Process Visualization

As I edited my process visualization, I emphasized the content of the process itself rather than focusing too much on the design elements, such as unnecessary images. I started by deleting the opening and closing images because they did not add any valuable information to my argument in favor of art therapy. After considering the feedback I received, it became clear that the meaningless images were detracting from my illustrative, design-focused, narrative presentation of informative and entertaining information. I came to the realization that no matter how nice or pretty a picture looks, if it is not actively contributing to your purpose, then, to reference Steve Stockman, it becomes necessary to cut ruthlessly.

I proceeded to comb through the slides and examine the background images I had chosen for each one. I agreed with Allison that most of the images, though attractive, distracted from the graphics I had created in Illustrator. I searched for new images that were subtle yet still contributed to the story my process visualization was trying to tell. For example, on the “How an ED Progresses” slide, I incorporated a neutral image of a woman doing yoga. This image complements the idea suggested by the illustration—that exercising to be healthy has the potential to transform into an unhealthy, disordered relationship with exercise.

On the “Combatting the Causes” slide, I removed the illustration and inserted an image of several thin models walking in a fashion show in order to improve the clarity of my message. I coupled the stirring image with a caption describing how this image relates to one of the instigators of eating disorders (i.e. pressure to look a certain way). I then moved the graphics that were previously on this slide to a new slide entitled “How an ED Progresses.” In order to make the drawings more clear and to help aid comprehension, I then decided to orient the graphics horizontally rather than vertically. My goal in making these changes was to help the audience avoid distraction and encourage them to focus their attention on the most salient points of information rather than on the design elements surrounding them. It was necessary to strike a balance between format/design quality (beauty) and my objectives (utility).

Next, I followed instructor feedback and decided to clarify the content of the graphics with short captions following each of the drawings. In this way, readers would have something they were familiar with (text) to help aid their comprehension of the flowcharts. I also decided to incorporate text along with each graphic for the sake of achieving repetition between the slides since I originally had some slides with captions and others without them. I aimed to keep the captions succinct, with one or two bolded words or phrases to contrast with the other text in each caption. My goal was to illuminate each caption’s most important points. Though targeted toward teenage girls receiving treatment for eating disorders, the process visualization satisfies a diverse audience, from readers looking for a detailed overview of art therapy to readers looking for a resource they can quickly scan for key takeaway points.

Link to process visualization pre-revision: file:///Users/jeh/Documents/Jenny%20Horton%20Process%20Visualization1.webarchive

Link to process visualization post-revision: https://spark.adobe.com/page/2zEXWBq7oNqYE/