Small multiples are incredibly prevalent in the current marketplaces of most forms of digital media products. Humans typically tend to appreciate order and rationality when making a decision, this is explained in Envisioning information as “Small multiple designs, multivariate and data bountiful, answer directly by visually enforcing comparisons of changes, of the differences of among objects, of the scope of alternatives” (Tufte, 1994)
We can see this principle in action in software such as Spotify which utilises a grid based user interface.
User Interfaces such as Spotify follow the design philosophies of Bauhaus which “meant stripping away the intricate and floral decorations of the late nineteenth century. In their place, the Bauhaus School required students to reflect and enhance an object’s function, without adding decorative elements for their own sake” (Ux Planet, 2016).
The ease of navigation of these modern storefronts are typically categorized by their grid based structure. By examining the Spotify user interface, it is clear that a number of elements have been taken into consideration by using the Small Multiples theory. On my 4k UHD display nine horizontal rows are visible and four vertical columns are used allowing for thirty six potential options. This is scaled down on a 1080p monitor which reduces the options to twelve in total. This allows me to quickly sweep across the screen and be presented with a variety of options based on the resolution of the monitor and the density of this information can be conveyed clearly while constraints are accounted for.
This information will be useful for my final design piece as I will need to incorporate the visual elements of a storefront into my project as well as potential marketing elements. In the following image taken from the header of the Audible website, their platform uses small multiples to illustrate the wealth of content available in a single call to action image.
Bibliography
Audible, (2021). Audible Advertisment. [image] Available at: <https://www.audible.co.uk/> [Accessed 18 October 2021].
Spotify, (2021). Spotify UI. Spotify.
Tufte, E., (1994). Envisioning information. 4th ed. Cheshire, Conn.: Graphics Press, p.67.
Ux Planet. (2016). Learning in the Bauhaus School: five lessons for today’s designers (and five ways the web still is…. [online] Available at: <https://uxplanet.org/learning-in-the-bauhaus-school-five-lessons-for-todays-designers-and-five-ways-the-web-still-is-64f2985ce811> [Accessed 18 October 2021].
