Project 1: Identifying Communication Design
Effective Design
The image to the left is a set of rules from a forum that I moderate. It is intended for everyone who posts in the roleplaying boards of this forum. In the roleplaying boards, members make original characters and create stories of various genres together. The rules for these boards are clearly located at the top when people browse the index.
The goal of the post is to explain all of the roleplaying rules to the readers, which it definitely achieved. All rules are clearly written, and explanations are present in smaller text for those who wish to read further. As a board meant for teens and young adults to enjoy while creating stories together, it is important that the rules are easy to read.
This post accomplishes this by using bold and colored text to emphasize the headers and important words. It also divides the rules into sections: rules for all roleplayers and rules for creators (not pictured). Those who do not create roleplays would not need to read the rest of the rules. The elements work together to educate members about the rules associated with the boards while also being aesthetically pleasing. Just from glancing at the headers, all necessary information is easy to skim.
Ineffective Design
To the left is an older version of the same rules. For length’s sake, only the first three rules have been pictured. The rules were still supposed to cater to the teens and young adults who intend to post in this forum, and they were once located in the same area as the current rules.
The goal of the design — to educate the members about the roleplaying boards’ rules — was also the same. However, it was clearly not achieved. As a staff member, I have had to lock numerous threads that did not meet the requirements stated in these rules. Most infractions were a result of members missing one of many points listed under “Do Not Spam.” When messaged with the proper changes to fulfill requirements, I heard numerous times that the members simply did not see the specification in the rules. This post contained almost exactly the same information as the current version, but each important point was practically unreadable.
The main problem with the rules stemmed from the fact that many points, including certain requirements for a roleplay to run, were only explained in lengthy paragraphs. Even though the page in general had pleasing formatting with proper hierarchy and bold headings, it was easy to miss important facts. Worse still, the rules looked like a legal document on a forum where people were meant to have fun and relax. The structure of the rules simply did not match the material being conveyed or the audience it was intended for.
