We completed the two main phases of intermediate design: Diverge and Emerge.
In the Diverge phase, we tried to come up with as many sketches as we could to show different aspects of our data.
Next, in the Emerge phase, we had a closer look at the outcome of the Diverge phase and rearranged our ideas in a more organized way, ready to move to the final design phase Converge.
Our Sketches and designs can be accessed via this link to the Miro board of the team
In the Diverge phase, we started with a number of initial sketches, each including some of the variables in our data set. Each team member seized the opportunity to brainstorm and contribute to the overall design space. After discussing these sketches, we decided to explore more design ideas and add more sketches to the design space. The outcome was a total of 35 sketches that could be used as a basis for the Emerge phase. Some of the most interesting sketches will be discussed under 'Interesting sketches' later on.
In the second step, we organized our sketches into a number of main categories. The level of Carbon dioxide and Road Quality can be depicted from 3 main angles: time, location, and violations. Time and Geo-location are the two aspects present in the Emerge phase. Violations were excluded from further exploration in project definition phase.
Figure 1. The three main angles of data representation
All sketches that show the Carbon dioxide and Road Quality level in terms of one or more environmental/vehicle variables are in the first category - Time. In these sketches, Time is mainly illustrated as either a horizontal axis or a clock.
The Geo-location sketches focus on the geographical location of the roads and the level of Carbon dioxide and Road Quality within those locations. This is shown as either a symbolic road, indicating regions and road and air quality attributes, a real map of Poland - the country that the data was gathered in - with its provinces and roads, or figures that use a more abstract and typical medium of visualization like lines, curves, and circles.
In addition to the above, there are some sketches that can contribute to either of time or Geo-location visualizations. These can be seen under "Time and Geo" and will need to be merged with other figures. Of these, there is one sketch that is specifically suitable for use in a cross-section of time and Geo; this is shown in a separate panel.
Figure 2. A snapshot of the Miro board
Interesting Sketches
The most noteworthy sketches of the diverge phase are as follows:
1. Trees and potholes over time
This sketch is interesting because it is simple and yet it provides a nice visualization of the Carbon dioxide level in terms of Road Quality. The overall state of the road and pollution can be seen at a glance. The basic idea can also later be developed into a more mature representation.
2. Flowers to show various variables
The advantage of this sketch is that it can show several variables at the same time. The x-axis shows time, the y-axis shows Road Quality (derived from the number of bumps and potholes), and the curve shows the quality of the road. Each flower represents different variables through its characteristics: the height of the flowers reflects the level of humidity, the color can range from red to green to show the Carbon dioxide level, and the number of petals show air quality.
3. Color-coded road with Carbon dioxide as roadside bushes
This is a very nice illustration that depicts road and air quality in a novel way. The road can change color as the number of bumps and potholes change, and the the circles (or bushes) alongside the road can get bigger or smaller depending on the level of Carbon dioxide of that area (or time of day).
Line and circle
At first glance it might not show its merits, but this visualization benefits from clarity and simplicity. The slope of the line changes with changes in Road Quality. The circles that it carries show the level of Carbon dioxide simultaneously, giving the viewer a clear idea of both of the variables and their relationship in one go.
Interesting combinations
The sketches that put illustrations in the context of time can be combined into one representation:
In the above figure, all four sketches are basically trying to show the same idea. These can be merged into a more complete representation that benefits from all of the four.
Similarly, the sketches that consider Geo-location as the main theme can be combined together:
Here, we can see that a road can be used as a location holder, with the scenery around showing various road and air quality variables. A good representation in the converge phase would be the one that can illustrate things that are put separately in each of these sketches plus temperature, humidity, and some additional variables that are missing.
An additional good combination can the following:
The three maps above can be shown as a single map in the Converge phase and the sketch on the right can be put on the map to indicate various car, road, and air variables in a geographical region. In the right-hand side sketch, the dents show the Road Quality (a smoother circles indicating a higher-quality road), the number of the curved lines shows air quality, the number of lines in the arrow shows car speed, and the number of drops shows the level of humidity.