Research Information System
Thesis Type: Doctorate
Institution Of The Thesis: Gazi Üniversitesi, Eğitim Bilimleri Enstitüsü, Turkey
Approval Date: 2018
Student: NUR CEMELELİOĞLU ALTIN
Supervisor: ALEV KURU
Abstract:Data is one of the most valuable concepts of the modern age. Data transfer is literally everywhere in every area of human life, from basic needs to social relations. It is necessary to produce and consume data in order to sustain the modern life from personal data to those on a global scale. However, what matters most is the easy access and pellucidity of data for everyone in the environment of extensive flow of information. Designers have a significant role in data transfer, who extract, process and simplify the huge amount of complex, numeric and dispersed data and produce new connections and stories. Therefore, it is required to train designers capable of analytical thinking, analyzing, building hierarchical structures and using graphics and visuals effectively. It is very important for students who are studying visual communication, communication design or graphic design to develop themselves about visual information transfer by approaching the data stack as a creative environment. The research has been carried out with the aim of revealing the place of data visualization and infographic disciplines in design education, which is increasingly important in changing design practices. Firstly, this research provides conceptual information about the data visualization and infographic disciplines that have developed in recent years. They have been comprehensively addressed through providing their definitions, differences, historical development, fields, and environment of application and visual perception processes. In order to address their place in design education, the lessons that these disciplines are given in the direction of the opinions of academicians, experts, and students working in the industry have been examined in a versatile way using quantitative and qualitative research methods. First of all, an expectation scale was applied to the students at the beginning of the semester and then the opinions of all working groups were taken with semi-structured interview method. Then, content analysis has been utilized to analyze the qualitative data and they are comparatively analyzed with the result of the expectation scale when required. As a result, it has been concluded that giving a place to the field of infographics and data visualization within the design education helps students to analyze and fictionalize the extensive cluster of information and transfer it in an aesthetical and effective manner and to produce more creative visual solutions, to learn proper graphics and diagrams, to grasp the importance of research in design, to think about the design beyond the data by approaching design in an interdisciplinary manner, and to acquire problem-solving ability by developing intellectually and to reflect their learnings to their future projects. Accordingly, some suggestions have been put forward for the future studies.