Beyond working with text and document design, most technical and professional communication involves quantitative data and visualizations designed to make this data more accessible to readers. The information design project helps students think through the rhetorical choices involved when designing data visualizations as well as the kinds of ethical choices they face in doing so.
In its current iteration, the Information Design project uses problem-based scenarios to craft a report that responds to the specific rhetorical exigency or problem, audience needs, and genre constraints. This project also asks students to work with data to create visualizations which suppor their argument.
Information Design Instructions and Rubric
- Scenarios for business majors or those interested in professional writing
- Scenarios for technical communicators in field of healthcare
- Scenarios for technical writers in specialized fields like engineering
- Information Design Rubric
Supplemental exercises and resources
These exercises can be distributed to students during the planning phase. Many of these exercises help students focus their thoughts on creating visuals from data, and then integrating these visuals effectively into their report.