Eloquent Void
Information is pervasive in society nowadays. New technologies and digital mediums have escalated and amplified access to data. But, as the competition for attention increases, emergent communication approaches attempt to present information more efficiently and memorably. As unappealing graphic visualizations might cause outreach losses to scientific knowledge, the current design project explored preferred possibilities in data communication.
Data physicalization – an emerging field in which artifact properties like geometry and material are means for data encoding – was the focus of my Master's thesis at Hochschule Anhalt. For the research I conducted on the topic, I received 1,0 as a final grade and had the privilege to present and publish my results at the International Conference 2023 of the Design Research Society Special Interest Group on Experiential Knowledge (EKSIG 2023).
Reasoning
Since Design has its own ways of knowing (Cross, 1982), the current work counted with two distinct milestones. The first was design-led with an expert mindset (Sanders, 2008), where objects conveying data about loneliness were the outcome of systematic conceptualizations and prototypes. The second was research-led with a participatory mindset, where 41 international volunteers engaged with the crafted artifacts during four different comparative experiments.
The quantitative and qualitative research analysis focuses on the data collected through two surveys and observations following four distinct design experiments and interactions. They compare the efficiency and memorability results between physicalization and visualization. Despite this pragmatic design goal, initiating meaningful discussions around loneliness became our motivation, as the COVID-19 pandemic restrictions might have triggered the increase in self-reported chronic loneliness across all the EU macro-regions.
Why loneliness?
Empirical assumptions sustained by extensive background theories enabled me to glimpse the consequences of loneliness in one's health and society. Panksepp (2004) posits “social bonding ultimately involves the ability [...] to experience separation distress when isolated from social support systems and to experience neurochemically mediated comfort when social contacts are reestablished.” (p.274) This means that all of us, in more or less intention, experience physical and emotional discomfort when deprived of social contact.
The COVID-19 pandemic triggered the arousal of several struggles worldwide. Social interactions restrictions and the overexploitation of digital information/interaction became urgent and a matter of civic duty. The relevance of these adaptations is unquestionable. However, it is also prominent to account for the ravages these new demands caused to our mental-health and productivity.
Problem Statement
Assuming that information recall indicates sense-making, verifying the impacts of material-weight strangeness in data efficiency and memorability could support us in fostering awareness and leveraging public initiatives about loneliness. Therefore, carrying out this research through design (Frayling, 1993), the present work outcomes arouse from the following queries:
RESEARCH QUESTION
How to foster emotional engagement and awareness regarding abstract data?
DESIGN QUESTION
How can strangeness in data physicalization enhance efficiency and memorability?
Designing
The methodological model applied to the primary milestone was conceived by Bela Banathy in 1996. The method was then popularized under the term ‘double-diamond.’ In the beginning, three distinct quantitative datasets were chosen from the “Loneliness in the EU” report. For each, I developed one physicalization concept following premises from the multiple literature references. The most appealing was the one concerning the loneliness increase among all the European Union macro-regions during the COVID-19 pandemic, as the data itself was already surprising.
After conducting semi-structured interviews to gather relevant insights about people’s understanding of loneliness, I open-coded the answers and selected the most relevant keywords to create a voting list. I then invited sixteen subjects to vote on the word that most resonated with their idea of loneliness. The three most voted words (disconnection, emptiness, and inaccessibility) guided the exploration of new concepts and prototypes afterward.
The tangible solution
Systematic prototypes and experiments with geometries and materials, allowed me to realize the final product should: 1) function as a physical 3D puzzle that conveys the data; 2) metaphorically symbolize loneliness; 3) provide a playful strangeness for the user.
For the metaphoric matter, I recurred to philosophy and Greek mythology. In the Sisyphus’ Myth, the hero was condemned to endlessly push a boulder up a mountain alone, only to see it roll down again afterward. This story can relate to the loneliness' burden and heaviness when one realizes relationships are, ultimately, a hopeless and infinity labor.
Considering the insights gathered previously, the final object became a turning-board/card game that functioned like a puzzle/enigma and revealed the data encoded during the gameplay. The ultimate goal was to guess the effect (loneliness) measured between 2016 and 2020 in the EU macro-regions.
The artifact symbolized the disconnection concept by the necessary pieces assembling for proper data decoding. The hollow and transparent parts out of resin represented emptiness, while the unreachable materials inside the pyramid's upper parts referred to inaccessibility.
The strangeness was addressed by these inner materials and their intentionally controlled weights. The sharp and abstract shapes spoke about the danger and discomfort inherent to loneliness. Finally, the upper parts patterns printed on carton paper ensured correct assembling and abstractly represented the EU macro-regions (Southern, Eastern, Western, and Northern).
Experimenting
Once the final physicalization was suitably produced, the second milestone of the present research started. Contrary to other design practices, where products are an end in itself, the current project faced the tangible object only as means for academic research. It aimed to investigate whether material-weight strangeness could enhance the physicalization's efficiency and memorability in comparison to traditional data visualizations.
To do so, I triangulated three different tools to mitigate possible bias and increase research rigor. The methods applied to collect all the four experiments' data were: surveys, observations, and audio recordings.
The challenges
The original research proposal predicted only three experiments. The first would count with distinct weight-material illusions linked to the ‘loneliness increase’ parameter. The second would be via data visualizations but with all the physicalized graphics and storytelling elements translated into digital mediums. And the third would be the control group without treatment.
However, during the first experiment, the necessity for a fourth one arose.
After collecting the memorability results from the first experiment, we noticed the responses to a particular task diverged severely. There were a few possible causes for this unpredictable divergence, so we considered it a pre-study to identify and mitigate emergent problems but excluded its data from the analysis.
The research proceeded with the new treatment connected to the parameter ‘2020 loneliness percentage’ instead of the 'loneliness increase.' This decision raise the research rigor and allowed us to glimpse the impacts of material-weight strangeness on the dataset information recall.
Besides, apart from the treatment main issue, I also faced several limitations while conducting the experiments. Since the pandemic restrictions worsened and the Christmas holidays neared, I invited the participants on short notice. Also, the sample recruited was ultimately composed of colleagues and acquittances, which likely impacted the overall participants’ experiences.
Reflecting
The quantitative and qualitative analysis suggests all the physicalizations performed better in memorability. But, as the memorability and efficiency percentages from the Pre-Study and Treatment significantly diverged, the strangeness' impacts remain inconclusive. Therefore, further investigations are compulsory to underline this matter properly.
In a nutshell, the four studies' results were: Pre-Study) Inefficient and Unmemorable; Digital) Efficient but Very Unmemorable; Control) Very Inefficient but Memorable; and Treatment) Very Efficient and Very Memorable.
Despite the remaining questions, the design relevance in producing more appealing experiences with data became evident. Which, at the end of the day, may ensure better ways of communicating scientific knowledge while enhancing mental and emotional well-being.
The learnings
The present design research conducted me through unexplored career paths since my previous professional experiences with physical products and experimental research were limited. Those challenges pushed me to understand my learning styles and develop new hard and soft skills.
Henceforth, from a professional perspective, the difficulties and inconveniences I handled during the process were highly relevant to my growth. I am now more open and prepared to deal with future design practices and unexpected variables.
MAIN TEAM
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Advisors: Prof. Dr. Katja Thoring and Žarko Dumičić
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Designer: Rebeca Guedes