The workshop

Work through it with Jeremy.

One sheet. Four useful operations.

Fictional exercise · authored responses

Station 1 of 4 · Inspect the source

What comes first?

A confirmed change. An unanswered detail. Choose how to update this service sheet.

Fictional source · service-sheet illustration
The original sheet

Service desk

General repairs & advice

Opens
9:00 am
Closes
5:00 pm
Appointments
No rule recorded

Keep this original alongside the revision.

Owner’s confirmed note · fictional

New opening time: 10:00 am.
Closing time stays the same.

Choose the next operation

Start with what the source can support.

Choose an operation above to see what it preserves, changes or risks inventing.

From a real project

OSHA 4 US

Intake came first: two presentations, mixed versions and a supposed PDF that was a ZIP. There were 48 actual slides; the expected 56-slide final was missing. Preserving the originals, separating current and historical content, and checking primary sources made the gaps reviewable.

The English/Polish website and course-design preview includes lessons, instructor and learner companions, and downloads. All ten original course identities remain. Course materials stay subject to instructor review and approval.

Open the original project

Station 2 of 4 · Resolve what to ask

One question worth asking.

The new opening time is confirmed. Choose the question that would fill the actual gap.

A question is part of the work.

Choose one above. The exercise will explain what that question would establish.

From a real project

Kestane
Menu Rescue

A restaurant trifold had handwritten prices and taped slips. A plausible but inaccurate reconstruction was rejected. Working from the real scan preserved the menu’s identity and separated confirmed updates from unresolved replacements.

The result includes a print-ready two-sided menu, browser-editable files and a confirmation list. Where replacement prices remained unconfirmed, the later version retained the original prices.

Open the original project

Station 3 of 4 · Make the output

See what actually changed.

A revised sheet and its open question travel together. Every edit has a reason you can point to.

Fictional revision · service-sheet illustration
Version 1 · draft for owner review

Service desk

General repairs & advice

Opens
10:00 am
Closes
5:00 pm
Appointment rule
Awaiting confirmation

Updated from the confirmed note.
Appointment wording still needs the owner’s answer.

The change record

  1. Changed
    9:00 am → 10:00 am

    The owner’s note confirms the new opening time.

  2. Kept
    Closing at 5:00 pm

    The original value stays. The note explicitly says closing is unchanged.

  3. Still open
    Appointment rule

    No answer was supplied, so no rule has been added. This remains a draft for review.

Appointment rule: awaiting confirmation. The useful next question is whether customers need an appointment or can walk in.

Compare the three source lines
Fictional original compared with version 1
LineOriginalVersion 1
Opening9:00 am10:00 am · confirmed change
Closing5:00 pm5:00 pm · confirmed unchanged
AppointmentsNo rule recordedAwaiting confirmation · still unknown
From a real project

Family Library

Three photographed pages of personal notes became a searchable illustrated catalogue of 100 ideas, an ingredient reference, a planning tool, an editable website and a combined 46-page printable library. Originals were preserved; new suggestions were distinguished; browsing, print structures, illustrations and files were reviewed.

This is information design for everyday use. The serving images are generated illustrations.

Open the original project

Station 4 of 4 · Practice the next update

Your turn to keep it useful.

One more confirmed change. Use the same method, then put your own task on the sheet below.

A new owner’s note · fictional

The service desk now closes at 4:00 pm.

Opening time stays 10:00 am.
There’s still no appointment rule supplied.

Version 1 · ready for your second update

Service desk

Opens
10:00 am
Closes
5:00 pm
Appointment rule
Awaiting confirmation

Choose the closing time supported by the new note. The opening and appointment lines should stay as they are.

The method you can repeat

  1. Save the original before changing it.
  2. Attach a source to each change.
  3. Keep the unanswered questions visible.
  4. Check the version people will actually receive.

From the example to your own work

What’s on your sheet?

Describe a task you’d like to learn, something that needs a refresh, or an idea you want to build. These three notes give it a useful starting point.

This is a personal worksheet. Nothing is submitted, and reloading clears it. Copy or download it if you want to keep it.

What do you have, and where are you getting stuck?

What would you like to use, understand or update yourself?

Facts, tone, original material, limits or unanswered questions.

Preview the exact text