How do designers know which elements to use when making maps, graphs, and other visual messages?
Meet the Visual Communicators—a team of scientists from the Schloss Visual Reasoning Lab who research visual messaging. In the resources below, you’ll learn about these scientists and their lab, discover why their research matters in real life, and try out an activity. Take notes as you explore!
Learn Why Research Matters
The Schloss Visual Reasoning Lab researches human reactions to messages made with visual elements like color, shape, and line. In the following video, you’ll learn about why they research this, through a real-world story about a mapmaker who uses visual messaging research to improve her designs.
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Questions to Consider:
Tanya uses the term visual hierarchy when describing how research influences her map design. In your own words, what does visual hierarchy mean?
When was the last time you used or made a map? How did you use color, shape, line, and other elements to make sense of information?
“We’re always thinking about who is going to read or use this, and how do we make the best communication tool that we can.”
Meet The Scientists
There are 4 cards to read.
Karen Schloss
Principal Investigator
I lead the Schloss Visual Reasoning Lab at UW-Madison. I conduct research projects, write papers to share our results, and train students so that they can lead their own labs in the future.
Melissa Schoenlein
Graduate Student
I work in the Schloss Visual Reasoning Lab, where I study how people use color to communicate with each other.
Kushin Mukherjee
Graduate Student
I study how the human mind makes sense of what our eyes see. I also study how we communicate about the world using drawings, maps, and diagrams. I often do this by building mathematical models.
Kudirat Alimi
Undergraduate Researcher
My work focuses on how design can be used to create positive user experiences in virtual reality. I design and create cool visual effects that users can see and interact with in VR!
You are a student scientist!
Create your own card. Add info all about you!
Ask questions!
Being a scientist means asking new questions and learning new things. Click through the topics below to ask questions of the scientists at the Schloss Visual Reasoning Lab and learn about their research.
Click on a tab above to begin.
What is your lab and what do you study there?
How does color influence how we see information?
What is a color map?
Why do you use graphs in your research?
What data visualizations do you study?
What expectations do people have about color?
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Do Science!
Science Practices Activity
Now put what you’ve learned into practice! Melissa and Lexi are exploring how color choice impacts meaning. Join them and make your own color map.
Project Credits
Producer
Ian Glodich
Coordinating Producer
Mia Forslund
Videography
Ryan Hendricks
Ian Glodich
Video Editor
Ian Glodich
Web Design
Charles Barrows
Web Development
John Vieth
Tim Schneider
Graphic and Motion Design
Charles Barrows
Steve Dorchester
Brian Lorbiecki
Amanda Roslansky
Jen Hadley
Video Captioning
Catie Pfeifer
Vicki Way Kipp
University of Wisconsin Cultural Linguistic Services
Science Education Consultant
Travis Tangen
Educator Guide and Activities
Mia Forslund
Ian Glodich
Melissa Schoenlein
Lexi Soto
Travis Tangen
Scientists
Karen Schloss, PhD
Anna Bartell
Kudirat Alimi
Kushin Mukherjee
Lexi Soto
Melissa Schoenlein
Project Partners
Morgridge Institute for
Research
Wisconsin Alumni Research Foundation
Wisconsin Institute for Discovery
Schloss Visual Reasoning Lab
Special Thanks To
Girls Inc. of Greater Madison at the Goodman Community Center
Executive Producer
Megan Monday
Director of Education
Alyssa Tsagong
Director of Television
Jon Miskowski
Educator Cohort
Joy Aragones
The Prairie School
Wind Point, WI
Kathy Biernat
Notre Dame School of Milwaukee
Milwaukee, WI
Jessica Buckley
Wedgewood Park Middle School
Milwaukee, WI
Lisa Graf
Merrill Middle School
Oshkosh, WI
Aimee Spahos
Waunakee Intermediate School
Waunakee, WI
Emily Watton
West Allis Central High School
West Allis, WI
Laurie Probst
Sheboygan Falls Middle School, Sheboygan Falls, WI (2024)
Funding Provided By
Timothy William Trout Education Fund
a gift of Monroe and Sandra Trout
Focus Fund for Education
Friends of PBS Wisconsin
Single Step Foundation