Final Group Presentation

Affinity Map

For our visual, we created an affinity map. Often, an affinity map is used when brainstorming. Items are placed on four axes. For our project, we created an affinity map that organized the assignments we have had in Introduction to Visual Communications. We included the “How-To: Spaghetti Dinner,” Geographical Map, Collage, Mind Map, Concept Map, Flow Chart, Multivariate, Simple Graphs and Charts, and the Lawn Care assignment. It is our experience that these sketches allowed students to implement visual concepts learned in class.

On one axis, there was Imaginative on one side and Confining on the other. On the other axis, the labels were Hard to Easy. Our group chose where each assignment would go. It is important that we explain our definitions for the labels we chose. We understand Imaginative for this set-up as meaning “allowing creativity.” Assignments toward this end tended to be more original. They often included an artistic element. Confining for this project is understood as “having rigid rules and structure.” The assignments placed closer to this label tended to give students less ability to go off on their own ideas. The label “Hard” refers to the amount of work and the level of ability required by the student to complete the task. We considered the length of time needed to complete the assignment and the complicity of the sketch’s rules when placing our items on Hard and Easy axis.

After much deliberation and discussion, our group was able to decide where to place our sketch items. It is acknowledged that a different group of students may have placed their sketches on different places throughout the affinity map. This is what makes this project especially unique. The actual sketches were our group members’ best sketches picked by the four of us.

After taking this class, it is impossible to ignore visual decisions when creating a poster. On our poster, we used different colors to represent each of the four quadrants. This tends to lessen the cognitive load because viewers can observe the items in one quadrant as being “together” or “similar.” As they start to see these items of the same color as part of a group, the Gestalt principle of proximity occurs. This means that when items are closer together, they are considered part of a whole. Also, our group wanted to fill in space on the poster by adding principles we have learned in class. However, we decided against this. Executing Occam’s Razor, defined as “The principle that one should not increase, beyond what is necessary, the number of entities required to explain anything,” we decided that the visual impact of just the sketches on the graph produced the desired result.

            Before creating our visual we had also agreed upon a targeted audience. Given the nature of our visualization we decided that the perfect target audience would be a college freshman student indecisive about enrolling in this class. As typical college students we acknowledged that important factors that play a role in our picking of classes are its content, difficulty (although it shouldn’t), workload, and experience. Our visualization thus provides the uncertain student a preview of the material, examples of the types and number of assignments, and most importantly how difficult or easy those assignments are. 

I personally think that we all could have an opportunity to review what we all learned through this semester. I was surprised how much we learned and did assignments in this short time. Affiinity map with poster is a good way to present/show our ideas since it's a creativity to put the photos of  our actual works with our decision of difficulty/imagination or confining. It was a great to reflect with my group members to share what I learned and what they learned. I am glad that I took this class to learn many important things regarding visuals, communications, laws, audiences, how our eyes and brain work, meaning of colors, sizes, bold, and other more things. While we all were talking about our projects, I was also surprised that I actually remembered most of things that we learned. I am happy with our project and our decisions. 

Multivariate Graph

For this assignment, I chose the suicide rates in the United States. I was going to divide by ages; however, there would be many lines and hard to look at, so I decided to divide by sexes (Male and Female), and the total.

The story I want to tell the story from this graph is that the numbers of male who committed suicide is greater than the numbers of female who committed suicide.
Both male and female rates of suicide have decreased from 1990. 1970s was the highest rate of female suicide; however, the male highest suicide rate was during1990s. During 1960s and 70s, since the Great Depression and the Energy Crisis had happened, the rates of female suicide was increased. In 1990s, the male's rate increased. This is because of the North American Free Trade Agreement (NEFTA) has started to work between U.S., Mexico, and Canada for allies could work in the U.S. However because of this, there were more unemployed male workers in the United States.
When you look at the total of suicides, the rate slightly decreased till 2000; however, after that, it increased again. Through the data and researches, the rates between 1950-1990s are unstable and more suicide people because of the economics decreased.

Although I have already learned how to create graph with Excel and PowerPoint, to think about three variables was harder. I made the mistake that I created the graph with only two variables.

