Designing a Visualization Atlas: Lessons & Reflections from The UK Co-Benefits Atlas for Climate Mitigation
Authors
Jinrui Wang (The University of Edinburgh), Alexis Pister (City St George's, University of London), Sian Phillips (City St George's, University of London), Sarah Bissett (The University of Edinburgh), Ruaidhri Higgins-Lavery (The University of Edinburgh), Clare Wharmby (The University of Edinburgh), Andrew Sudmant (The University of Edinburgh), Uta Hinrichs (University of Edinburgh), Benjamin Bach (Inria)
Presentation
- Session
- Places and spaces
- Time
- Thursday, Nov 12, 13:00 – 13:12 (US/Eastern) · session 13:00 – 14:30
- Location
- Hall America center
Links
Sign in to access the preprint PDF.
Sign in- Download Supplemental Material
Keywords
Visualization Atlas, Design Process, Public Decision-making, Climate Mitigation
Abstract
This paper reports on the process of designing the UK Co-Benefits Atlas, which communicates and publicizes data for climate mitigation. Visualization atlases—an emerging type of platform to make data about complex topics comprehensive through interactive visualizations and explanatory content—pose challenges beyond traditional visualization projects. Atlases must address diverse and often uncertain audiences and use cases, support both explanatory and guided exploration, and accommodate complex, evolving data. Over 10 months, our team of visualization and domain experts conducted 8 design workshops, iterative prototyping, 15 stakeholder onboarding sessions, and continuous reflection. These intertwined processes informed the development of the Atlas, comprising over 400 pages of visualizations and explanations. They also enabled a deeper understanding of how stakeholders may critically engage with the atlas in practice, in terms of interests, potential frictions when navigating huge amounts of data, and envisioned usage scenarios. Reflecting on our design process, we identify five driving forces in atlas design—data, people, stories, context, and the atlas itself—whose shifting dynamics influence different stages of visualization atlas design in different ways. Grounded in our case study, we discuss using these forces as a conceptual starting point for structuring and reflecting on future atlas design processes.
For Practitioners
data journalists, climate data scientists, visualization designers