A signifier (シグニファイア) is a perceivable cue that lets people notice how they should handle an object.
Cue
Action people notice
A button that looks raised, with a shadow
Can be pressed
Text in a different color with an underline
Selecting it moves to another page
A dotted frame with a "Drop here" label
A file can be dropped in
A small handle with rows of fine lines
Can be grabbed and dragged
The possibility for action that arises between an object and a person, such as "can be pressed" or "can be grabbed," is called an affordance (アフォーダンス). Cues can take the form of, for example, a part's shape or color, or the text on a display. When the cues are well chosen, people can operate something without hesitation and without reading any instructions.
AnalogyIt is like walking into a shop for the first time and knowing where to queue just by seeing footprint marks painted on the floor in front of the register.
How to rememberThe word comes from the English verb signify (to indicate or mean), so think of it as "something that indicates."
Exam points
ExamA signifier (シグニファイア) is one of the concepts of information design and refers to a cue that guides people toward appropriate action.
Mix-upAn affordance (アフォーダンス) is the possibility for action itself that exists between an object and a person, while a signifier is the signal that makes people aware of that possibility.
The structured scenario method (構造化シナリオ法) is a design technique that divides user scenarios into the stages of value, activity and interaction, writes them in order from abstract to concrete, and applies them to design.
Value scenario (value)
Activity scenario (actions)
Interaction scenario (operations)
Describe each action as a concrete exchange with screens or devices.
3 / 3
A scenario (シナリオ) is a story-style description of what users do and for what purpose. The structured scenario method writes, in order, the value scenario (バリューシナリオ) describing the value provided, the activity scenario (アクティビティシナリオ) describing the actions that realize it, and the interaction scenario (インタラクションシナリオ) describing exchanges with screens and devices. Because each lower stage follows the value set at the stage above, operational details are less likely to drift away from users' goals.
AnalogyIt is like building a house: first you decide how the family wants to live, then picture how a day will go, and only then decide where the switches and shelves go.
How to rememberLine up the three scenarios as the questions "why (value) → what (actions) → how (operations)" and they are easy to remember.
Exam points
Mix-upThe value scenario (バリューシナリオ) is the most abstract stage and describes what is valuable to users. Details of screens and operations are decided in the most concrete stage, the interaction scenario (インタラクションシナリオ).
UX design (UXデザイン) is an approach that designs the whole experience users gain through a product or service, with the aim of making it better.
Before use: expectations and impressions
During use: how the operation feels
After use: satisfaction and wanting to use it again
UX (user experience, ユーザーエクスペリエンス) is the user's experience as a whole, from expectations before use and the feel of using something to satisfaction afterward. In UX design, the parts where users and the product meet, such as screens and buttons (the UI, or user interface, ユーザーインタフェース), are also designed as one of the elements that shape the experience.
AnalogyIt is like the experience of seeing a film, which includes not only the film itself but also how easy the tickets were to buy, how comfortable the seat was, and the urge to talk about it on the way home.
How to rememberUX stands for User eXperience, with the single letter X standing for the "ex" at the start of Experience.
Exam points
Mix-upUI refers to the parts where users and the product meet, such as screens and buttons, while UX refers to the whole experience users gain through those points of contact.
Accessibility (アクセシビリティ) is the degree to which diverse people, including older people and people with disabilities, can use information, devices and software on an equal footing.
Difficulty in use
Example measure to improve it
Text or images on the screen are hard to see
Add alternative text to images and support screen reading
Color differences are hard to tell apart
Distinguish items by shape or text as well as by color
Sound is hard to hear
Add captions to videos
Fine mouse movements are difficult
Make everything operable with the keyboard alone
On the Web and in software, the degree rises as measures are added for differences in how users see, hear and move their bodies. Universal design (ユニバーサルデザイン) is a design approach that assumes differences between users from the start and aims to make things usable by as many people as possible, and it serves as a policy for raising accessibility.
AnalogyIt is like an elevator that also has buttons at a low height with Braille on them, so wheelchair users and people with poor eyesight can press them on their own.
How to rememberThe word is accessible (reachable, usable) plus -ity, a suffix for a quality or degree.
Exam points
ExamAccessibility (アクセシビリティ) expresses the degree to which anyone can operate something and obtain information in the same way, regardless of differences in their characteristics or circumstances. The word is also sometimes used for product design that takes this degree into account.
ExamUniversal design (ユニバーサルデザイン) is an approach that assumes differences between users from the outset and designs things so that as many people as possible can use them.
Mix-upBarrier-free design (バリアフリー) removes barriers that already exist for particular people, while universal design is the idea of building for a diverse range of people from the very beginning.
A pictogram (ピクトグラム) is a visual representation that expresses one meaning with a simplified picture symbol and conveys it without relying on words.
Pictograms are common on guide signs and warning signs in public facilities. Their meaning comes across without reading any text, so they reach people who speak other languages or have difficulty reading, which also makes them a way to improve accessibility.
AnalogyIt is like finding the restrooms and exits in an airport abroad, where you cannot read the language, by following the picture signs alone.
How to rememberpicto (picture) + gram (something written): a "symbol written as a picture."
An infographic (インフォグラフィック) is a technique that arranges data and information into diagrams and charts to visualize them and convey the overall picture at a glance.
It organizes and presents content that is hard to follow in text alone, such as comparisons of figures, the flow of a procedure, or relationships between things. It often combines text such as headings and numbers with diagrams and icons on a single sheet.
AnalogyIt is like an information poster that replaces a long explanation with one graphic showing both a comparison of numbers and the flow of the work.
How to rememberA blend of information + graphic; read it as "a picture that depicts information."
Exam points
Mix-upA pictogram (ピクトグラム) shows one meaning with one simple picture symbol, while an infographic (インフォグラフィック) arranges multiple pieces of information or data into a graphic to show the whole picture.
Pictogram vs. Infographic
Aspect
Pictogram
Infographic
Key differenceUnit of communication
One meaning in one picture symbol
Multiple pieces of information or data in one graphic
Main uses
Guide signs and warning signs
Comparing statistics and explaining procedures
Relation to text
Meaning comes across without text
Also combines text such as headings and numbers
Key points
A signifier uses a perceivable signal to make people aware of how to operate something and guides them toward appropriate action.
The structured scenario method makes scenarios concrete step by step, moving from value to activity to interaction.
Accessibility is the degree to which diverse people can use something equally, and universal design is one design approach for raising that degree.
Because a pictogram conveys meaning without words, it can get information across to people who speak other languages.