Ken Thomas - Instructional Designer | Instructional Design Job Aids & White Papers | Graphic Examples



Graphic Examples

The decriptions below classify the graphics according to various categories discussed in Ruth Clark & Chopeta Lyons' book Graphics for Learning. Many of these concepts are overviewed in the BOOK REPORT on this site.

Thumbnail Description
Ruth Clark's Visual Design Model. This text-based job aid is laid out using basic graphic concepts, and uses a graphic to cluster and divide the major phases of the process to follow in the design of your instructional images.

Content Type:
Process
Communicative Function:
Organizational
Psychological Function:
Minimize Cognitive Load
Explanatory Type:
Organizational

Springboard Dive. Illustrates the transformation of the diver's body over time throughout the key "frames" of the dive.

Content Type:
Procedure
Communicative Function:
Transformational
Psychological Function:
Support Transfer of Learning
Explanatory Type:
Transformational

The Primary Survey (ABCs). Illustrates the Primary Survey when arriving at the scene of an emergency. Presents graphic representations of each phase of the survey, organized as the mnemonic "ABCs" -- A = Airway (establish an airway), B = Breathing (look, listen, & feel for breathing), & C = Circulation (check pulse for circulation).

Content Type:
Procedures
Communicative Function:
Representational, Mnemonic, Transformational
Psychological Function:
Build Mental Models, Support Transfer of Learning
Explanatory Type:
Transformational

Camera Parts Diagram. Labels parts using call-outs from a simple line drawing schematic.

Content Type:
Facts
Communicative Function:
Representational
Psychological Function:
Support Attention, Minimize Cognitive Load
Explanatory Type:
Interpretive

Account Number Structure. Illustrates how an account number is structured.

Content Type:
Facts
Communicative Function:
Organizational
Psychological Function:
Support Attention, Activate or Build Prior Knowledge
Explanatory Type:
Organizational

Man Pointing out Screen Area. A whimsical avatar pointing out various screen regions.

Content Type:
Facts
Communicative Function:
Decorative, Representational
Psychological Function:
Support Attention, Support Motivation
Explanatory Type:
Organizational

Tape Recorder Parts Diagram. Labels parts using call-outs from a simple line drawing schematic.

Content Type:
Facts
Communicative Function:
Representational
Psychological Function:
Support Attention, Minimize Cognitive Load
Explanatory Type:
Interpretive

Course Menu - Report Writer. Layout of the menu items illustrates the relationship between them.

Content Type:
Concepts
Communicative Function:
Organizational
Psychological Function:
Build Mental Models
Explanatory Type:
Organizational

Photo vs. Line Drawing. Compares the use of a photo to a line drawing. (In this particular case, the simplified line drawing reduces the cognitive load and increases the clarity.)

Content Type:
Procedure
Communicative Function:
Representational, Transformational
Psychological Function:
Support Attention (arrows), Minimize Cognitive Load, Support Transfer of Learning
Explanatory Type:
Transformational

Screen Elements with Call Outs. Defines the various elements of the screen using callouts.

Content Type:
Facts
Communicative Function:
Representational
Psychological Function:
Support Attention, Minimize Cognitive Load
Explanatory Type:
Interpretive

Heart Parts Diagram. Labels parts using call-outs from a simple line drawing schematic.

Content Type:
Facts
Communicative Function:
Representational
Psychological Function:
Support Attention, Minimize Cognitive Load
Explanatory Type:
Interpretive

Juggling Clubs. Illustrates the key frames of the juggling process using lines and arrows to show the path and direction of the clubs.

Content Type:
Process
Communicative Function:
Transformational
Psychological Function:
Build Mental Models
Explanatory Type:
Transformational

Reflection. Illustrates the reflective properties of light, then compares reflection on a smooth surface to the diffusion caused by textured surfaces.

Content Type:
Principles
Communicative Function:
Interpretive
Psychological Function:
Minimize Cognitive Load, Build Mental Models
Explanatory Type:
Interpretive

pH Scale. Uses a scale metaphor to create a mental model of how to use various chemicals to increase or decrease pH levels in a swimming pool.

