Connecting the Dots in Data
How do we design information so that it doesn’t overwhelm the reader?
FactorDaily’s latest story, ‘The Crying Shame of Image-Based Abuse’, went live this month. Written by Rohini Lakshané, who is a technologist, researcher and Wikimedian, the article gives an overall view of how Image-Based Sexual Abuse is prevalent in our society and the culture of shaming has made it convenient for women to be made easy targets.
I had been itching to work on a story backed by data so that I could try working on infographics and untangle complicated subjects into understandable chunks. I have often felt that when we work with data, we go astray from the insights and indulge too much in the stats. While data and graphs are essential and play a crucial role in analysis, as a reader, I believe the narrative and boiling down of insights are vital aspects that must be kept at the forefront when designing infographics. Rohini’s story had data, but it turned out that the journey mapping of how non-consensual images are captured and then floated out into the world of the internet before getting recycled again and again became the key visual piece for the story. The world of image-based sexual abuse runs deep, and having a core image that could map the perpetrators, their motives, and their modus operandi will help the reader get an overview of the subject.
The complicated part about the distribution of non-consensual images is that the source, destination, and intermediary are often interchangeable. My initial attempt was to address this, but it burdened one map to accommodate more information than it could manage. I wanted the graphics to be as low-tech as possible so that they could be adapted across different formats without compromising what it meant to do.
Breaking down the information into chunks for clarity
Sketching out the mapping of information for infographics
Creating three different infographics was a better way of disseminating the information. The first one was about mapping, where the capturing of non-consensual and consensual images takes place. The second focuses solely on the perpetrators, their motives, and what channels are used to distribute NCII (Non-Consensual Intimate Images). The last graphic focuses on how NCII gets posted and recycled in an incident. I will be discussing the latter one here in this post. I wanted the graphics not to be compromised by the screen size. Seeing beautiful infographics squished to illegible size on a handheld device is saddening. To counter this, I first worked for the smallest screen size, dictating the way the illustrations shaped up for the infographic. Since the illustrations had to work in small sizes, I kept the details minimal but gave them a slightly angular look to suggest the discomfort of the subject matter. The idea was to avoid creating stereotypical visuals, often putting the spotlight on women as victims. It was important to stay objective and look at the infographics to communicate subtle suggestions of the jarring reality the article discusses.
Sketching the visual language and creating the illustrations with a colour palette that has strong contrast
I first created a structure to tackle the flow of information. This stage is best done with neutral greys, so your emphasis is more on comprehensibility than stylisation. My initial attempt at stylising the graphic went overboard, and it started to create unnecessary interpretations, such as the Infographic looking like a tree. It’s essential to dial down and ask yourself what you want the reader to see and discard anything becoming baggage. I cut down the extra fluff, which helped me add further layers of information, such as how the NCII flows from one network to another on distribution channels. My partial colour blindness lends a particular brutality when I work with colour. Using colours in graphics is like using salt in cooking; it has to be just the right amount. I stayed away from dull colours because while the subject matter is not on the bright side, the visual needs to stand out when scrolling on a device, and secondly, the more colourful and noticeable range in the colour palette helps in the segregation of information.
A vertical flow of content for viewing the infographic on phone screen
Infographic for viewing on Desktop
I customised each of the graphics for three different screen sizes: desktop, tablet, and phone, but the reshaping of the content for the print output made it further enjoyable. Rohini was going to talk about IBSA at the Asia Pacific Feminist Forum and wanted to take a set of flyers for it. Working with print is often exciting because the format can be extremely playful, and you get to capture the audience’s attention in a focused manner because this is not Instagram or a Chrome tab that you can switch to. I tried to work with folds of paper based on the lead illustration for the story. The illustration attempts to put the reader into the shoes of the perpetrator, who is trying to look at a woman changing her clothes. When you unfold the paper, the undressed parts are revealed. The act of this is meant to spotlight the perpetrator first, and then you get the overview of the story through different graphics and tables highlighting the critical parts of the story.
Flat view of the flyer when unfolded
A well-designed output is like a competent driver getting a good engine, and we need more thoughtful design in the societal work to take the conversation further.
Reposted from FactorDaily's Medium page.
