UArt MID Language Project

LanguageFraser Marshall Yu-Ching Hung Justin Witman

MID & UArts Finance Office

Language

We were approached by Bill Mea, the Chief Finance Officer, to help him communicate important financial information to the larger school community. Our target was to create a presentation style for the “State of the Union” finance address to the school.The aim was to begin creating information that was transparent and encouraged conversation between the Finance Office and the larger school campus.

Intro-2

It was clear from our first meeting with the CFO that we were dealing with an issue of communication and language styles.As an accountant, the CFO was accustomed to talking in numbers. However, he was presenting to an audience of artists, designers and musicians. What type of language would be best for this audience to understand?

Intro-3

RIGHT BRAIN LANGUAGELEFT BRAIN LANGUAGE

Understanding

As we knew, the CFO used numbers to communicate information. This is a very left brain centric method, which may not be effective at communicating to right brain biased artists, designers and musician. Research has shown that right brained professions communicate more effectively using images, visuals, emotions and patterns. Therefore we began investigating the potential of infographics.

Deciphering language

From collaborating with the CFO, we began to decipher the information he wanted to communicate to the school during his upcoming presentation.

THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA

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$= 100K

Annual Budget411K

Annual Actual623K

Extra Surplus+212K

Creating a new language

Infographics were created using the following criteria:The use of iconography to indicate money.A visual affordance of green signifying positive and red signifying negative money.Sequential slides that build on previous slides to allow audience understanding.

Operating Revenue-804K


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+19KNet tuition andfees for credit

+79KAuxiliary enterprises

-207KNet tuition and fees

for Cont. Studies

-461KAnnual fund

-166KOther investment

income

Infographic prototype

-135KGrad assistants/student employment

+475KNo Jan 1st salary increase

+405KHiring freeze

+84KContinuing Studiessavings

+200KReserved funds from Operations/IT


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+Saved Expenses

+1016KOperating Revenue

-804K


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for Cont. Studies

-461KAnnual fund


income


-135KGrad assistants/student employment

+475KNo Jan 1st salary increase

+405KHiring freeze

+84KContinuing Studiessavings

+200KReserved funds from Operations/IT


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100100 100


$


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+Saved Expenses

+1016KOperating Revenue

-804K


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$


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for Cont. Studies

-461KAnnual fund


income

Extra Revenue+212K


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=


Presentation

The CFO used these infographics to present information on the financial predictions for the end of 2009 and the upcoming 2010 school year.

Presentation

An audience consisting of school faculty and staff still had major questions regarding the financial information they were being presented with.

Phase II

The Process

Phase 1developing language

Bill

CLIENTS

DESIGNERS

School Community

studioNEXT PresentationInfographics


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benefits?sabaticals?


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“I need the right language”

Phase 2refining language and developing the story

Bill GraphicDesign

Prototype 1 Co-design Prototype 2

FacultyCouncil


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“we want more story”

“graphics needwork”

The first stage of this project was completed. We had created a new language for the CFO to communicate financial information to the school. However, although the CFO was happy with the infographics, it was clear from his presentation that the audience still had some concerns.

Phase 1developing language

Bill

CLIENTS

DESIGNERS

School Community

studioNEXT PresentationInfographics


100

100100 100



100

100100


benefits?sabaticals?


100

100100 100



100

100100


“I need the right language”

Phase 2refining language and developing the story

Bill GraphicDesign

Prototype 1 Co-design Prototype 2

FacultyCouncil


100

100100 100



100

100100


“we want more story”

“graphics needwork”

Process

For the next phase of the project to succeed we would have to engage with not only the CFO, but also the faculty and staff.What issues and concerns did the faculty and staff have? In order to find out, we had engage with them and bring their voice and opinion into the design process?

In every group there are always complex internal issues that make everyday life a struggle. By co-designing with the faculty and staff we hoped discover their concerns and questions regarding financial information communication in the school. By engaging them in this process we hoped to promote autonomy in order to create a more unified solution.

Co-design

Autonomy means being in control of your own life. We hoped that by getting the faculty and staff to help co-design a group solution, it would not only creates a better informed solution but, also one that everyone collectively owned.

Autonomy

Autonomy helps groups become invested, because everyone feels like the own the solution. This helps boost the collective action of problem solving.