Content Type:
Concepts, Principles, Facts
Communicative Function:
Relational, Interpretive
Psychological Function:
Build Mental Models, Activate or Build Prior Knowledge
Explanatory Type:
Interpretive

Skeleton Parts Diagram. Labels parts using call-outs from a simple line drawing schematic. (Notice the whimsical style of the NOLS hand-drawn diagram. All sketches in the NOLS series share this style – imagine the disconnect this graphic would create when combined with more formal medical illustrations.)

Content Type:
Facts
Communicative Function:
Representational
Psychological Function:
Support Attention, Minimize Cognitive Load
Explanatory Type:
Interpretive

Procedure Demo - Flash Animation. Sychronizes attention cues (arrows and highlights) with audio to demonstrate the steps of a procedure.

Content Type:
Procedure
Communicative Function:
Representational, Transformational
Psychological Function:
Support Attention, Support Transfer of Learning, Support Motivation
Explanatory Type:
Transformational

Flight Safety - Crash Positions. Illustrates various "safe" positions for a crash... if there is such a thing.

Content Type:
Concepts, Procedures
Communicative Function:
Representational
Psychological Function:
Minimize Cognitive Load, Build Mental Models, Support Transfer of Learning, Support Motivation
Explanatory Type:
Transformational, Interpretive

Flight Safety - Emergency Exit. Illustrates the process of removing the door and exiting the airplane.

Content Type:
Procedures
Communicative Function:
Transformational
Psychological Function:
Support Attention, Build Mental Models, Support Transfer of Learning
Explanatory Type:
Transformational

Flight Safety - Emergency Exit. Illustrates the process of removing the door and exiting the airplane.

Content Type:
Procedures
Communicative Function:
Transformational
Psychological Function:
Support Attention, Build Mental Models, Support Transfer of Learning
Explanatory Type:
Transformational

Flight Safety - Emergency Exits. Illustrates the airplane's emergency exits.

Content Type:
Facts
Communicative Function:
Representational
Psychological Function:
Support Attention, Minimize Cognitive Load, Build Mental Models
Explanatory Type:
Interpretive

Flight Safety - Using Your Life Vest. Flight Safety Brochure - Illustrates the process of finding, donning, and inflating your life vest.

Content Type:
Procedures
Communicative Function:
Transformational
Psychological Function:
Support Attention, Build Mental Models, Support Transfer of Learning
Explanatory Type:
Transformational

Flight Safety - Helping Others with Their Life Vests. Illustrates the concept of adults putting their own life vest on before assisting others.

Content Type:
Procedures
Communicative Function:
Transformational
Psychological Function:
Build Mental Models, Support Transfer of Learning
Explanatory Type:
Transformational

Flight Safety - Using Your Oxygen Mask. Illustrates the process of getting and attaching oxygen mask, and illustrates putting their own mask on before helping others.

Content Type:
Procedures
Communicative Function:
Transformational
Psychological Function:
Support Attention, Build Mental Models, Support Transfer of Learning
Explanatory Type:
Transformational

Flight Safety - Using Your Seat Cushion. Illustrates the fact that the seat cushion can be used as a floatation device.

Content Type:
Facts
Communicative Function:
Representational
Psychological Function:
Support Attention, Build Mental Models
Explanatory Type:
Transformational

Dante's Circles of Hell (from Dante's Inferno). Illustrates Dante's vision of the levels of Hell.

Content Type:
Concepts
Communicative Function:
Organizational, Interpretive
Psychological Function:
Build Mental Models
Explanatory Type:
Interpretive

Dante's Geocentric Universe (from Dante's Paradise). Illustrates Dante's vision of the Universe.

Content Type:
Concepts
Communicative Function:
Organizational, Interpretive, Minimize Cognitive Load
Psychological Function:
Build Mental Models
Explanatory Type:
Interpretive

The Intelligence Machine. Illustrates how military intelligence is gathered, collected, and distributed.

