Moholy-Nagy University of Art and Design

Data-Driven Narratives for Science Communication

Project Phases
Partners
Exploring the Future of Electrical Supply in Hungary with HUN-REN Centre for Energy Research
Project overview
Year of project
2023 - 2024
As data visualization becomes increasingly pervasive, a fundamental question arises: How can we ensure that experts and non-experts actively participate in the design process of data-driven storytelling? Our research proposal, in collaboration with HUN-REN Centre for Energy Research, seeks to answer this critical question by delving into the design space of data-driven storytelling and developing innovative co-creation tools to enhance science communication.
Data visualization has undergone a remarkable evolution, transcending its traditional role as a scientific tool to become ubiquitous in our daily lives. With this transformation comes the need for new collaborative approaches to harness the potential of data-driven storytelling (Kerzner, 2018). While collaboration has long been a focus in human-computer interaction (HCI), data visualization presents unique challenges. Recent research has begun to explore innovative methods to adapt and create effective collaboration techniques specific to data visualization. This shift underscores the timeliness and necessity of understanding existing strategies and proposing effective collaborative practices.
The Data-Driven Narratives for Science Communication Workshop, themed "Future of Electricity," brought together 16 participants with expertise spanning data science, design, and research. The workshop’s primary objective was to ideate compelling, data-driven narratives addressing critical issues in the energy sector, targeting two main audiences: the general public and politicians. For the general public, the narratives aimed to communicate the abundant access to electricity, its future consumption projections, and the importance of their involvement in electricity production. For politicians, the goal was to engage them in understanding the challenges in the energy sector, and facilitate the uptake of new scientific results to support a paradigm shift in energy production and consumption.

Project Phases

Requirements

Nov 2023 - Dec 2023

A requirements-focused workshop with five experts to define target audiences, objectives and draft narratives.

Narratives & Data

Jan 2024

Working with researchers to refine the narratives and link with existing data sources.

Workshop & Results

Feb 2024

We introduced narrative strategies to participants from diverse backgrounds (design & data science). Based on the strategies and narratives, groups generated data-driven narrative concepts.

Requirements

Narratives & Data

Workshop & Results

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