After taking a look at these concepts maps designed by DDO, I was a little conflicted. Are they visually appealing? I think so. Are they well designed? I'd have a hard time saying yes to this, at least based on my idea of design.

See, these concept maps were created in order to answer a series of questions (the original article lists the questions) through a visual representation of its processes and relationships. The final output should illustrate the abstract concept in an effective way. Did they succeed? Well, take a look at the maps and tell me if you know what the hell is going on. I for one, am no more comfortable with the concept after seeing the map, than I was before.

Shouldn't an effective map make the process seem less complex? In this case a short question was translated into a mind-boggling number of arrows, lines, and text blocks. That doesn't seem too illuminating to me. Especially considering this comment:

We develop a range of diagrams and maps to create, test, and refine architectures or organizational structures for the applications and sites we design. Maps created as design tools serve many of the purposes of maps created during audits --- creating shared models for the team, uncovering problem areas, and serving as a reference for product managers and engineers.

Look at the last line. Would these new maps be a valuable reference for a project manager or an engineer? I would imagine it would take more time to decipher these diagrams than to read a few paragraphs and some bulleted lists.

Now, I wouldn't want to be charged with the task of creating a map for any of these concepts, but this is because my idea of design is a little different. I feel that the ultimate goal should be to communicate the message in the most efficient and effective way. To make someone's life easier by solving a problem. And this could be with bulleted list instead of an extravagant concept map. Design is the successful marriage of form and function, not the balance of. It is not always visual. The visual aspects should only be used to better articulate the message and to solve the problem. Which is why I think these maps, while appealing art, are not well designed.