Unveiling the Unseen Visualising Change and Inclusivity

In the field of visual storytelling, it is said, ‘We do not see things as they are, we see them as we are’ (Nin, 1961, n.pag). This profound insight inspired my creation and encapsulated the essence of my journey from a film director to a data visualisation designer. As an Asian female stepping into the world of data with a storyteller’s eye, my role is clear, I stand firm in my perspective, using data as my medium, to unveil ignored minorities, to tell untold stories, and to challenge the status quo. Through my work, I aim to add a more exploratory perspective to data visualisation design and include as much of the experience of various communities as possible.

Narrative Meets Data: The Artistic Pulse Within Scientific Clarity

As a filmmaker once said, 'With a good script, a good director can produce a masterpiece. But with the same script, a mediocre director can make a passable film' (Akira Kurosawa Quote, no date, n.pag). In the process of data visualisation, I am the director, and the data is my script. To create a story that can transform objective and dry data into an attractive narrative and convey insights is my focus. According to the study on five major narrative patterns in data-driven storytelling within my personal understanding, I summarise the five key points for my work, which are: (a) Argumentation, including elements of compare, concretise, and repetition. (b)Flow, which serves as the basis to construct order, rhythm, and pace. (c)Framing, we could regard this as a theory to attract the audience. (d)Emotion and communicative content to enrich the audience’s connection to the story. (e)Engagement, rather than designing interactive graphs, focuses on the context (Bach et al., 2018). However, this study does not indicate the well-quantified principle for storytelling visualisation, which is the most effective way to guide beginners, I prefer to use strict Hollywood classical narrative style motion (Figure 1) as assist to simplify and standardise my creation (What Are the Five Key Elements to Classic Hollywood Storytelling?, 2022, n.pag).

Figure 1. Hollywood classical narrative style motion.

Nevertheless, balance is paramount. ‘Occasionally artfulness of design makes a graphic worthy of the Museum of Modern Art, but essentially statistical graphics are instruments to help people reason about quantitative information’ (Tufte, 2001, p.91). Horning this, promising the objectiveness and truth of data, I will integrate the user testing to my creation, engaging at least 10 people to evaluate my final visualisation including the raw data and statistical approach. The feedback criteria are as follows: 1. accuracy; 2. integrity; 3. aesthetics.

Echoes of Diversity: Every Perspective, A Story

As an Asian female studying aboard, I am dedicated to using data visualisation to bridge various identity narratives. It is my belief that data visualisation is not a statistical data present but could be a medium to emphasise something significant in our lives. Here in my work, identity is the priority.

Whether the highly overrepresented white men in the data-driving field with a male-privileged society or the other minorities (i.e the disabled, LGBTQ+) in our society, are overlooked. Recognizing the fundamental imbalances in the system—whereby groups already advantaged in society hold the data and the proficiency to utilize it—provides a foundation for educators to expand the conversation about data literacy. (Engebretsen et al., 2020, p.208). As Haraway (1988) suggests that central tenet of feminist epistemology is that knowledge is “situated”, big picture construction and systematic understanding of female context rather than a single perspective consideration is preferable in my creation. Even though my audience or object might not be female, I make an effort to firm the feminist viewpoint in my work. It is something not only concerning female but also a supplement to add more possibilities and innovation to the existing issues that lack feminine views or minority participation. Beyond the surface, to find out the background and social condition behind the dataset. Furthermore, diversity is a purpose. Try to find more identities to present and deepen research instead of ordinary perspectives. This pursuit of depth is not about seeking privilege but asserting the fundamental right to representation and voice.

Besides, interdisciplinary approaches are crucial. Combining with knowledge from different fields (i.e. medical, physics, architecture) should be considered. According to the study on accessible visualisation for physical disability, the author argues that ‘this field is often invisible in discussions of making data visualisations accessible. Physical disabilities include fine and gross motor movement and can be congenital, acquired, progressive or temporary so methods for accessibility may need to be adapted dynamically’ (Lee et al., 2024, p.81). As designers, think differently and perhaps even overthink to serve the invisible community.

