Appendix (a checklist)

on the use of information design /

1. framework and fundamentals

a) determine the purpose of the system:
- internal system?
- external system?

b) begin the design play by:
- defining necessary project steps
- establishing process workflows
- identifying targeted users
- distinguishing system user's activities
- instituting communication channels with users and design team
- implementing a useful, reliable system

c) constitute a design team

d) identify user group and environments:
- conduct user surveys
- indentify variables
- identify human activities using system
- consider training and education

2. organising cultures (ecological and cognitive approaches)

a) define and "read" the client organisation:
- locate an organisation chart
- interview individuals from "all levels" of the organisation
to discuss the organizational hierarchy
- ask respondents to identify seats of power and sources of information,
both formal and informal
- request a copy of an annual report or other documentation
discussing the work of the organisation
- collect other 'artefacts' of the organisation
(t-shirts, brochures, pens, examples of employee awards, etc)

b) explore the organisation using ethnographic research tools:
- observation
- interviews with members of the client organisation
- focus groups
- case studies

3. communicating with stakeholders

a) know who should be involved:
- advisory commitee
- management commitee

b) keeping them informed:
- email
- mailing lists
- online forums
- information packets

c) provide space for interaction:
- meetings
- teleconferencing
- on-site visits

d) secure plans and ideas:
- content management
- track progress
- project management

4. managing scenario design projects and knowledge

a) determine who and what will be managed

b) strategic planning and goal setting

c) project management principles:
- establish project goals
- evaluate and select project goals
i. goal relatedness
ii. feasibility
iii. efficiency
iv. effectiveness or impact?

d) manage project knowledge:
- implement a network accessible database to share project data
- establish and agree upon
'group communication systems'
- develop an online forum that interfaces with a searchable database to collect
expertise and contact information
- establish a standard for subject fields and descriptors

5. presentation of ideas

a) establish a knowledge community:
- identify types of stakeholder:
i. internal
ii. external

b) plan for data management:
- sharable data
- data quality
- physical data
- digital data

c) determine technologies appropriate for stakeholders and design team:
- high tech or low tech?
- dynamic data display
- data analysis
- multimedia or mixed media?

6. life cycle of ideas

a) determine the type of ideas
- ideas and knowledge
- ideas and documents
- ideas and assets

b) rationale for idea management:
- internal training
- evaluation of idea management:
i. on-time delivery
ii. productivity
iii. employee turnover
iv. cost-savings
- challenges to idea management:
i. business competition
ii. client turnover
iii. quality control
iv. post-project management

7. documentation and prototyping

a) setting prototype standards

b) documentation of stakeholder studies and system development

c) approaches to prototyping in system design:
- paper
- storyboards
- task analysis
- walk through method to test structure