Research-inspired visual design based principles based on cognitive science. Please see the .pdf version for downloading. The downloadable PDF version.

1. Connie Malamed
@cmalamed
IA Summit 2011

2. NEGLECTED
CHILDREN
ARE MADE TO FEEL
INVISIBLE
“Visuals are so powerful, they can turn this statement…”

3. ls per suade
Visua
“into a persuasive appeal to eradicate child
neglect.”

4. mation
hidden infor
isuals show
V

5. blems
lve pro
Vis uals so
Deaths from
woundsı
Deaths from
preventable
diseasesı

6. nguage
cend la
Visual s trans

7. “Visuals are so powerful, very few people can understand the health care reform act,
because it is a 400 page document with no graphics.”

8. xplain
V isuals e
“And when Dan Roam created a visual explanation on Slide Share, a quarter of a million
people viewed it.”

9. s of thinking
Visuals promote new way
“Visuals are so powerful, that we can now see an inconceivable amount of data, as in this
New York Times interactive graphic that shows how different segments of the US population
spend their time throughout the day.”

10. 2
More Than
Decoration
5 1 3
Connect Wired for Speed Up
Through Graphics Your
Emotions Message
4
Make Visuals
Efficient

11. 1
fo rG raphi cs

12. That’s right!
20,000,000,000
neurons!
More brain
resources
devoted to
VISION

13. 1,200,000 30,000 FIBERS
FIBERS IN THE IN THE
AUDITORY NERVE
OPTIC NERVE

14. PICTURE
SUPERIORITY
EFFECT
We have a better
memory for
pictures than
words
© Colin Hayes

15. Pictures are a
replica of the
environment

16. VISUAL AUDITORY
SENSORY
MEMORY
WORKING
MEMORY
LONG-TERM
MEMORY

17. WORKING Limited Capacity
~4 bits of
MEMORY information
Limits the
information we
process Short Duration
Just a few
seconds

18. COGNITIVE
LOAD
All the demands placed
on working memory in
any one instance
Working Memory

19. “Research shows long-term memory is capable of storing a massive number of pictures.”

20. People give meaning to
the visuals they process

21. “The mind is not a camera.”
Stephen M. Kosslyn

22. P HICS
GRA AIL
AN F
C

23. “When we understand that slide, we’ll
have won the war.”
-- General Stanley McChrystal
IC S
RA PH Lı
G FA I
CAN

24. Research-inspired Design
Based on findings and evidence
Considers how people perceive
and comprehend visual information
Can be applied to the real world

25. 2 an Decoration
Th

26. EXERCISE 1 EXERCISE 2
Tuck your chin into your Tuck your chin into your chest, and
chest, and then lift your then lift your chin upward as far as
chin upward as far as possible.
possible. 6–10 repetitions
6–10 repetitions
Lower your left ear toward your left
Lower your left ear toward shoulder and then your right ear
your left shoulder and then toward your right shoulder.
your right ear toward your 6–10 repetitions
right shoulder.
6–10 repetitions
“When study participants were given easy-to-read instructions in Exercise 1, they thought the
exercise wouldn’t take much effort. When the exact same instructions were displayed in a
less legible typeface, subjects thought the exercise would be difficult to perform and would
take almost twice as long to get through.”

27. Processing Fluency
the ease with which a
person processes
information

28. High-contrast
Lima is in Peru
Orsono is a city in Chile
Low-contrast
Lima is in Peru
Orsono is a city in Chile
“In another study people were shown statements in high-contrast and low-contrast text.
Subjects were more likely to consider the very legible statements to be true than the
statements that were difficult to read. When people have an absence of knowledge about a
topic, they must use other factors to evaluate whether statements are true.”

29. If it’s easy
to process
it must be true!

30. 3

31. Pop Out
Preattentive
Processing
Grouping

32. Features that The primitive
features of a visual
pop out environment.

33. ps out?
What po

34. Color

36. “Color is used in web design to entice users to easily find and click on the call to action.”

37. Size

38. “Size is used in web design to create a visual hierarchy.”

39. “On the Mail Chimp site, all the important elements are very large.”

40. Shape
© John Grimwade

43. Orie ntation

45. Movement
“When we see static graphics of motion, our brain apparently perceives it as real movement,
because those same areas of the brain become active.”

47. Depth
© JOE LERTOLA

48. Review: Color
Features that Size
pop out Shape
Orientation
Movement
Depth

49. Grouping Perceptual
conditions that
force us to see
parts as one unit

50. Proximity
“When the conditions for grouping are right, the whole unit takes precedence over the
individual elements.”

