Project Description

The task for this project was to design an interactive map depicting uncommon or unfamiliar information about a space. This is information that is not readily represented on most maps of the same space. Examples of mapping non-traditional information include personal stories, overlooked details of a given space, pollution levels, etc  

Learning Objectives

• Develop skill in the selection, organization, and use of spatial information
• Apply skills in typography and image selection and construction
• Develop and apply a solid understanding of the interactive capabilities of Flash
 

Specifics

• A detailed view containing specific information
• A macro view with at least 3 visually differentiated types of objects

Guidelines

• Use the visual design developed for the TRC of Liberia website
• Use GPS data
• Use an accurate base map of Liberia
• Provide multiple base maps to create new meaning from data
• Incorporate kiosk videos
• Mimic a dashboard aesthetic to narrow options and give feeling of an SUV dashboard

Emotional Aesthetic

The purpose of the Liberia map is to inform and tell stories. The target audience for the project are Liberians who have left the country during the Diaspora, who would be a major audience attracted to the TRC website, and activists looking for more information. The design of the interactive map is not for people of Liberia, for example those who would be interacting with the traveling kiosk where they are recording videos. The design for this type of interaction is for a much different target audience, with different cultural values, understanding, and cognitive processes.

In an essay ‘Information as an Aesthetic Event’, author Lev Manovich discusses how contemporary designers no longer try to hide the interfaces users interact with, but instead treat the interface as an event. This treatment opposes the previous “invisible interface” paradigm. In experience design, Manovich (2007) says, “The interaction explicitly calls attention to itself” (7). Instead of form following function, modernist design follows alternate formulas such as “form follows emotion” (5).

All maps are inherently interactive, with the blatant function of visualizing spatial information. The interaction and meaning of a map, however, is framed by the selection, organization, and presentation of information (DiSalvo, 2008, lecture). Therefore, maps are also inherently subjective from the point of view of the designer or mapmaker. The designer infuses the map/image with a certain set of feelings, beliefs, and desires. The designer also must carefully plan interactivity so that the user retrieves the function and emotion of the design.

As a narrative-based map, the Liberia Mapping Project begins with an emotional design. The videos from Liberia can engage the user through emotional appeal. How the user interacts and views the videos and detailed information shapes their emotional engagement and experience. The approach of the Liberia map is to insert the user as a member of the research project. The interface has the quality of a driving console with the map as the front window for exploring the country of Liberia. On this journey, they can travel to different counties of Liberia to explore the people and their stories. The approach for exploring the videos will be discussed later in the process section, but in short, it follows a pattern for creating events.

Theatrical Experience

In the Manovich (2007) essay, the author discusses how the aesthetic of user interfaces has a game like or theatrical component, and refers to computer theorist Brenda Laurel’s work on interfaces and theatrical performance (14). In her 1991 milestone, Computers as Theatre, Laurel uses Aristotle’s Poetics as a model for talking about human-computer interaction and its expressive components. She refers to six elements: action, character, thought, language, pattern, and enactment (564). The Liberia map is a type of theatrical experience. The user situates themselves as actors, they are the driver sitting behind the console (the interface), and they are exploring Liberia. The mapping project has multiple levels of performance. The agenda of the TRC Liberia Kiosk project represents an alternate perspective of performance, developed by Augusto Boal in 1973, which is the Theater of the Oppressed. Boal’s perspective follows the pedagogical principles of the oppressed by Paulo Freire, which emphasizes dialogue. The storytelling component of the TRC kiosk project is a type of conversational theatre. The stories of the individuals create a dialogue for understanding the issues of the country and eventual methods for healing. It is a type of theatre workshop for speaking out and turning performance into action or change. The users of the Liberia map contribute to this performance as audience members. In future iterations, users can contribute to the discussion and truly participate in a simultaneous dramaturgy occurring with the project.