Collective action

Interviewing

With our foundation rooted in Human-centered design, we believe that the key to helping groups design solutions, starts with interviewing. This is where you can gather the most rich and true information about a group.

Therefore, we began a series of interviews with members of the staff and faculty council.

Collaborative refinement

The more often the our team actively engaged the faculty in the process, the more excited and invested they became in helping us develop the solutions.We revisted some of the faculty to collaborate on an iterative process of refining the infographic style. We continually redeveloped and adjusted to get it just right for the most impact.



Interviewing

Interviewing

Interviewing

Story Development

Interviewing

Story development

Great storytellers not only know the right words to say, but also the right way to say them. it’s not simply adequate to deliver the dry facts, and this project is no different. In the case of this project we discovered after further interviewing that the goal was not to graphic design a better presentation. Our goal was to help the presentation tell a story of finances and of staff concerns. It became a visual story as well as a verbal story.

Story development

“Speak about restoration, not gifts”

“It would be great to use the Faculty Council as a sounding board”

“We need a more clear distillation method for financial information”

“More of a dialogue, even if we cant change the reality of the numbers”

“It would be great to have a full picture of the options”

Anxieties and needs

Bill Larry Anna

Liberal Arts

Themes

DetailsClaritySensitivityAcknowledgementPrioritizingAwareness

DeliveryMethodologyDetails

MediaDeliveryMethodologyClarity

AccountancyDeliveryMethodologyAesthetics

DesignDeliveryMethodologyClarity

Administration

Jack Mary Peter Amy Sara

Faculty CouncilFacultyFinance Staff Council

“Speak about restoration, not gifts”

“It would be great to use the Faculty Council as a sounding board”

“We need a more clear distillation method for financial information”

“More of a dialogue, even if we cant change the reality of the numbers”

“It would be great to have a full picture of the options”

Story development

VISUALDATA

VERBALDATA

FINANCIALDATA

EXPANDEDSTORY

Facilitation

Phase I

an incomplete story questions about the storyPragmatic(visual language)

infographics

Pragmatic(visual language)

infographics refinement

contentprioritytoneawarenesssensitivityacknowledgement

Psychology(verbal language)

Phase 2

+ conversation about the story

a more complete story

Story development

FacultyDesigners FacultyFacultyFinance

Design as facilitation

Our role initially places us between the Finance Office and the Faculty. It is our role to act as a facilitator between the two group.

FacultyFinance

Facilitator

owner

Future model

We can’t stay forever. We have begun identifying a future facilitator and owner within the group, to carry on the project after we leave. Designing solution is great, but when we can get the group to design it’s own solutions it is much stronger solution and it lasts much longer.

Phase 1ResearchSingle clientInfographic prototype

PragmaticPsychological

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Future

Process summary


Phase 2ResearchIncreased clientsInfographic iterationStory developmentCo-designOwnership


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Future

Process summary


Phase 2ResearchIncreased clientsInfographic iterationStory developmentCo-designOwnershipPhase 3 - future

ResearchIncreased clientsInfographic iterationStory tellingConversationCo-designIncreased ownershipLearning

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Future

Process summary





Phase 3 - futureResearchIncreased clientsInfographic iterationStory tellingConversationCo-designIncreased ownershipLearning

Phase 4 - futureResearchInfographic iterationStory iterationConversationCo-designFacilitatorIncreased ownershipLearning

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Future

Process summary




Phase 3 - futureResearchIncreased clientsInfographic iterationStory tellingConversationCo-designIncreased ownershipLearning

Phase 4 - futureResearchInfographic iterationStory iterationConversationCo-designFacilitatorIncreased ownershipLearning

Phase 5 - futureResearchInfographic iterationStory telling iterationConversationCo-designIncreased ownershipLearningHandover

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Future

Process summary

Acknowledgements

Finance Office:Bill Mea and Staff

FacultyLarry Bach

Faculty CouncilAnna BeresinMary MartinAmy FeinbergPeter RoseJack DeWitt

Staff CouncilSara Olsen

Thanks to:

UArt MID Language Project

Economy & Finance

dollars100 207k100

knet tuition

infographic prototype

annual fund

audience of artists

language styles

type of language

larger school community