Abstract Interactive maps play a key role in generating and mediating research knowledge in human-centered urban planning, yet their design principles remain underexplored. This paper draws on feminist geography, cultural studies, and information visualization to inform the design of interactive maps. It argues that interactive maps can reveal the interplay between social and built spaces by enabling comparisons across different time periods and infrastructural conditions. Using visualizations from MIT’s Senseable City Lab, it shows how interactive exploration enables users to engage in visual argumentation, while emphasizing multiple perspectives and uses to allow for more inclusive representations of urban life and its social complexities.

Abstract The importance of research in designing for the vulnerable lies in its commitment to address the inherent inequalities and injustices that pervade our socio-cultural fabric. This article presents a comprehensive systematic review and meta-analysis focused on the transition from vulnerability to accessibility in design for vulnerable populations, exploring the possibilities of extending this vital area to information design. Employing the PRISMA approach, the study meticulously analyses 30 selected papers to uncover insights into how design practices and methodologies are evolving to better address the needs of those often marginalized or overlooked. The findings illuminate the multifaceted nature of vulnerability, challenging information designers to think beyond traditional norms and engage in innovative practices that not only make solutions accessible but also ensure they are comprehensible. This research underscores the necessity of interdisciplinary collaboration and participatory approaches, emphasizing the importance of culturally sensitive, user-centered design solutions. The study culminates in identifying novel areas for future research, particularly emphasizing the development of information design that is tailored to the unique needs of vulnerable populations, thereby fostering inclusive growth.

Abstract Typography simplifies and facilitates the information transfer process, and establishes a quick and straightforward connection between text and audience. Combining writing with images provides the basis for creating symbolic relationships in typography. This study intends to define the paradigmatic relationships between visual signs and writing in integrated Persian typographies and English logotypes. In this study Persian and English logotype samples are compared. It is observed that in the Persian sample, logotype letters are often affected by the visual elements; however, only one letter is usually replaced with an image in the English samples.

Abstract The acquisition of Chinese Characters (CCs) is challenging for learners. Chinese Semantic Radicals (SRs) are semantic components of CCs. The memorization of SRs facilitates the acquisition of CCs when learning Chinese as a second language. This study investigates the effectiveness of Visual Instructions (VIs) in the memorization of SRs by beginners. A preliminary study and three other studies have been conducted. The results have shown that the use of color-coded illustrations helps learners remember the meanings, shapes, and positions of SRs. This could be seen in the significantly increased accuracy of the responses in memory tests. These findings are an important contribution to research on VIs and on the memorization of SRs by beginners.

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Abstract There are situations where designs involve bilingual content. In such cases, to convey clear and consistent messages, we need to select typefaces in two languages. Traditionally, designers relied on their intuition and experience when selecting typefaces. This study, however, uses analytical research to explore the possibility of using data to inform designs and to make appropriate typeface selections in bilingual contexts. It collects and analyses participants’ responses toward sample typefaces and uses them to choose typefaces in two languages simultaneously, English and Chinese. This method is shown to be effective; it breaks language barriers and explores an original and efficient approach to typeface selection.

Abstract This study examined changes to typographic variables in Chinese-English traffic signs. Particularly, it considered the effect of connecting spacing – the vertical distance between a Chinese legend and its English translation – on reading performance for participants who read English but not Chinese. Participants were shown driving video simulations, featuring four connecting space measures (1/6H, 1/3H, 1/2H, 3/4H where H is the height of one Chinese character) and asked to indicate directions. A threshold method with an accuracy check was applied. The study demonstrated that connecting spacing affected participants’ reading performance and is an important consideration for dual-script sign legibility.

Abstract Data visualization frequently provides audiences with novel semantic and computational presentations. How does a multifaceted team expand this scope by harnessing the power of visualization as a tool to think with? The NASA JPL/Caltech/ ArtCenter data visualization program demonstrates how scientific knowledge, shaped from data and theory, is equally co-constructed from diverse human perspectives. We will share case studies from Mars Rover Path planning and PIXLISE, a visual reasoning tool for understanding planetary geology. Working from source data through mixed media artifacts, these projects explore co-design methods for complex scientific domains with real-world applications. Our methodology emphasizes that all participants in the co-design process are both learners and experts. In this dynamic, the design and coding process are unique modes of critical discovery.

Abstract Pension participants face complex decisions which require them to choose between multiple alternatives that have different consequences, that vary in likelihood, and that often relate to different values. In the medical domain, ample research has been conducted on how to support patients in making such decisions, yielding three important lessons. First, by emphasizing the gist of information, the information becomes more meaningful to participants. Second, value clarification methods should be used to help participants retrieve or form their own values and compare those with the decision alternatives. Third, simple static visual aids facilitate the comprehension of statistics and probabilities.