Better Information Presentation: Satisfying Customers?

Abstract

A recent debate among information designers has created a false dichotomy between the performance and the aesthetics of design. This paper links the two by using the moral-aesthetic dimension of conversation to characterize the information design. Designs which have been improved using theory and methodologies developed at the Communication Research Institute of Australia give users a sense that designers respect and care about both the design and the user. This is because by seeing design as a kind of conversation, the information designer introduces particular moral and aesthetic features into the methodology and the design. These allow the user to interact with the presented information and generate meanings. Care must be taken about the kind of conversational relationship that is used, since not all conversations are good in the required senses. Information design is a highly interventionist practice and designers have a moral responsibility towards users.