Principles of Design
Our Specialties
Graphic (Visual) Design
The broad practice and process of the visual side of design, primarily focusing on communication through the use of typography, color, iconography, imagery and/or illustration. This includes traditional work such as printed materials (type design, posters, brochures, publications, etc.) as well as digital materials (such as motion, web or software applications).
Faculty Expert
Branding
The strategy and execution behind the visual language of an organization, entity, or product. Branding focuses on making a memorable and distinct visual identity for organizations/products both for promotion and to enhance communication with the audience.
Faculty Expert
Human-Computer Interaction & Design
This multidisciplinary field researches the interactions between users and information technologies to inform intuitive design.
Faculty Experts
Dr. Catherine Smith Dr. Yin Zhang
Explore our faculty’s work in Human-Computer Interaction Design
- Smith, C. L. (2008, October). What might users be learning from the system? In Proceedings of the 2nd Symposium on Human–Computer Interaction and Information Retrieval (HCIR ’08) (pp. 63-67). Redmond, WA. http://ryenwhite.com/hcir2008/doc/HCIR08-Proceedings.pdf
Information System Design
Faculty Experts
Dr. Lala Hajibayova Dr. Rebecca Meehan Dr. Athena Salaba
Explore our faculty’s work in Information System Design
- Meehan, R. (2020). Optimizing the electronic health record: Fixing usability issues in legacy systems to improve patient safety. In Conference Proceedings HEALTHINF/BIOSTEC International Joint Conference on Biomedical Engineering. https://www.insticc.org/node/TechnicalProgram/biostec/2020/presentationDetails/91071
- Hajibayova, L. (2019). Guardians of the knowledge: Relevant, irrelevant, or algorithmic? Information Research, 24(4). http://informationr.net/ir/24-4/paper839.html
Usability
Research in usability investigates the user experience of technologies and applies design principles to make information technologies and products easier to use.
Faculty Experts
Explore our faculty’s work in Usability
- Martens, M. (2012). Issues of access and usability in designing digital libraries for children. Library and Information Science Research, 34(3), p. 159- 168. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.lisr.2011.12.003
- Meehan, R. (2020). The need to optimize the electronic health record: Usability issues in legacy systems can compromise patient safety. In Proceedings of the 13th International Joint Conference on Biomedical Engineering Systems and Technologies, Vol. 5. Valletta, Malta. https://doi.org/10.5220/0009107106090613
- Meehan, R. (2015). Usability improvements to electronic health records: Finding realistic paths to success. Proceedings of the International Conference on Health Informatics, 514-518, ISBN: 978-989-758-068-0, SCITEPRESS. https://doi.org/10.5220/0005252705140518
User Experience
The Nielsen Norman Group states that user experience (UX) “encompasses all aspects of the end-user's interaction with the company, its services, and its products.” Research in the area focuses on gaining a deeper understanding of users’ needs, preferences, and behaviors to inform design.
Faculty Experts
User interfaces
User Experience/User Interfaces (UX/UI) is a branch of User Experience that focuses mainly on is the strategy behind creating pleasing, functional, and meaningful user-centered experiences, particularly when it comes to digital interfaces for websites, software applications, and in the field of LIS, digital information access points.
Faculty Experts
David Roll Dr. Marianne Martens Dr. Athena Salaba Dr. Catherine Smith Dr. Yin Zhang
Explore our faculty's work in User Interfaces
- Martens, M., Rinnert, G. C., & Andersen, C. (2018, December). Child-centered design: Developing an inclusive letter writing app. Frontiers in Psychology. (Special edition on Human Computer Interaction: Interactive Digital Technologies and Early Childhood). https://doi.org/10.3389/fpsyg.2018.02277