Issue: writing V.3:1 January 2008 www.designresearchsociety.org Design Research Society ISSN 1752-8445 Speaking On Clarity David Sless Director: Communication Research Institute of Australia Communication, design, and we might productively talk about clari- Table of Contents: clarity ty have philosophical, practical and le- One of the ways in which people de- gal implications. Articles: scribe the quality of communication is 1 On Clarity to talk about its clarity. Insofar as de- Everyday talk about clarity in David Sless signers are involved in communication, communication clarity matters. Whether it is commu- In everyday language when describ- 8 Presenting Your Research nication with clients, stakeholders, fel- ing an item of communication, we can Ken Friedman low collaborators or users, the quality say that it is clear, it has clarity. So for of communication is important. Also, example we could say of a document Listings: in some areas of design—such as in- that its text is clear, it has clarity. 16 Current Research in Design: Tables of formation design—clarity is not just a When we say “this text is clear” or ‘it Contents from Leading means to an end, but is often an end in has clarity’, we are attaching the adjec- Design Journals itself. Making instructions, bills, forms, tive ‘clear’ or the noun ‘clarity’ to the websites, labels, way-finding systems noun ‘text’; thus, at least in grammar, 28 Upcoming Events Worldwide and so on clear and easy for people to the clarity is a property of the text. Artemis Yagou use is the raison d’être for information It follows that we can ask are what design. the characteristics of the text that give Calls Outside design, but with strong im- it this clarity and make it clear. In an- 15 Announcing: plications for design, are the advocates swer, we usually point to the text’s use DRS Special Interest Group on for clarity in language. Where these ad- of simple words, short sentences, sim- Experiential Knowledge vocates have been successful in influ- ple punctuation, and so on. Many peo- encing lawmakers, there is now a grow- ple then take the next step: to construct 28 AIEDAM Journal (Artificial Intelligence ing body of legislation which requires a clear text we must use simple words, for Engineering Design, Analysis and people to use clear language. For exam- short sentences, etc, thus giving the Manufacturing) ple, in Australia, where the Common- text the property of clarity, and simi- wealth Government initiated a plain larly to determine whether or not a text DRQ-DRS English policy in 1983, the regulations is clear we examine it to see if it has 2 Publication information governing financial advisers require simple words, short sentences, etc. If 6 DRS Membership information the information given to be ‘clear, con- it does, the document is pronounced cise and effective’. Similar laws and reg- ‘clear’; if not, then changes have to be 3 DRS 2008 Conference: Undisciplined! ulations exist in many jurisdictions. made to make the document ‘clearer’ . Revised deadlines Thus clarity in communication is of This simple logic and simple set of interest to many, and the ways in which rules, derived from the everyday gram- 7 New Fellows of the Design Research matical construction of language—that Society Nigel Cross Continued p. 4 Q Design Research Quarterly Publication Information Editor: Editorial Advisory Board: Dr. Peter Storkerson Prof. Ken Friedman, Chair Southern Illinois University, USA Norwegian School of Management, Norway and Danmarks Designskole, Denmark Associate Editors: Dr. Antti Ainamo Dr. Vesna Popovic Helsinki School of Economics, Finland Queensland University of Technology, Australia Prof. Tevfik Balcioglu Dr. Kristina Niedderer Izmir University of Economics, Turkey Hertfordshire University, UK Prof. Lin-Lin Chen Dr. Artemis Yagou National Taiwan University of Science and Technology, Taiwan AKTO Art and Design, Greece Prof. Nigel Cross Open University, UK Prof. Clive Dilnot Parsons The New School for Design, USA Design Research Quarterly is is a peer reviewed journal, published Dr. Troels Degn Johansson in January, April, July and October by the Design Research Society. 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Hong Kong Polytechnic University, China 3 No Derivative Works Prof. M.P. Ranjan e You may not alter, transform, or build upon any part of this jour- National Institute of Design, India nal or work in it. Dr. Elizabeth B.-N. Sanders MakeTools, USA Prof. Marian Sauthoff Design Research Quarterly is archived on-line University of Pretoria, South Africa <www.designresearchsociety.org>. Dr. Chris Smith London Metropolitan University, UK We solicit your contributions: papers and articles on design research. Prof. Toshiharu Taura For information regarding submissions, contact Kobe University, Japan Peter Storkerson, [email protected] Prof. Necdet Teymur Emeritus, Middle East Technical University, Turkey Design Research Quarterly 3:1 Jan. 2008 – 2 – www.designresearchsociety.org The City of Sheffield has a long asso- 10 years has created a new and delight- ciation with design and the study of ful city centre, surrounding our uni- design. Sheffield Hallam University versity with enjoyable spaces as well as is one of the oldest design academies public artworks, galleries and cafes. It in the world, starting out as Sheffield is also a very friendly city. School of Design in 1843 and today it is home to an interdisciplinary teaching I look forward to welcoming you to our and research centre that brings togeth- city in the middle of next year’s Eng- Invitation er the different arts and sciences that lish summer. We will have serious make up the landscape of 21st century work to do but we also aim to create an The fourth conference in our current design. The city was once a watchword enjoyable occasion for you to make new series is an important opportunity to for heavy industrial production, with friendships and renew old ones—the take stock. We will be using it to reflect a dark utilitarian image to match, but real glue of any community. on and develop the way we run these today, partly through the influence of events as well as aiming to provide its designers and artists, it is a centre Chris Rust an important oversight of the state of for new cultural industries. Imagina- the art in research across the design- tive work on urban design over the past 4th Biennial Conference ing disciplines. We will to pay equal attention to the quality of content and Rigour in emerging design disciplines and professions the quality of your experience at the conference. The conference theme, attending to 16-19July, 2008 the new kinds of designing that are emerging to challenge our framework of specialisms and reshape our field, will provide some focus for keynote Sheffield Hallam University,UK speakers and debates and you may find that relevant to your own work. However this is the main conference Provisional schedule (consult site) for the whole of our society and we are open to all research that informs 2007 01 Sep Call for Papers or arises from designing. 15 Nov Deadline for abstracts You can find out more about the con- DeDec–Feb Abstracts accepted ference theme and other aspects of the 01 Apr Deadline for full papers event at the conference website at www.drs2008.designinquiry.wikispaces.net 01 May Authors notified where you can also join the confer- 01 Jun Deadline for corrected papers ence mail list to receive updates on the call for papers and the conference arrangements. The call for papers will be announced on 1st September 2007. http://drs2008.designinquiry.wikispaces.net Design Research Quarterly 3:1 Jan. 2008 – 3 – www.designresearchsociety.org On Clarity… continued from p.1 clarity is a property of texts—are used in instructions for This is further exacerbated by the fact that rules of usage clear writing, plain language, and the many, many guide- exist at many intersecting levels. A way of talking or writing lines for clear communication in all walks of life. in one context may be totally inappropriate in another. For This is both useful and misleading: useful, because it example a parent talking to a child would likely use a differ- suggests that by learning and applying simple rules we ent way of talking to that of an employer talking to an em- can achieve the desirable outcome of clear communication; ployee. The rules about rules of usage are different in each misleading, because, as research shows and arguments context. There are rules within rules and rules about rules. demonstrate, applying these rules is neither a necessary or One of the features of social life is that it provides many sufficient condition for achieving clear communication . contexts in which communication takes place, and increas- But it is not my intention here to catalogue the many ingly few of those contexts are necessarily shared.