This project was done during the course Information Visualization on Chalmers.
The task was to develop an interactive information visualization mockup to help students from 13-15 years understanding poverty in our world. The mockup was supposed to work as a tool for students to learn more, but also for the students to get more interested in the topic. The goal was for the students to be able to tell their story about poverty from what they learned from the tool.
The project began with us exploring how statistics can be visualized in different ways and which methods would be suitable for the target audience. We also aimed to understand how the target group absorbs information and how we could present it in a fun and educational way.
We searched for data on health, hunger, and education across different parts of the world. The data collected for our chosen countries, as well as for continents as a whole, was compiled to be used in the components of the mockup.
We had a clear idea to include a world map, so while presenting statistics,students could also learn about the locations of countries. We chose to make the map a constant feature in our interface, with data displayed around it. We wanted the mockup to be playful and simple, so we chose a colorful palette and a design that was intuitive and easy to understand.
The design was created using what we called information cards, where different data is displayed for various categories. We also developed a component with quick insights to complement the statistics, along with the option to view videos about the selected countries, providing students with a deeper understanding of different living conditions.
The design allows students who may not understand or are overwhelmed by large amounts of statistics to easily compare conditions in different countries. It is simple to select countries for comparison in the box on the left and then read the data presented in the information cards. Although the task was to highlight poor areas of the world, we chose to include all countries to give students a broader perspective on the differences that exist. The categories of health, hunger, and education are relatable to students aged 13-15, which can lead to a deeper understanding of the issues. The final design contains a lot of information but is presented in a way that doesn’t feel cluttered. The colors, clearly linked to different continents and countries, also contribute to the clarity.
This project had a timeline of only 3 weeks which required the group to work efficient and make quick decisions. It also demanded the group to have a clear division of work, where my main task was to collect data and to design the information cards. It was instructive to work with a lot of data and statistics and to create a design that would fit the target group.
