The summer school theory cards

When we launched a Certificate of Higher Education training programme in information design at the University of Reading in 2010,¹ we used flashcards to introduce key theories that underlie information design practice. Later, we used them in the Information Design Summer School.

The A6 format forces the writer to summarise in the extreme – brave for those used to the cautious style of traditional academic writing. Most cards carry a short definition, and a practical application of the concept – in effect it is the elevator pitch for the idea.

The cards are used to introduce theoretical concepts as they arise through practical encounters with documents. As we look at real documents, tutors introduce theory cards opportunistically.

For example, if someone mentions that two things appear related but inappropriately so on a page, the tutor can take that the opportunity to introduce the appropriate gestalt perceptual principle.

Or if someone mentions that a sentence is very long convoluted, the tutor might introduce the concept of cognitive load.

So the cards become a compact physical instantiation of the concept, literally on the table as students discuss documents.

This physicality is materially different from the availability of the same concepts in textbooks or online. Their physical presence makes them available at a glance for the discussion in hand, not reliant on memory. 

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