By Mac Hill
During the 2016 presidential election, The New York Times’ election coverage incorporated two moving “needle” gauges to convey the uncertainty in their election forecasts. The needle, as The Times (Wartik, 2017) has taken to calling it, was an object of both “obsession and derision,” sparking social media hashtags and a host of memes (Figure A). The reaction to and evolution of the needle points to a desire among users and designers for more complete visualizations, ones that can convey moments of doubt alongside confidence. My final project focused on developing experiential visualizations, similar to the needle, that gave users full pictures of the uncertainty in information.
Figure A: Responses to The New York Times’ Election Needle on Twitter
Data and its collection, however, removes information from the original phenomenon that it represents and can be difficult for individuals without specific training or expertise to understand.
The needle, and information visualizations in general, gives users the opportunity to explore information quickly and on their terms. With the rise of big data, almost every aspect of modern life—shopping patterns, web searches, voter behavior—has become a data source, involving some form of data collection, to the point that missing data makes as much news as the data itself (Bach, 2018). The pervasiveness of big data provides unique opportunities for us to explore the world around us through numbers and statistics. Data and its collection, however, removes information from the original phenomenon that it represents and can be difficult for individuals without specific training or expertise to understand. This gap in understanding provides a unique problem space for designers to explore methods for making information accessible.
My investigation centered on “research through design” or exploring issues through reflective making (Martin and Hannington, 2012). I created a series of visual studies that explored different informational contexts, types of uncertainty, and techniques for engaging users’ cognitive processes. These studies pointed to several experiential principles designers can use to convey uncertainty in information visualizations.
The needle, and information visualizations in general, gives users the opportunity to explore information quickly and on their terms. With the rise of big data, almost every aspect of modern life—shopping patterns, web searches, voter behavior—has become a data source, involving some form of data collection, to the point that missing data makes as much news as the data itself (Bach, 2018). The pervasiveness of big data provides unique opportunities for us to explore the world around us through numbers and statistics. Data and its collection, however, removes information from the original phenomenon that it represents and can be difficult for individuals without specific training or expertise to understand. This gap in understanding provides a unique problem space for designers to explore methods for making information accessible.
My investigation centered on “research through design” or exploring issues through reflective making (Martin and Hannington, 2012). I created a series of visual studies that explored different informational contexts, types of uncertainty, and techniques for engaging users’ cognitive processes. These studies pointed to several experiential principles designers can use to convey uncertainty in information visualizations.
Motion can function as a metaphor for uncertainty.
Designers can use simple motions to convey uncertainty to a user. Motion functions as a type of metaphor, for instance, a back and forth motion is analogous to indecision (Figure B). Designers should consider the connotations of different motions, as well as whether the motion relates uncertainty or is open to other interpretations (for example, expanding elements can suggest growth rather than change). Visualizations can also push the limits of interpretation by challenging a user’s ability to latch onto concrete data points and force a user to make broad generalizations.
Figure B: The graphic uses bouncing balls to represent the participants in a poll and the uncertainty involved in the relationship between a poll and the total population.
Familiar contexts and metaphors make data relatable.
Designers must consider how a user will relate to the data or information being conveyed. Providing a relatable context makes visualizations more useful and easier for a user to employ existing knowledge structures when interpreting visual elements (Figure C).
Figure C: Dashboard structures are familiar to users and make it easy for users to interpret information experientially.
Allowing a user to tailor content to their particular situation, for example, by dictating a location for a weather-related map, is one method for making the context relatable to a user. A tailored visualization acts as a concrete and specific tool for the user, rather than just an abstract resource. Furthermore, when designers use metaphors to relate complex information, these metaphors have to be familiar enough that a user can interpret them quickly without getting distracted. Dashboards and simple tool structures, like scales, work well, as users are already used to reading them for information.
User control in the analysis process brings the user
closer to the represented phenomenon.
Allowing a user to control the stages or components of analysis brings the user closer to the initial phenomenon and makes changes in the data and moments of inference clearer (Figure D). This strategy allows a designer to scaffold information, making it easier to understand and build on initial insights with new information. For instance, designers can use sliders that tailor how much or how little information is seen, step-by-step walkthroughs of data analysis, or rollovers to give a user control over the analysis involved in a visualization.
Figure D: The user can control the visualization and the analysis process.
Designers have a unique opportunity to bring design techniques like narrative and metaphor into new contexts, expanding the range of forms and methods for conveying information.
After exploring the topic through research and making, I found that experientially based visualizations can convey the uncertainty involved in complex information to non-expert users. Including uncertainty through familiar contexts, metaphors, and structures gives users a fuller picture of information and empowers a user to make well-informed decisions. The topics of uncertainty and information visualization both provide a great deal of design and design research opportunities. The current demand for information visualizations, especially those that appeal to a wide audience, makes research into the subject especially timely. Designers have a unique opportunity to bring design techniques like narrative and metaphor into new contexts, expanding the range of forms and methods for conveying information. Furthermore, both uncertainty and information visualization have the potential to segue into numerous subject areas beyond the scope of this investigation, such as public health and education. In a way, this problem space is representative of the future of design; it is an inherently interdisciplinary subject matter that requires designers to collaborate with researchers from a variety of fields.
References
Bach, A. (2018, March 21). Opinion | Missing: Criminal Justice Data. The New York Times. Retrieved from https://www.nytimes.com/2018/03/21/opinion/missing-criminal-justice-data.html.
Martin, B., & Hanington, B. M. (2012). Universal methods of design: 100 ways to research complex problems, develop innovative ideas, and design effective solutions (Digital ed.). Rockport Publishers. Retrieved from https://catalog.lib.ncsu.edu/record/NCSU2690134.
Wartik, N. (2017, December 14). NYT Needle Returns to the Spotlight. The Internet Notices. The New York Times. Retrieved from https://www.nytimes.com/2017/12/14/reader-center/nyt-needle-election.html.
