I was trying to explain to my communications colleagues the other day about what designers do. To me it is obvious, we both map information to communicate better, but we also design the interfaces for that map and strategise about platform delivery and engagement. Sounds very much like what communications people do too. The key to this is to outline the territory as dealing with multiple media ecologies, and that requires strategic design thinking and methods. I guess that makes us all information professionals.
Designers make maps, cartographies of information.
In making maps designers are designing tools, and they are also designing the interaction with that tool.
We now have new map-making methods and roles. The old ones aren’t comprehensive enough.
Maps, or more precisely interfaces are the new media ecologies
The new tools for these maps are platforms
The new map-makers are the information professionals.
Here’s a great image for the day:
The hierarchy of digital distractions