Storyboard

For this assignment, I had to create two storyboards. The first one which is located above, I chose the photo of a girl who is standing. There is a story in my mind already with using this photo which is that there are two workers at apple tree farm, and one of them see the little girl holding not ripen apple and standing sadly. Therefore, they gave a ripen apple to her, and the little girl thanked to them happily and left. For the first one, I used quotation mark ("") for conversations. After finished the story, I thought that this story is a common story.   

For the second one, I had to choose two photos from professor's chosen photos; therefore, I chose the boys from the soccer game and an old man's side face with crossing his hands. From these photos, the story I created is that there is a boy's home soccer game with 10 vs 9. 10 points for the boys team, and if the boys could stop the ball they would win for this game since the time is only 20 seconds left. I decided the old man as their coach who is retiring so this game is his last game. The ball comes to the boys and one of them stopped. Both of the boys and their coach are happy. I was having trouble where I should put two photos because putting different places would change the whole story. I also did not use quotation marks for this one since I used them for the first one, I challenged myself to create with and without quotation marks. ]

Through this assignment, I have learned that it is important where to put the photos because it would change the whole story or it would be harder to create the story. The challenge was successful, and I am happy about it. After all, I enjoyed this assignment!!!  

Simple Tables to Graphs

For this assignment, I chose the Top 5 Fields of Study at Roger Williams University. In the first table graph, forgot to type "the number of students."

I had been trying to find the data of this topic from the RWU website many times; however, I couldn't find a good data. Therefore, I searched online that I finally found the data. After found the data, I started to create the Table with data, and using both PowerPoint and Excel. I have tried to create many kinds of graphs which posted below. Through this process, It was not hard to create the graphs and I actually enjoyed to create many ways. Therefore; when I checked the clock, it was passed midnight. 

Through my created graphs, I think the bar graph with different colors is the best for my chosen topic because  there are different studies and numbers of student. The same bar graph but same blue color (Graph 2) is also good for the topic; however, since the studies' names are long, the names take much spaces. The line graph (Graph 3) does not show the value of "how many people" with line compared the bar graph. The Graph 4 and 6 or pie graphs are for showing percentage; therefore, they do not match with the topic. The Graph 5 also matches with the topic; however, personally I like the Graph 1 better because of the different colors.     

Table

Graph 1

Graph 2

Graph 3

Graph 4

Graph 5

Graph 6

I was enjoying to create many different of graphs A LOT!!! When I looked the clock, it was 12:10AM!? and  the program was frozen... However, I feel accomplished!!!   

Flow Charts

For this assignment, I had to create two flow charts; the second was the process of buying a book from Amazon.com, and the second one was finding research on "dual coding" or "cognitive load" by Google Scholar or Bing.

Buying a book from Amazon.com

For the first chart was buying a book from Amazon.com. This assignment was my first time to use Amazon.com in my life actually; therefore, I was having trouble with Amazon.com. I felt that I was creating this process for myself, not the audiences. I went to the Amazon.com and actually went through the process to buy a book. While I was trying to demonstrate how to buy a book through Amazon, I was taking a notes the processes and drew the symbols right next to the processes that helped me a lot to consider regarding spaces and lines. I also asked my friend who has Amazon account to show me the process of shipping because if I create the account, I would have to put my all credit card information. I drew the preparation symbol at the beginning because everything starts from preparation, and drew the circles as terminator two places since after "go to the different website," it would be outside of Amazon website. Therefore, I decided to choose terminator. I also colored terminator yellow to represent as the end; however, I should have colored the preparation since it is the start place.  

Finding research "Dual Coding" by Google Scholar

The second one was easier to create since I already have done the first one, and learned how to create flow chart. However, I realized that I could draw more process and decisions after I finished, especially after "keep looking through different ones. If you could not find, go to different website." I actually could break this sentence into two sections and add decision; however, there was no space to write down. I have learned that creating the Amazon chart has few words and really short sentences than the Google Scholar since Amazon website already shows the steps of buying such as "add to cart" and "continue."

