Fact-Based Infographic
Scope: Per Google Trends
Data Analysis & Storytelling Assignment - Certificate in Storytelling & Content Strategy, University of Washington, 2017-18
Introduction
This project was about the basics of Google Trends and how to use it to capture, observe and analyze data to help create more relevant content. We had to design a fact-based infographic on any topic of our choice. We were advised to:
Start with a hypothesis related to the topic
Use Google Trends, social mention and other external tools to analyze the hypothesis
Create an impactful story based on the analysis
I chose a topic that I felt strongly about. Our planet has been providing us with food, shelter and life from time immemorial and now it demands that we stand up for it. Currently, it has become a war of science vs. politics, industrialization vs. environmentalism, whereas I think, it is sustenance vs. extinction. So I took this opportunity to find out if at least, we are interested enough to know about the whats and hows of “Climate Change” as a first step.
Approach
The following caught my attention when looking at the Google Trends search data on “Climate Change” over a period of five years:
The four spikes
Uniqueness of the top ten interested countries
Absence of the top five countries with highest carbon emissions
I noticed that all the four spikes were preceded by some global climate change or environmental event or disaster. This finding led me to the next section of the infographic.
Using a map to present the countries that are affected the most by climate change, made a powerful statement. It depicted a comparative picture in reference to their economical and geographical vulnerability. I backed up the data with quotes from Researchers of the University of Maryland and the Global CO2 emission chart by a world renounced scientists union. Thus the most logical way to end this section was by restating the two most affected countries and reiterating the global impact.
The next section was short and crisp. The list of top ten countries who's interested in the topic spoke for itself. So I could not stress enough on the stark reality that only those who felt the threat were interested.
However, the examples of Fiji and Bhutan were an effort to show what we can achieve if we want to. Also, I wanted to end the story on a positive and inspiring note with a reminder of what is at stake for all of us.
The Infographic
Challenges
Building the storyline
Due to the nature of the topic, I took an exploratory approach rather than a definitive one. Instead of first setting an objective and then building a story to achieve those objectives, I decided to build a story organically by collecting the data and information and then build a story around it. At the end, the narrative would define the objective of the infographic, which was finding answers to the following three questions:
Who’s affected by climate change?
Who’s interested in the topic?
Who’s doing it right?
One of the most important take away from this project was how to design a content to tell compelling stories. As an Instructional Designer, almost always I had to present the learning objectives upfront to set right expectations for the learners. But when creating a story, it depends on the desired outcome of the story.
Presenting data that people can trust
In spite of all the scientific evidences, this subject has been debunked by people of power and influence too many times. Therefore, it was important to present relative and contextual data rather than lone absolute data. Moreover, in this project I intended to inform and inspire people so it was important to include sources and supporting information along with the data to instill that trust in people.
We are living in a world where fake news can make or break governments, communities and countries. While working on this project, I realized the importance of trust. As content professionals we have a responsibility to present data and information that is not only effective but trustworthy.