Communication Model

Claude Shannon and Warren Weaver were two engineers who developed a model that was designed to maximize an efficient way to transmit electrical signals. The original idea behind the model was to have these electronic signals travel from one location to a destination point. This model has defined communications as the sender/receiver model.

Phone calls, text messages, e-mails, etc. are all forms of communication. Each uses the Shannon-Weaver model, which includes a sender and a receiver. This model conveys a basic concept of how communication takes place.

It is important for designers to understand the Shannon-Weaver model because it is the concept of how electronic communication works. Whether or not we use the Shannon-Weaver model today, others who have created new models that allow electronic signals to travel in a much faster period of time, referenced the Shannon-Weaver model.

It is important for designers to understand the Shannon-Weaver model, just as it is important for doctors to understand basic principles of biology. This model set a foundation for where we are today.