ABSTRACT
Let there be no mistake, the interpretation of holistic messages is a process, with many opportunities for failure along the way. The design of a visual system of idioms intended to effectively convey those messages must critically account for these processes. The importance of process perspectives go beyond the design of individual artifacts, in part because the influence of visual artifacts can easily extend beyond their design intentions. Carl Weick’s discussions on enacted sensemaking demonstrate that artifacts of actions taken in the process of attempting to understand an environment not only can solidify beliefs (aspects of mental models held regarding complex contexts) but can also fundamentally set the stage for future sensemaking efforts (Weick 1988, 2010). These subsequent efforts can in turn involve actions that derive subsequent influential artifacts. Increasingly, made possible through the growth in access to data and visualization capabilities, the artifacts that emerge from sensemaking efforts are visual ones. Because they can in fact set the stage for ongoing sensemaking efforts, its best to avoid digging holes of mis-messaging that only get harder to overcome with time.
