"Before" version of Process Visualization
Since the process I needed to visualize was more of a “how” and a “why” question according to Dan Roam’s six corresponding ways we see, my static graphic needed to be a combination of a flowchart to show cause and effect (or multiple causes and effects) and a multi-variable plot to show why this particular process is important for my audience to understand.
This visualization was outlined via a system of arrows, curved lines and boxes to demonstrate the three different causes and four different corresponding effects of bee extinction. I say four different corresponding effects because the extinction of bees is an effect of pesticides, parasites and logging and the three effects of bee extinction are fewer plants, fewer produce and less of a profit being made through the agricultural business. It was suggested to me in peer feedback that since my argument is about the decline of the food supply if bees became extinct, I should use icons other than a flower and a dollar sign to more effectively get my point across. In response to this feedback, I replaced the flower icon with a head of lettuce (to represent the decline of the food supply) and replaced the dollar sign icon with a sheaf of wheat that has a dollar sign placed on top of it (to represent the decline in profit within the agricultural business).
The curved lines featured on each of these images illustrate that the three causes of bee extinction (pesticides, parasites and logging) are increasing exponentially while the three corresponding effects of bee extinction (fewer plants, fewer produce and less of a profit) are rapidly decreasing. However, it was suggested to me in peer feedback that this designation wasn’t quite apparent for my readers, especially those who may not be familiar with graphs or how they operate. A fellow classmate explained to me that it’s apparent that the arrows represent either an upward or a downward trend, but this could be made even clearer by placing arrows in the proximity of each curve to visually explain their intended directions.
Last, my static graphic is not only a flowchart that explains how this detailed process occurs, but it also is a multi-variable plot that can be analyzed both vertically and horizontally. Also, there are multiple instances of parallelism in my work, which Edward Tufte would appreciate. For example, the three causes in the first column parallel the three corresponding effects in the third column. These images also feature curved lines that mirror each other. The large image of the bee is also placed parallel to the large image of the tombstone in the last column, while the domino effect image is parallel to the “If … Then!” statement at the top of the graphic.
Reflecting on Tufte’s Grand Principles of Information Design, I believe my static graphic not only shows causality and places comparisons in one visual field, but it also integrates words, numbers and images and uses small multiples to explain my process.
"After" version of Process Visualization
