Editorial Services Guide
By The Bay Area Editors' Forum

Definition: Information design

Information design (sometimes called information architecture) has long been applied to print media, but its relatively recent formalization as a practice stems from the personal computer's ability to display text and other media and to respond to human input. An information designer develops a structure within which people can find information where they expect to find it. Information design combines the kind of analysis involved in traditional editorial development with some knowledge of computer technology and good instincts for translating three-dimensional concepts into a virtual world. An information designer is responsible for the following:

• Working with others on a project team to determine the project's conceptual requirements and focus.
• Analyzing existing content; identifying gaps in content and specifying the needed text, artwork, video footage, animation, or other material.
• Developing a structure and functionality that will give users efficient access to the content and often the ability to communicate information of their own.
• Mapping out and specifying the structure of the content, the links among its parts, and a system for navigating through it; as well as determining the operation of features such as online forms and chat areas.

Select an information designer.