61 research outputs found
Mapping and Spatial Analysis to Expand Rural Broadband Access
High-speed broadband internet access is a critically important issue for many aspects of daily life, yet populations in rural areas are often unserved or underserved with reliable internet connectivity. Expanding broadband internet coverage in rural areas may have significant economic potential, especially since it enables precision farming which in turn increases yields, particularly for row crops such as corn and soybeans. This paper introduces methods that utilize GIS spatial analysis and remote sensing to assist in efforts to expand rural broadband access using case study counties in Illinois. Specifically, the methods presented here: (1) quantify current cropland production as well as future potential production in currently unserved or underserved rural areas; and (2) automate mapping of vertical assets from Light Detection and Ranging (LiDAR) data that may be utilized as high points to expand broadband coverage. Collectively, these methodologies may be used for policy advocacy and to inform the decision-making process as future broadband expansion initiatives are considered in rural areas
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Designing information for families caring for people with dementia
A health communication project, to develop information to support families caring for people with dementia, is described. Close collaboration of designers with carers â âexperts by experienceâ â and clinicians and other professionals â âexperts by trainingâ â was used. Carer consultation led to a printed (rather than digital) handbook. An iterative process of carer and clinician consultation and design shaped the material form of the handbook. Carersâ needs for different kinds of information were met by a modular approach, and tailored module design. Evaluation following distribution of the handbook suggested it improved carersâ understanding of dementia significantly compared to the information from diverse sources supplied previously. It did not, however, influence peopleâs confidence in their ability to care, which appeared to be supported better through carer education courses. The specific contribution of information design and its potential for delivering return on investment are discussed
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Research in graphic design
An invited and reviewed opinion piece about the current state of research in graphic/communication design
How to Test Mandatory Text Templates: The European Patient Information Leaflet
The structure of patient information leaflets (PILs) supplied with medicines in the European Union is largely determined by a regulatory template, requiring a fixed sequence of pre-formulated headings and sub-headings. The template has been criticized on various occasions, but it has never been tested with users. This paper proposes an alternative template, informed by templates used in the USA and Australia, and by previous user testing.The main research question is whether the revision better enables users to find relevant information. Besides, the paper proposes a methodology for testing templates. Testing document templates is complex, as they are âemptyâ. For both the current and the alternative template, we produced a document with bogus text and real headings (reflecting the empty template) and a real-life document with readable text (reflecting the âfilledâ template). The documents were tested both in Dutch and in English, with 64 British and 64 Dutch users. The test used a set of scenario questions that covers the full range of template (sub)topics; users needed to indicate the text locations where they expected each question to be answered. The revised template improved findability of information; this effect was strongest for the âfilledâ template with readable text. When participants were shown both filled templates, there was a clear preference for the revised template. A closer analysis of the findability data revealed question-specific effects of topic grouping, topic ordering, subtopic granularity and wording of headings. Most of these favoured the revised template, but our revision led to adverse effects as well, for instance in the new heading Check with your doctor. Language-specific effects showed that the wording of the headings is a delicate task. Generally, we conclude that document template designs can be analyzed in terms of the four parameters grouping, ordering, granularity and wording. Furthermore, they need to be tested on their effects on information findability, with template translations requiring separate testing. The methodology used in this study seems an appropriate one for such tests. More specifically, we find that the new patient information leaflet template proposed here provides better information findability
The visual and material dimensions of legitimacy:Accounting and the search for Socie-ties
We are grateful to the Fondation Audencia for the financial support provided for our archival research.The aim of this article is to contribute to the literature on legitimacy by investigating its material and visual dimensions. By drawing on studies on rhetoric as a means of composing visions of social order and on an historical analysis of accounts in three paradigmatic eras (Roman times, Renaissance and Modernity), it shows how symmetry in accounts constituted an aesthetic code which tied members of a community together in âsocie-tiesâ. We investigate the rhetorical process of ratiocinatio and explore how the visual and material dimensions of accounts provided social actors with an opportunity to explore their positions and ties within a community. This process augmented social actorsâ understanding of their current relations by reducing them to a series of entries into an account, thus allowing them to reflect on what it meant to be a legitimate member of a society.PostprintPeer reviewe
Judgments of Size Change Trends in Static and Animated Graduated Circle Displays
Despite the abundance of research on the perception of information presented as graduated or proportional circles on static maps, such experiments have been rare for animated map displays. However, such experimental results might be beneficial for selecting optimal methods for depicting temporal change on graduated circle maps. In the present experiment, participants judged whether a greater number of circles in an n x n array increased or decreased during a 1500-millisecond (ms) observation interval. The variable n represented values of 6, 8, and 10,and all circles changed size (some larger, some smaller) from a common starting size either in a discrete shift (static condition) in the middle of the observation interval, or in a smooth, apparently continuous shift (animated condition) over the same interval. In addition, the size changes were relatively small, moderate, or large. The proportion of âmore biggerâ judgments, plotted against the actual proportions of enlarged circles, produced an ogive function (a cumulative normal) with similar slopes in all conditions. However, the bias towards âbiggerâ judgments increased with the size discrepancies between the initial and final circle diameters, and the bias towards âbiggerâ judgments was greater for animated than for static circle diameter changes. The results are interpreted in terms of attentional precedence for larger items and also for those that appear to be continuously increasing in size (looming). These results have implications for the presentation of information on static and animated graduated circle maps
Judgments of Size Change Trends in Static and Animated Graduated Circle Displays
Despite the abundance of research on the perception of information presented as graduated or proportional circles on static maps, such experiments have been rare for animated map displays. However, such experimental results might be beneficial for selecting optimal methods for depicting temporal change on graduated circle maps. In the present experiment, participants judged whether a greater number of circles in an n x n array increased or decreased during a 1500-millisecond (ms) observation interval. The variable n represented values of 6, 8, and 10,and all circles changed size (some larger, some smaller) from a common starting size either in a discrete shift (static condition) in the middle of the observation interval, or in a smooth, apparently continuous shift (animated condition) over the same interval. In addition, the size changes were relatively small, moderate, or large. The proportion of âmore biggerâ judgments, plotted against the actual proportions of enlarged circles, produced an ogive function (a cumulative normal) with similar slopes in all conditions. However, the bias towards âbiggerâ judgments increased with the size discrepancies between the initial and final circle diameters, and the bias towards âbiggerâ judgments was greater for animated than for static circle diameter changes. The results are interpreted in terms of attentional precedence for larger items and also for those that appear to be continuously increasing in size (looming). These results have implications for the presentation of information on static and animated graduated circle maps
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