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Design by Consensus: Designing Effective Icons Using Quantitative Ethnography

Strauss, Alisa N., Ph.D.
http://orcid.org/0000-0001-8498-1704
http://rave.ohiolink.edu/etdc/view?acc_num=ucin1467126649

Abstract Details

2016, MDES, University of Cincinnati, Design, Architecture, Art and Planning: Design.
An icon is useless if the people viewing it cannot correctly decipher its meaning. Current design practice for icon creation involves a designer creating an icon that they think represents the intended concept and then showing it to people to see if they can determine its meaning. If they cannot, revisions will be made to try to enhance comprehension. This study tests a different technique for icon design that eliminates guesswork on the part of the designer composing an icon. Using consensus analysis techniques, it can be determined what symbols users expect to see in an icon that conveys a certain meaning—before even a rough draft of the icon is created. Once analysis of data obtained via freelisting, pilesorting, and ranking were analyzed using consensus analysis, the items that should be included in each icon examined here were determined. Icons were designed using the symbols determined through data analysis and then comprehension of those icons was tested. Results indicate that using some of the techniques of quantitative ethnography to guide icon design improves the effectiveness of the icons because they are better understood by users.
Paul Zender (Committee Chair)
Todd Timney (Committee Member)
68 p.
Design
Icon design; freelisting; pilesorting; ranking; cultural domains; consensus analysis

Recommended Citations

Citations

  • Strauss, A. N. (2016). Design by Consensus: Designing Effective Icons Using Quantitative Ethnography [Master's thesis, University of Cincinnati]. OhioLINK Electronic Theses and Dissertations Center. http://rave.ohiolink.edu/etdc/view?acc_num=ucin1467126649

    APA Style (7th edition)

  • Strauss, Alisa. Design by Consensus: Designing Effective Icons Using Quantitative Ethnography. 2016. University of Cincinnati, Master's thesis. OhioLINK Electronic Theses and Dissertations Center, http://rave.ohiolink.edu/etdc/view?acc_num=ucin1467126649.

    MLA Style (8th edition)

  • Strauss, Alisa. "Design by Consensus: Designing Effective Icons Using Quantitative Ethnography." Master's thesis, University of Cincinnati, 2016. http://rave.ohiolink.edu/etdc/view?acc_num=ucin1467126649

    Chicago Manual of Style (17th edition)

ucin1467126649
165
© 2016, all rights reserved.
This open access ETD is published by University of Cincinnati and OhioLINK.