Intervis Inter...what? Intersectionality! A visual introduction

What is intersectionality? How are discrimination and privilege related? What does intersectional discrimination mean? These questions are addressed in the web-based article “Inter...what? Intersectionality! A visual introduction.” Using a combination of text, animated illustration, and interactive data visualization, it provides an introduction to the socially relevant topic of intersectional discrimination.

People

Year
2020-2021

Website

The text creates the framing for a scrollytelling article, and its additional translation into a customized visual language supports the communication of the issues. Case studies of intersectional discrimination in Germany are descriptively communicated by visualizing data from studies. The visual article provides thought-provoking impulses, inspires a change of perspective, and encourages further engagement and action. Selected context information of the project are additionally revealed, i.e., how it was done, who did it, and why it was done. Certain visualization decisions are made transparent and people involved visible. The project’s process is disclosed, the positions of the authors are communicated, and the project’s outcomes are critically reflected on. We designed and implemented specific visual interface elements aiming to embed this disclosure information into the article.

A first version of the article was developed in the context of the Design Bachelor’s thesis of Hannah Schwan and was then further developed and implemented as an interactive website by Hannah Schwan and Jonas Arndt and with the support of Sandra Cartes and Marian Dörk. The project is connected with the research project “VIDAN: Visual and dynamic arrangements of narratives”, which is funded by the Federal Ministry of Education and Research and conducted at FHP’s UCLAB.

Publications Associated Publications

Disclosure as a critical-feminist design practice for Web-based data stories

— First Monday. 27:11, 2022
We present findings from design research on disclosure at the intersection of data visualization, digital storytelling, and feminism. While there is an increased awareness of power structures in data science, computing, and design, there is little design research to confront these. This work explores the potential of disclosing context information of data stories, i.e., digital storytelling formats utilizing data visualizations, to enable critical-feminist readings of and reflections on these stories. Drawing from a growing body of feminist scholarship in human-computer interaction, data science, and beyond, we identify key aspects and forms of disclosure for embedding them into visual data story interfaces. We devise and validate these aspects and forms within a case study: a Web-based scrollytelling article explaining the feminist concept of intersectionality using a combination of animated illustration, data visualization, and text. With this work, we demonstrate and discuss the potentials and pitfalls of disclosure practices in data storytelling.
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People
Hannah Schwan
Jonas Arndt
Sandra Cartes
Marian Dörk

Year
2020-2021

Website