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An experimental data visualization project to portray the dynamics of South-east Asian parent-child relationships, by using data humanism as a tool.

Roles

Research and Data Collection, Data Sorting, Experimental Data Visualization.

Timeline

2 weeks (Personal Project)

Tools

Figma, Adobe Illustrator, Adobe Photoshop, Notion

CHALLENGE

How can a data visualization capture the complexity of SE-asian parent-child relationships?

CONTEXT

South-East Asian parenting styles are often considered as harsh and authoritarian.
 


I wanted to understand and depict how the consequences of these parenting styles manifested in parent-child relationships.

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COLLECTING DATA

I started by collecting data through a survey. I framed questions that would help capture the relationship, revolving around themes like Respect, Trust, Communication, Space, Expression.

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Questions asked as part of a google survey to capture the data

The google survey had 15 questions, most of which were multiple-choice ones. There were 2 questions that allowed for free-form text responses. I was able to capture 76 responses. 

SORTING DATA

Sorting data by 2 values: How close participants are with their parents (on a scale of 1-5), and how frequently they call/catchup with them.

 

I intend to use these parameters as a scale to arrange the other responses.

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Cleaning the data. Identifying outliers and finding the right bucket for them.

Asking the right questions:

  1. What story do I want to tell with this data? How do I leave room for interpretation?

  2.  How do I represent all identified parameters?

  3.  How do I bring in a sense of 'slow-intentional' reading of the visualization?

  4.  Do I capture summaries of responses to each question or visualize individual responses?

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I decided to visualize each person's responses as an individual unit. These units would come together to form the visualization. I wanted to keep the responses separate to how each response added up to result in the position of the individual on the scale set (based on how close are you with your parents)

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INITIAL IDEATION

VISUALIZING EACH RESPONSE

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For the form of each unit, I decided to abstract a sperm cell. The cells would be arranged on the polar coordinate system based on how close they are with their parents.

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The color of the unit represents the level of closeness. The amount of shadow would represent the safe space.

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ARRANGING THE UNITS ON THE SCALE

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FINAL OUTCOME

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Visualizing responses to: "How would you describe your relationship with your parents?"

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Seeds of wisdom (Personal notes/reflections) 

  • The scale at which the whole composition is seen could warrant the indicators inside to be made larger.
     

  • In the next iterations, I plan to leverage aural and temporal channels to add interactivity to the final outcome, thus making it easier to view each unit and make sense of the indicators within them.
     

  • Although the visualization has somewhat captured the complexity, if this were in print, the viewer would have to constantly refer to the guide. How can I draw a balance between ‘slow’ and ‘intentional’ and a visualization that is just too complex to comprehend?

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