Rosetta stone is a technique of communicating new information that must first be unlocked (or decoded ) by a set of commonly understood elements, known as the ‘key’. The elements of the key act help bridge the users understanding the new information. The information that makes up the ‘key’ must be made obvious so that the user can interpret it and use it as a reference when examining the new information. The new information should be presented in stages with stages building on each other: The previous ‘key’ plus the newly unlocked information will act as the ‘key’ for the next stage.
William Lidwell, Kritina Holden and Jill Butler, Universal Principles of Design (USA: Rockport publishers, 2003) ,206.
The Rosetta stone technique is commonly used in educational learning platforms when introducing new concepts. The presentation of the material is structured so that the first principles taught are demonstrated in relatable terms. Once a lesson has been mastered, the next lesson is unlocked and builds on the concepts taught in the previous. The previous lessons become a new key for understanding new concepts.
Original image
The plaque for the Pioneer space probes with messages designed for potential extraterrestrial encounters, and the Rosetta disk; a human language archive designed to last thousands of years.
William Lidwell, Kritina Holden and Jill Butler, Universal Principles of Design (USA: Rockport publishers, 2003), 207.
Online image
Crossword puzzle, the connecting letters of solved word in a crossword puzzle can help lead you to fill in intersecting words.
http://rexwordpuzzle.blogspot.com/2010/06/tarzans-simian-sidekick-sun-6-6-10.html
Real world image
The key signature at the beginning of a measure lets a pianist know how to interpret the notes that follow (which notes are sharpened or flattened; white or black keys on the piano), without the key signature a pianist would never be able to play the melody or harmonies correctly.
Kojo Kondo, The Legend of Zelda for Piano, The Wind Waker Movement II, Measure 56 in D flat major (USA: Alfred Music, 2015), 28
Rosetta Stone can also be seen instrumental when children are taught to read – it start with alphabets, then 3 letter words, short sentences , so on and so forth.
This principle is also applicable when an app walks you through a process (tutorial) where is asks you to do one thing at a time to help you learn its system.
You did a great job with examples. I imagine this being the hardest to find examples for!
Gary, you gave some great examples on the use of this strategy. In particular, I like how you provided more explanation below the images.
Another example using the concept of Rosetta Stone is an amusement park map. An example from Disneyland can be seen here. https://www.dreamsunlimitedtravel.com/disneyland/disneyland-map.htm
With this map, first time visitors are able to see where each “land” is. The key on the right provides a good explanation of what each icon represents: