With increased use of mobile information technology and increased amounts of information comes the need to simplify information presentation. This research considers whether low-information-rate displays (such as those used in mobile devices) can provide effective information awareness. An experiment was performed to measure the performance/size tradeoff of visual displays ranging in size from two LEDs to nine LEDs, and using a number of display characteristics – i.e., color and blinking in various combinations. Results show a reliable tradeoff between performance (participant response time and accuracy) and display size (number of LEDs). However, even the full set of 27 messages can be conveyed with high recognition accuracy using only three LEDs by mapping the messages into color and position. Thus, mobile devices with micro-level form factors can be designed to convey critical information and provide effective notifications. Future work and a prototype developed from this work are discussed.