Content Type:
Concepts
Communicative Function:
Representational, Organizational, Interpretive
Psychological Function:
Build Mental Models, Minimize Cognitive Load
Explanatory Type:
Organizational, Interpretive

Intelligence at Sea. Illustrates how military intelligence is gathered at sea.

Interesting geographic diagram. Includes cutaway geography and multiple planes (bottom of the sea, surface of the sea, surface of the land, air, & space).

Content Type:
Concepts
Communicative Function:
Representational, Organizational, Interpretive
Psychological Function:
Build Mental Models, Minimize Cognitive Load
Explanatory Type:
Organizational, Interpretive

Tying a Bow Tie. Illustrates the key states in tying a bow tie. (For those who have tied a bow tie, you may find two more states would have been helpful!)

Content Type:
Procedures
Communicative Function:
Transformational
Psychological Function:
Minimize Cognitive Load, Build Mental Models
Explanatory Type:
Transformational

Tying a Neck Tie. Illustrates the key steps in tying a Windsor knot.

Content Type:
Procedures
Communicative Function:
Transformational
Psychological Function:
Minimize Cognitive Load, Build Mental Models
Explanatory Type:
Transformational

HIV Infection Process. Illustrates the key phases of the infection process.

Content Type:
Processes
Communicative Function:
Transformational
Psychological Function:
Minimize Cognitive Load, Build Mental Models
Explanatory Type:
Transformational

The Great Nest. Illustrates the conceptualization of how levels of reality and levels of self relate.

Content Type:
Concepts
Communicative Function:
Interpretive
Psychological Function:
Build Mental Models
Explanatory Type:
Interpretive

The Great Nest in Various Traditions. Illustrates how the Great Nest (above) is applied by various religions / traditions.

Content Type:
Concepts
Communicative Function:
Interpretive
Psychological Function:
Build Mental Models
Explanatory Type:
Interpretive

Integral Theorists Quadrants. Categorizes theorists according to two dimensions.

Content Type:
Concepts
Communicative Function:
Organizational, Interpretive
Psychological Function:
Build Mental Models
Explanatory Type:
Organizational, Interpretive

Point of Sale System. Illustrates the basic configuration of a Point of Sale system (retail shops, online store, and PC connect to a back-end server via virtual private networks over the Internet).

Content Type:
Concepts
Communicative Function:
Organizational, Interpretive
Psychological Function:
Build Mental Models, Minimize Cognitive Load
Explanatory Type:
Organizational, Interpretive
Graphic Table of Contents. Illustrates key concepts from chapters of the book "You Don't Have to Come Home from Work Exhausted."

Content Type:
Concepts
Communicative Function:
Organizational, Interpretive
Psychological Function:
Build Mental Models, Minimize Cognitive Load, Motivate Learning, Direct Attention
Explanatory Type:
Organizational, Interpretive
Chaindumping. Illustrates the concept "chaindumping" from the book "You Don't Have to Come Home from Work Exhausted."

Content Type:
Concepts
Communicative Function:
Interpretive
Psychological Function:
Build Mental Models, Minimize Cognitive Load, Motivate Learning, Direct Attention
Explanatory Type:
Interpretive
Brain Hemispheres. Illustrates left versus right brain concepts from the book "You Don't Have to Come Home from Work Exhausted."

Content Type:
Concepts
Communicative Function:
Interpretive
Psychological Function:
Build Mental Models, Minimize Cognitive Load, Motivate Learning, Direct Attention
Explanatory Type:
Interpretive
Super Human Syndrome. Illustrates the "Superhuman Syndrom" concept from the book "You Don't Have to Come Home from Work Exhausted."

Content Type:
Concepts
Communicative Function:
Interpretive
Psychological Function:
Build Mental Models, Minimize Cognitive Load, Motivate Learning, Direct Attention
Explanatory Type:
Interpretive


Bibliography

Barbazette, Jean. (2006). Training needs assessment: Methods, tools, and techniques. Pfeiffer.