51. roximi ty in UI
P

52. Sim ilarity

54. Comm on Fate
© GOOD AND HARD AT WORKı

55. edness
C onnect
©Colin Hayes

56. Bou ndaries
Stephen Leckart, Wired
©Stephen Leckart, Wired

57. “We use boundaries intuitively, to group and separate information.”

58. Review: Proximity
Conditions for Similarity
perceiving parts as a Common Fate
group Connectedness
Boundaries

59. 4

60. Cognitive When attributes of
a graphic are
Compatibility consistent with their
meaning, the
information is
easier to process.

61. RED
BLUE
GREEN
“The visual attributes of these words (color) are compatible with their meaning (these were
shown one at a time).”

62. RED
BLUE
GREEN
“The visual attributes of these words are NOT compatible with their meaning, causing
cognitive discord, which slows down the processing of the information (these were shown
one at a time).”

63. “The visual attributes are
compatible with their meaning. In
particular, notice the direction of
the arrows.”
©Ninian Carter

64. “If the arrow is flipped around, it
causes discord, slowing down
processing.”
©Ninian Carter

65. Provides fewer
distractions
Reducing Takes less time
to perceive
Realism
makes graphics
Minimizes load
cognitively efficient on working
memory
Easier to encode
into long-term
memory

66. “What makes a graphic more (top) or less (bottom) realistic?”

67. Minimalist graphics:
 Fewer colors
 Less detail
 Smooth surfaces
 Minimal shadows

68. “Example of a header graphic relying on minimized visuals.”

69. Silho uettes
“The brain is good at
recognizing shapes and
filling in the details.”

70. ©GOOD & Bradley R. Hughesı

71. © Heather Corcoran

72. L ine Art
“Brilliant example of line art showing kissing
protocols around the world.” © Nigel Holmes

73. “How to tie a scarf,
explained with no
words and in line art.” © Nigel Holmes

74. ic Gra phics
Icon
“Iconic graphics depict
objects using just enough
detail so we can recognize
the object. Here, each cup is
a graph showing the relative
amount of ingredients in
espresso drinks. Iconic
graphics are easily
recognizable and no
extraneous visual cues
interfere with processing.” ©Lokesh Dakar

76. “Example of iconic graphics in web site design. Also, notice the grouping.”

78. Sy mbols
“Visual symbols are iconic graphics with an associative value that is learned
through culture or education. They are cognitively efficient for a visually literate
audience.”

79. “Symbols are highly dependent on context. In one context, concentric curved lines
represent wireless and in another context they represent an RSS feed.”

80. Silhouettes
Review:
Ways to go Line Art
minimalist Iconic Graphics
Symbols

81. 5

82. “Emotions inform at a visceral level. As you see each photograph, notice the reaction in your
body (these were shown one at a time).”

83. COGNITION
N
EMOTIO
“There is a long philosophical and scientific tradition stating that emotion and cognition are
opposing phenomena. But brain imaging research and cognitive science now agree that
emotion and cognition are dynamically intertwined and interdependent.”

84. Capture attention
Emotions
affect mental
processes
Increase brain
activity
Can improve
retention

85. We are
particularly
attuned to
faces.

86. “Because we are attuned to reading the emotion in faces, the serious mood here contributes
to the rugged and high-powered undergarments that are being sold.”

87. “We follow the gaze of where a person is looking, which in this example, brings us right to the
navigation options.”

88. Even
cartoonish
faces!

90. Emotional
images are
effective for
Changing
Attitudes

91. ©Sean Douglass
“Emotional imagery gives data more impact.” ©SEAN DOUGLASS

92. There’s another side to emotion
SURPRISE!

93. Surprise results from
novelty or humor
From the unusual
juxtaposition of
elements
From the unexpected

94. AD BY GREY PARIS

95. FROM A VIDEO BY
‘THE REAL FOOD MOVEMENT’

96. • Emotions and
cognition are
interdependent
Review: • We are attuned
Connecting through to faces
emotional imagery • We follow the
direction of
someone’s gaze
• Evoke emotion
through surprise,
novelty and
humor

97. Thank You
For more information on this subject –
Book: Visual Language for Designers
Visual Communication Stream:
• http://understandinggraphics.com
• @cmalamed
eLearning Stream:
• theelearningcoach.com
• @elearningcoach