Transcript Communication

PBA Front-End Programming
Communication
Communication
Why do we communicate…?
Communication
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•
•
•
Pass information
Persuation
Coordination
…?
Communication
Communication
Why do we make websites…?
Communication
• The purpose of a website is to communicate!
• The purpose of a website is (usually) not to
demonstrate technical brilliance 
• What can we do with this wonderful web
programming technology…?
• How can we implement this wonderful web
design…?
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• Specific purposes of communication can be as
diverse for websites as for real life:
– Pass information [READ THIS!]
– Persuation [BUY THIS!]
– Coordination [DO THIS!]
• There are obvious overlaps…
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• What is the specific purpose (with regards to
communication) for a website for:
– A political party (UK Labor Party)
– An online bookstore (Amazon)
– A web design tutorial (WebStyleGuide)
– An aid organisation (Red Cross)
– An online universe for kids (Club Penguin)
– A social media (Facebook)
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• How does communication work…?
Communication
• Computers are lucky!
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• In the ideal world
– The sender has a certain ”mental state” about
some information
– The sender communicates something about this
information to the receiver
– The receiver is now in the same ”mental state”
about this information
Communication
• Humans don’t work like that…
Oh John,
listen, I’ve
decided to
come out of
the closet!
What were
you doing
inside a
closet…?
Communication
• What hinders ”perfect communication”?
– Language (verbal and non-verbal)
– Noise (actual and ”semantic”)
– Context (culture, background, assumptions,…)
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• Many theories and frameworks for
analysis of communication
• One prominent theory/model:
Social Constructionism
• The Constructionist View: ”How
you say something determines
what the message is”
• Cannot separate form and content
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• If we accept the Constructionist View, what
are the consequences?
– No absolute truths
– No absolute messages
– People – and groups of people – construct their
own reality (consensus reality), so…
– Always consider the point-of-view of the receiver
of any information
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• Consensus reality
– Is Nike the best brand of sports shoes…or have
enough people agreed that it is so?
– Is Global Warming a scientific fact…or have
enough people agreed that it is so?
– Is Facebook the best website for social interaction…or have enough people agreed that it is
so?
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• Cognitive bias
– The tendency for people to make ”poor”
decisions, based on a particular situation
– Is this relevant when designing websites…?
– Depending on your purpose – cognitive bias can
be ”exploited”
– Example: Red Cross (I would rather help ”this one
child”, than all these anonymous thousands…)
Communication