INFORMATION/INSTRUCTIONAL DESIGN

DEFINITION:

Information/Instructional Design is the development of an organised method of communicating complex instructions while ensuring they are easily translated to their audience/user. Its is the process of arranging unorganised information/data into clear and comprehensible communication. It's a way to display information in effective ways in order to make more coherent sense of it enabling for fast interpretation and learning. 

Information/Instructional design is a collaboration of semiotics, graphs, maps, typography and data in one clear piece. As Charles Reigeluth in Instructional-Design Theories and Models shows us, Instructional Design "describes a variety of methods of instruction (different ways of facilitating human learning and development), and when to use and when not to use each of these methods". 

Information Design on the other hand is the display of informative information or statical data.

EXAMPLES:

Here is an example of Instructional and Informative Design documenting the process of an Interactive Design according to a users experience.

A full description of this model can be found here Jesse James Garrett's Elements of User Experience.

The Sydney Rail Map is another example of Information/Instructional Design. Guiding us through the complex entwined path of railway lines and informing us of stations. This is an example of a Navigational Information Graphic.

A statical approach to Information Design would be less navigational and instructional but more a clear display of data. Like shown here in this famous Charles Joseph Minard map documenting Napoleon's Army 1912 crusade.

An Instructional graphic would be one displaying instructions to do something to its audience. For example these hand washing instructions are an Instructional Graphic.