We (as in all of humanity) generate more data in two days than we did from the dawn of time through 2003. Go back and read that again. 2003. (Oh, and that reference from Google's Eric Schmidt is already aging - is it every single day now?) As data has increased, we have evolved into a society of scanners - we scan the page, we scan our email, we scan everything looking for a nugget of information that is worth our time, the scarcest of resources. I developed the 4X4 Model for Knowledge Content to help clients get the right people to the right content at the right time. Information design and data visualization are critical tools in a communicator's arsenal - designing knowledge experiences that deliver scannable content, interactive personalized content, depth to those who want it.

Attention is scarce and communicating abstract ideas is complex. Doing so effectively, especially online, requires thoughtful information design. This phrase describes the practice of organizing information (whether a complete website or a single infographic) so that the flow and hierarchy make sense to the audience, while serving the organization's goals (whether to market a company, educate an audience or advocate for a cause). User experience design is a critical component of good information design – especially when the work is creating an interactive experience. If the information is data-heavy, I also often conceptualize, design and create visualizations of that data to help explain the stories behind the data and/or to allow users to explore the data themselves.