Narrative Mapping

An interactive map, which most closely fits along the lines of the Liberia mapping project is the City of Memory project based in New York City. This project is an online community map of personal stories and memories organized on a geographical map of the city. The map has both curated stores by the City of Lore group, the designers of the map, and stories uploaded by users of the map and online community members. Either blue or orange markers categorize the two types of data. Users can interact with the map by mousing over objects for a sneak peak or clicking on an item to get a detailed view of information including stories, videos, and images. The Liberia map would function in a similar matter as a narrative map. It will have a physical geographical map of Liberia and map the narratives and stories of individuals. City of Memory’s feature allowing users to contribute to the map by uploading stories acts as a template for a future version of the Liberia Map. On the TRC website, visitors can already interact by giving their statement online through a survey format. The map could be a great way for users to record and share their statements and see how the Diaspora has spread the people of Liberia.

Effortless Experience

The use of rollovers and clickable detailed views are common on interactive maps. This is the approach used by the City of Memory project. While the format works smoothly since people are familiar with this type of interaction, it is not always the most interesting. From the standpoint of interaction design, the Stamen Design 16thandmission mapping project achieves an effortless but compelling user experience. 16thandmission is an interactive map created to investigate the interplay of data, interactivity, and narrative that shape the urban environment on the corner of 16th and Mission Streets in San Francisco. The base map for the interface hides and lights up like a light bright board as the user moves around the space. The base map shifts and tugs, sometimes making it difficult for the user to land on a desired object, but the effect gives the base map character and provides intrigue to persuade the user to explore. By mousing around, elements of the map are revealed and better understood.

Step 1: Brainstorming

As with all projects, when you have a task, the first step is to brainstorm a variety of solutions and approaches. One of my initial ideas was to map Atlanta's hip hop scene- the artists and neighborhoods they come from, production studios like So So Def, and the network which has made Atlanta the capital of Southern Hip Hop music. I thought this would be a great mapping project because so many local Atlanta rappers represent the city of Atlanta in their music by using locations and landmarks in their lyrics. The reason that I initially wanted to work with this idea is because I had a semester long theme for my work, which was the "hip hop aesthetics". I contemplated whether or not to stick with my theme, but eventually decided to go in another direction, which was the mapping of the truths and justices in Liberia. As I've discussed in the section covering my intentions, I felt the Liberia map would be compelling, informative, and useful for the Georgia Tech liberia group and their research. To start thinking about how I would work inside the topic of Liberia, I created a board with imagery from the country.

Step 4: Designing Interaction

I had my map working in a protoype version, but had not spent much time on the visual layout of the interface or the user interaction. I really wasn't sure from the beginning how I wanted to do this until I had a better understanding of how the information I collected could be organized and used in an interesting way.

I realized quickly that I had the advantage of so many resources, but the disadvantage of having to organize the information. I decided finally to create three main methods for exploring the map: 'kiosk' for the kiosk videos, 'hearings' for the public hearings, and 'suv' for research notes from the suv treking across Liberia. From the TRC website, I was able to get a hold of these interesting little icons on their home page, which was used to showcase the organizations goals.

I really liked the look of these buttons and wanted to highlight them on my map. The circular button with an icon image became the style for marking different map objects and as the main navigation buttons. I wanted to bring attention to the three options I had created for the map, so I blew the buttons up to a large size and liked the simple direction they created. Because of their size, they scream "click me" and help the user understand how to interact with the map. Enlarging the buttons helped to create a heavy console display that went with the aesthetic of the SUV. I imagined the user as the driver, the interface as their console display, and the map as the front window as they explored Liberia!

Elements of the Solution

• An 800px by 800px interface that can be incorporated into the current TRC website, under their map section. This section currently displays simple Google maps, with little information.
• Three base map options: counties, ethnic groups, and language.
• Three views: kiosk, hearings, suv.
• Zoom feature and navigation menu.
• Mapping based on GPS data.
• Detailed view with video and notes.
   

Final Description and Future Additions

The final map of Liberia consists of three base maps and three channels or views. The kiosk channel plots GPS points from the TRC kiosk project and maps videos collected by category of video. Examples of categories include: peace, Liberia, religion, TRC, and environment. The second channel, hearings, plots hearing locations and also has videos based on category. These videos also plot whether the speaker is a victim, perpretrator, male, or female along with other information. The final channel is the SUV, which plots the movement of the SUV and notes taken and certain times and locations. All of the data for the project is continuing to grow. Future versions will have more data implemented into each channel.

Currently, the map is still in a prototype phase. The three base maps need to be refined, along with the legend and taxonomy for different markers. A later version will make items in the legend clickable so that different categories can be turned on and off.