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October 16, 2003
how maps work
Before lambasting TfL's maps any more, I thought I should try and get a grounding in cartography (so I can at least use long words when smacking them down). I've picked the book How Maps Work by Alan M. MacEachren.
Now, I'm only ten or so pages in, so I can't give any great commentary yet, but I'm really liking the cut of its jib. Cartography seems to have some parallels with HCI, and its modern twist, interaction design. Both disciplines are interested in how information is disseminated, passed, parsed and used, and this book takes a cognitive approach to understanding. It doesn't stop at when the information is understood, but is interested in how that information will be used, for what purpose, and under what conditions (and then taking that learning and changing the design accordingly). I think I'm going to learn a lot from the book that I can use straight away in my work. Also impressive, on a quick flick though, is that the diagrams remind me of Designing Visual Interfaces, taking from first principles how people see and what people can understand.
Cartographers seem to have some similar problems to interaction designers, too. Cartography is the intersection of art, craft and science, like interaction design. There are factions that think it is one, or the other, but, to me, it is high-craftsmanship, using scientific learnings to create art.
HCI is the same. Can you always prove what is right? Should you always have to prove what is right? I know interaction designers are often dismissed as just having "another opinion" on how things should work, when in reality designers - at least good designers - spend every waking moment deconstructing experiences, working out why things work, trying things out, failing, learning, and applying this knowledge, and expertise, to the problems at hand. I shouldn't have to justify or test every design decision, but similarly I shouldn't dismiss any design criticism without proper thought and evaluation.
A few interesting links:
The Cartographic Congress, which probably spurred my interest in maps
The Design Group of the British Cartographic Society - "a gathering of slightly anarchistic cartographers, academics, software gurus and interested citizens who not only appreciate cartographic design, but also enjoy changing the misconceptions cartography has about itself."
A discussion about how to learn to be a cartographer, turning into an argument regarding who exactly should call themselves a cartographer
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