Designing with Conscience: Shaping the Boundaries of Tomorrow

Werthner and Van Harmelen (2017) assert that the dilemmas and ethical problems we confront are a function of the programs that are running. Designers ought to consider the scales between tradition and revolution. However, tradition sometimes can enhance stereotypes, mislead, and even discrimination. A case in point (Figure 2) is the truncation of the y-axis in graphs, which manipulates the perceived significance of data and misleads the audience to summarise an incorrect conclusion and evaluation (Misleading Data Visualization - What to Avoid | Coupler.io Blog, 2024).

Additionally, stereotypes in colour representation (Figure 3) for gender visualisation (Cabric et al., 2023), as well as the boundaries for data privacy and security (Werthner and Van Harmelen, 2017), symbolise actual ethical challenges. It is vital to standardise morality and ethssics in data visualisation. As designers, we should follow established regulations, prioritizing our human-centred conscience and being client-oriented in areas where the rules are incomplete or where it is difficult to define what is ethical or not.

Figure 2.  A Case bar chart with a truncated y-axis.

Figure 3. The Gender Unicorn  and the Genderbread Person (Cabric et al., 2023).

We are living an era that information can be disseminated at extremely high speed. Everyone installed TikTok in their cell phones, while receipting to information for as little as fifteen seconds. Creativity sweeps through our minds like a barrage of sugar-coated shells. We become discerning—captivated only by content of compelling attraction; yet simultaneously, less discerning—serious, thought-provoking subjects lose our gaze, supplanted by entertainment that demands no depth of thought. Still, stories remain the tether that binds attention to contemplation. In data visualization, I aspire to stand from the vantage point of the minority, to gaze upon the world's fissures, to focus on the overlooked margins, endowing data with the creativity of art and the veracity of science, charting a new course for ethics and morals. Columbus wandered the seas in search of new lands until he found that the Earth was round. Our explorations in visualization are akin to the ventures of the Age of Exploration; we navigate through existing limitations and new signposts until one day we unveil vistas hitherto unseen.

Reference

Akira Kurosawa Quote (no date) A-Z Quotes. Available at: https://www.azquotes.com/quote/659577 (Accessed: 14 April 2024).

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Cabric, F. et al. (2023) ‘Eleven Years of Gender Data Visualization: A Step Towards More Inclusive Gender Representation’, IEEE Transactions on Visualization and Computer Graphics, pp. 1–11. Available at: https://doi.org/10.1109/TVCG.2023.3327369.

Engebretsen, M. et al. (2020) Data Visualization in Society. Amsterdam University Press. Available at: https://doi.org/10.5117/9789463722902.

Haraway, D. (1988). Situated Knowledges: The Science Question in Feminism and the Privilege of Partial Perspective. Feminist Studies, 14(3), 575–599. https://doi.org/10.2307/3178066

Lee, B. et al. (2024) Inclusive Data Visualization (Dagstuhl Seminar 23252) [application/pdf]. [object Object], p. 25 pages, 1151689 bytes. Available at: https://doi.org/10.4230/DAGREP.13.6.81.

Misleading Data Visualization - What to Avoid | Coupler.io Blog (2024). Available at: https://blog.coupler.io/misleading-data-visualization-examples/ (Accessed: 25 March 2024).

Nin, A. (1961). Seduction of the minotaur. Swallow Press.

Tufte, E.R. (2001) The visual display of quantitative information. 2nd edn. Cheshire, Conn: Graphics Press (Book, Whole). Available at: https://go.exlibris.link/lPCdkPv4.

Werthner, H. and Van Harmelen, F. (eds) (2017) Informatics in the Future: Proceedings of the 11th European Computer Science Summit (ECSS 2015), Vienna, October 2015. Cham: Springer International Publishing. Available at: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-55735-9.

What Are the Five Key Elements to Classic Hollywood Storytelling? (2022). Available at: https://nofilmschool.com/five-key-elements-classic-hollywood-storytelling (Accessed: 25 March 2024).