week 9: 3 points & a quesiton

• In digital publishing and electronic communication, the role of the “reader” becomes more interactive and less passive. The “user” interacts with the digital environment differently from the way a reader uses a print-based text. In designing a document, particularly a digital document, it is important to consider the changing role of the reader/user.

• Lupton discredits the assumption that icons are a more universal mode of communication than text. She suggests that using icons across cultures actually requires more explanation because it is necessary to then explain those icons in different languages.

• Lupton also offers a slightly different take on the use of white space in design: “In order to help readers make connections and comparisons as well as to find information quickly, a single surface packed with well-organized information is sometimes better than multiple pages with a lot of blank space” (75)

Question:
What do you think of Lupton’s ideas about white space in light of what White and Williams have said about it?