphics being used to display safety information and growing third world economies, people the world over need to be able to interpret the symbols that designers are creating. The evidence shows the importance of the graphics to be understood by a global audience, especially in safety related documents or devices. The research also identified the most common method of globalisation, which turned out to be the implementation of symbols in products mass produced by major companies such as the technology companies mentioned earlier. This led to globalised information graphics such as the battery icon but also caused confusion, like with the example of Apple’s flash drive eject graphics. It is essential that the designers who work for major companies, research thoroughly the graphics they intent to use on devices so that there is no confusion when it comes to bringing these products to market. The challenge here is obvious. Create information graphics that can be understood worldwide, while still maintaining a simple and aesthetic look that is visually appealing to the global audience.
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