2 main finding from field research

The most challenging thing of the research is connecting 'needs' of designers regarding data visualization and finding of reader(or users) cognitive activities when they encounter narrative visualization.

Since last week, I conducted two part of field research. First one is expert interview in order to find problem possibly occurred when design process of data visualization contents and second one is exploring cognitive activities required when people try to make sense of the contents.

The participants of expert interviews were 3years experienced project manager of data visualization content and head director of Seoul Information Research Institution.

The below of the summary of their mentions during interview

P1.

1. Data literacy,which means ability of interpret data based graphic are vary depend on person, and sometime people look the content more difficult than designer expected
2. Few principles and rules which followed by designer for long time in western cultured doesn't work in certain cultural background.
3. Therefore, for these reasons, user test could be useful for checking data literacy of expected users

P2

1. Previously, effectiveness of communicating in data based graphic/ or inforgraphic were mainly studied by main researchers.
2. However, as storytelling is usually regarding time flow or sequence of separated  contents, different reaction of users by time change were not studied enough.

Through, the interview I could find more clear problem statement of the research.

1. Designers are hardly able to predict users' reaction due to the different level of data literacy depend on person.
2. Due to the time flow/sequence as feature of data storytelling, it is hard to predict how each element of contents interact with users.

As a consquences, I decide to explore user's cognitive activities and how each element affect on it in order to find how can designer testing or evaluate their data visualization contents effectively. As I mentioned previous journal, I conducted think-aloud obervation session to 8 participants. I selected 3 case of data storytelling, considered recent research of data storytelling trend and techniques. And all the participants are between 20 ~ 30 and they are reading web based journalism contents instead newspaper.

After observation, I analysized transcribed data by grounded theory.

1.Initial open coding

The above is list of all the behavior, attitude and cognitive recognitions occurred during observations. And then I recategorized to find main activities to understand each stage of their process of making sense of the content by using axial coding

2.Axial coding

The above diagram shows main categories of each stage can explains users comprehensive activities of making sense of contents. Then I tried to find their relationship and how people transit between stage and which behaviour or cognitive change trigger affect on this process.

3. Selective coding

 The above diagram describe not only how people can fail to make sense, but also how they overcome.

The most important findings were main cause of barrier for making sense of the content. For the next step, I have to think about how can suggest evaluate tool to track users' failure of making sense of the content.