Osborne, Helen. “In Other Words…Using Visuals and Other Creative Tools to Make Health Messages Clear.” On Call Magazine (May 8, 2008). http://www.healthliteracy.com/article.asp?PageID=7409 (accessed March 21, 2011).
In this artice from the now defunct On-Call magazine, health literacy expert Helen Osborne describes real-life examples of how different cultures perceive visuals differently. One example she cites involves a Peace Corps volunteer who used a projector to teach residents in a rural village in Columbia about the dangers of malaria. He showed several enlarged images of mosquitoes to the villagers. At the end of his presentation, the villagers told the volunteer they didn't have a problem with mosquitoes because the ones they had were not as big as the ones shown using the projector.
Osborne also cites practical methods that writers and educators can use to make their visuals more effective to the end user. Osborne suggests teaching end users what the visuals mean. Simply creating a visual and giving it to a user can lead to misinterpretation, which can have harmful results in the field of healthcare. Osborns also recommends using line drawings rather than photographs, as photographs often contain too much information that can overwhelm and distract the audience. Combining visuals with another method, such as songs, radio announcements, and contests help users better understand and apply what they have learned. These methods also reach users outside of the target audience, which can help reinforce the concept being taught (children hearing a health message on the radio may ask their parents for more information, and the parents may teach the child about the concept).
Helen Osborne is a nationally well-known health literacy expert, and has written 5 books regarding the importance of health literacy, and how best to communicate with patients. She used to write a column for On-Call magazine, published by the Boston Globe. Her personal website is full of articles and poscasts designed for health professionals and writers. This article is useful to my research as it cites specific examples of how people with low literacy, or people from different cultures understand visuals differently. While it doesn't specifically mention participatory design, she describes methods for creating visuals that involve the end user.
In this artice from the now defunct On-Call magazine, health literacy expert Helen Osborne describes real-life examples of how different cultures perceive visuals differently. One example she cites involves a Peace Corps volunteer who used a projector to teach residents in a rural village in Columbia about the dangers of malaria. He showed several enlarged images of mosquitoes to the villagers. At the end of his presentation, the villagers told the volunteer they didn't have a problem with mosquitoes because the ones they had were not as big as the ones shown using the projector.
Osborne also cites practical methods that writers and educators can use to make their visuals more effective to the end user. Osborne suggests teaching end users what the visuals mean. Simply creating a visual and giving it to a user can lead to misinterpretation, which can have harmful results in the field of healthcare. Osborns also recommends using line drawings rather than photographs, as photographs often contain too much information that can overwhelm and distract the audience. Combining visuals with another method, such as songs, radio announcements, and contests help users better understand and apply what they have learned. These methods also reach users outside of the target audience, which can help reinforce the concept being taught (children hearing a health message on the radio may ask their parents for more information, and the parents may teach the child about the concept).
Helen Osborne is a nationally well-known health literacy expert, and has written 5 books regarding the importance of health literacy, and how best to communicate with patients. She used to write a column for On-Call magazine, published by the Boston Globe. Her personal website is full of articles and poscasts designed for health professionals and writers. This article is useful to my research as it cites specific examples of how people with low literacy, or people from different cultures understand visuals differently. While it doesn't specifically mention participatory design, she describes methods for creating visuals that involve the end user.
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