I was enjoying to create this assignment and if I had more time, I would try to write and draw more. However, is it going to be messy? too packed between the symbols? When thinking about this, "keep it simple and clear" is better way for the audience.

How to Graphic

For this assignment, we create "how to make spaghetti dinner" for the audiences who do not understand our language; therefore, we have to use only graphics. However, we are able to use the words that always appear on the products. 

First, I started to draw the materials to cook the spaghetti and tomato source. These materials and tomato source were not hard to draw since cooking materials are universal products. However, spaghetti box and salt were hard to draw without products' name. 

Second, I started to draw the steps to cook. Since I always cook sauce and pasta at the same time, I draw the steps of cooking pasta and sauce at the right and left sides. By showing two different steps at sides, I was trying to tell that to start cooking spaghetti and sauce at the same time. For the steps of spaghetti, I drew the blue bubbles to represent "boiled water", two fingers with salt to represent "adding the little of salt", and circle with two lines and colored to represent "wait for 10-12 mins." Drawing these graphics were the hardest parts. Although drawing steps at different sides, those steps come to the middle at the end as representing "serve."  

Although steps ended as "serve", I thought that some audiences might think that there would be more steps, so I drew the tomato sauce spaghetti plate with a happy kid tries to eat by fork. Therefore, the audiences would know that cooking steps are ended.  

Through this assignment, I had first thought some kinds of spaghetti dinner; with meatballs or different sauce. However, if I drew the meatballs the audience would not know what the brown balls are, and the audiences might be vegetarians. Therefore, I decided to draw simple and easy spaghetti dinner. I had struggled with using spaces; therefore, my first drawing had too much things that the audiences would confuse. I was going to use numbers for timer, but some countries do not use numbers that we use. I thought it was going to be easy assignment; however, started to think more and more about the audiences, it was harder to decide graphics to draw. 

However, I enjoyed this assignment, and I have learned more about the audiences. Also, it is not actually easy to present the steps with only graphics for the audiences who do not understand out language.  

Lawn Care decision graphic

For this assignment, I was trying to achieve to match sentences/words and images/symbols correctly. I could think some ways to create diagrams based on this assignment; however, we already have learned to create decision tree and QFD so I decided to use decision tree.

Since the assignment was that we were not allowed to use words instead of using images, I started to write down how many images needed in the assignment. Therefore, there were four images that I had to draw: grass, temperature, wet, and insect. Then, I considered what images would represent the words well understanding when audiences look. I drew the thermometer as representing temperature, the rain as representing wet or dry (I could not think about representation of dry), and ants as representing insects. Colored thermometer with orange color (warm color), up sign, and number and made the empty space above the thermometer so the audiences will know that temperature is "above 90degrees." (I now realized that 90C is wrong, it should be 90F)

As you see the grass with flowers and butterflies image, I had trouble with this image' idea because this image should be "Do Nothing" so questioned myself that "how to represent 'Do Nothing'?", "Stop sign? but its color is red so it is going to represent 'warning'", "hand? but the audiences will understand the meaning?", "wait a minute...AHA!!! 'Do Nothing' means the grass is already 'good'!!!" Therefore, I drew flowers and butterflies as representing "lawn is ready to be on the park".     

The images of "Yes" and "No", I had some ideas; thumb up and down, smiley and sad face, color lines differently, and check and cross marks. However, I realized that there were already images and it would be confusing to understand if I drew another different images. Although check mark represents "yes and good" in the United States, it represents "no and bad" in my country. Therefore; I chose circle and cross, believing these symbols are universal because I double-checked online if there was any opposite meanings. To choose colors, I used red for "No" because red could be negative color and blue for "Yes" because opposite of red is blue. 

I decided to use only one color for lines because "No's" color is red and if lines of "No"are red, it would be too much red. I considered the balance of colors and decided to use brown lines, brown color is also soil's color which connects to the lawn. Also, most of colors that I used are bright color so dark color as brown is matched.   

  

Through this assignment I have achieved more about visual communication and to think and choose colors, understandable images for the audiences. I also have learned that how easier to choose the best product following the lines, images, and "Yes" or "No" than the sentences, and have to consider universally and care about the images deeply; otherwise, the audiences would not understand.