Data is absolutely everywhere no matter where you are or you go. In day-to-day life, each and everyone deals with data whether they are at school, at the bank or on holiday. It is believed there is at least 2.5 quintillion bytes of data are produced every day (that 2.5 followed by 18 zeros!), Google processes over 63,000 searches a second and on average every minute, 46,740 images are posted onto Instagram and 4,146,600 videos are watched on YouTube so that alone is a lot of data!
Data visualisation is a big part of our jobs as designers as it allows us to take the most complex data and make it easier to understand by presenting it in a graphical or visual format such as a chart, graph or map. Using these visualisations allows data to be displayed in a intuitive way that people can use to identify patterns or trends within the data. Many businesses would use this as a way to display their data in a way that is more understandable and can be applied and compared easier.
https://eyes.nasa.gov/apps/solar-system/#/home
An example of this is the ”NASA Eyes On The Solar System” or “ NASA Eyes on Asteroids”, a web based application developed by NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory that allows users to explore and visualise the solar system and asteroids. This is done by using an interactive 3D simulation of our solar system, featuring accurate depictions of planets, moons, asteroids and spacecrafts. The positioning and trajectories of everything is updated in real time meaning the data is always changing as well as visually displaying future events such as upcoming planetary alignments or spacecraft flybys.
Due to its excellent use of data visualisation to demonstrate accurate and up-to-date information about the positions, trajectories and status of various celestial bodies and spacecraft in our solar system, it has become an educational tool and resource for helping simplify the complex concepts of space allowing a broad audience to learn. Another great feature is it allows users have the flexibility to customise their experience so they can choose specific spacecraft, focus on particular planets or explore different missions. This level of control enhances engagement and makes the tool adaptable to various user interests.
https://apolloinrealtime.org/11/
Apollo 11 in real time is a website which Kyle introduced us to. In my opinion it is quite cool as it uses interactive and visual elements to engage users and immerse them into the mindset of the 3 astronauts who are about to launch to Space and be the first men to land on the moon.
It displays a lot of data to users but in a way which is intuitive and allows them to understand what is happening. They have done this by using real audio recorded from the space journey in 1969 as well as videos of their process.
<aside> 💭 I really like this data visualisation as although it is still quite complicated due to so much happening and the complexity of the information, it creates a really nice and effective immersive experience and allows the user to experience what the men felt during their mission through the audio, video and photography elements as well as transcripts of what was happening.
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David McCandless is a renowned data journalist, author and designer who pioneered “The McCandless Method”, a method which revolutionises the way data is visualised and creates impactful and visually appealing data presentations.
A lot of his work is very simple but effective, using simple shapes, colours and typography to create clean and uncluttered visualisations that convey the essence of the story without overwhelming the audience. All of his work are visuals that are both informative and visually striking that transforms complex datasets into engaging and memorable experiences that resonate with our audience. Another thing I love about his work, especially the COVID19 representations is the use of design elements to create a clear hierarchy of information which ensures that the most crucial data stands out prominently. By using hierarchy it allows users to quickly grasp the key takeaways and comprehend the significance of the presented data.
Overall, McCandless work is a great example of how data visualisations can be crucial in how people understand information and how it creates immersive stories that resonate with the audience on an emotional level such as making the experience more relatable, memorable and impactful as well as leaving a lasting impression on the viewers. It is clear his work has helped revolutionises the way in which we can understand the more complex data by incorporating visual storytelling techniques, emphasising aesthetics and exploring interactive visualisations.
Giorgia Lupi is an ward-winning Italian designer who is a partner at Pentagram in New York, and co-founder of research and design firm Accurat. She designs engaging data-driven visual narratives across print, digital and environmental media that create new insight and appreciation of people, ideas and organizations. In her career she has worked with major international clients including IBM, Google and Starbucks and has a permanent exhibit at the Museum of Modern Art in New York as well as pieces exhibited in the Design Museum, the Science Museum and Somerset House in London.
What is amazing about Giorgia Lupi work is her very humanistic approach to data, taking it from something that is impersonal and boring and displaying it as the complete opposite, allowing us to better understand our human nature and every aspect of our society. To do this she combines the original data with more qualitative information that presents its nicer and easier to understand. What is most inspiring about her is that she is interested in presenting users the information they might not be able to see, allowing them to see more and better presented data. In her visual practice, she challenges the impersonality that data communicates, designing engaging visual narratives that re-connect numbers to what they stand for: stories, people and ideas.
The work of Lupi is so inspiring because she makes sense of data that is perceived to be boring with a curious mind and creates humanised visualised data which teaches users more and allows them to extend their understanding.
