Lecture and Resource Reflection
Information design can transform our understanding and reveal new perspectives of the world around us. It can make complex subjects understandable and forecast future trends.
The protectional misuse of information and the ethical side of that needs to be considered as well.
The census is an example of mass data collection. Such huge amounts of information bout a population can be empowering but also can be misused. An example of data being misused is the way Facebook have used peoples data to influence them.
Data can be misused in political propaganda. Showing a one sided story that doesn’t show the whole issue. Data without context can be dangerous as people trust a graph or diagram, but they are not always accurate or unbiased.
The facts alone often don’t tell the whole story- it can be seen as reducing human experiences to numbers. Sometimes you need to include the emotional human connection to make your design powerful.
It seems that the combination of text, image and data visualisation is when you can create the most impact and show a story with its required context.
Banu Cennetoglu’s – the list. Where she shows the names of all people who died int heir attempt to reach Europe is much more powerful that the number alone would be – as it add a human dimension and emotion to each person.
Bomb Sights – Mapping the WWII London Blitz- is also very powerful example of this. The amount of spots that represent bomb are shocking, but each dot allows you to explore real life stories of people affected by the bombing.
Data can be used to predict future trends. But this in itself can sometimes be dangerous.
The police use crime maps to predict future criminal activities, but is this just making crime more likely in those areas and creating no-go areas?
“People think computer programmes are neutral, but they are just entrenching the pre-existing biases that the police have always shown”
The Guardian Sun 9 Feb 2019
Forensic architecture are a group that aim to show the truth within data. Using open sourced information, videos, photos etc they build a picture of human rights violations. They cut through fake news and aim to hold governments accountable.
Fallen leaves project is powerful – making people walk over metal faces to represent the people who died int he Holocaust- adds an emotional connection to the data but forcing people to interact with it.
Workshop Challenge
I started off the workshop challenge this week looking into plastic and the environmental problems it creates. Since being a child I remember worrying about how none of the plastic ever made has gone anywhere, picturing where it must be and wondering how long it would take until we were over run with plastic.
I researched some examples of plastic data visualisation as well as some other styles that I liked.
I started by asking myself the question: How much plastic is there is the world, and how do I show the amount of it in a way people can comprehend?
Looking at ‘Our World in Data’ I found a great study from 2017 that shows the amount of plastic produced from 1950 till 2015. The data shows a terrifying increase, but in the form of a graph the true numbers are lost. 7 billion tonnes of plastic waste is a number we all know to be a lot, but how much actually is that? It is almost impossible to imagine 7 billion of anything.
As a possible way to give meaning to these massive numbers, I took this data and worked out if you gave an equal share of it to every person on the planet today (7.8 billion) how much weight they would personally have.
I then worked out what animal would weigh that much- as a visual way of showing this weight. As well as estimating the weight now in 2020 and in 2015 if things continue on the same level.
| Year | Cumulative global plastics production (million tonnes) | Weight per person alive today (tonnes) | Kg per person | |
| 1950 | 2 | 0.00026 | 0.25641 | Hamster |
| 1951 | 4 | 0.00051 | 0.51282 | |
| 1952 | 6 | 0.00077 | 0.76923 | |
| 1953 | 9 | 0.00115 | 1.15385 | |
| 1954 | 12 | 0.00154 | 1.53846 | |
| 1955 | 16 | 0.00205 | 2.05128 | |
| 1956 | 21 | 0.00269 | 2.69231 | |
| 1957 | 26 | 0.00333 | 3.33333 | |
| 1958 | 32 | 0.00410 | 4.10256 | |
| 1959 | 39 | 0.00500 | 5.00000 | |
| 1960 | 47 | 0.00603 | 6.02564 | A cat |
| 1961 | 56 | 0.00718 | 7.17949 | |
| 1962 | 67 | 0.00859 | 8.58974 | |
| 1963 | 80 | 0.01026 | 10.25641 | |
| 1964 | 95 | 0.01218 | 12.17949 | |
| 1965 | 112 | 0.01436 | 14.35897 | A toddler |
| 1966 | 132 | 0.01692 | 16.92308 | |
| 1967 | 155 | 0.01987 | 19.87179 | |
| 1968 | 182 | 0.02333 | 23.33333 | |
| 1969 | 214 | 0.02744 | 27.43590 | |
| 1970 | 249 | 0.03192 | 31.92308 | A labrador |
| 1971 | 287 | 0.03679 | 36.79487 | |
| 1972 | 331 | 0.04244 | 42.43590 | |
| 1973 | 382 | 0.04897 | 48.97436 | |
| 1974 | 434 | 0.05564 | 55.64103 | |
| 1975 | 480 | 0.06154 | 61.53846 | An adult |
| 1976 | 534 | 0.06846 | 68.46154 | |
| 1977 | 593 | 0.07603 | 76.02564 | |
| 1978 | 657 | 0.08423 | 84.23077 | |
| 1979 | 728 | 0.09333 | 93.33333 | |
| 1980 | 798 | 0.10231 | 102.30769 | Giant Panda |
| 1981 | 870 | 0.11154 | 111.53846 | |
| 1982 | 943 | 0.12090 | 120.89744 | |
| 1983 | 1023 | 0.13115 | 131.15385 | |
| 1984 | 1109 | 0.14218 | 142.17949 | |
| 1985 | 1199 | 0.15372 | 153.71795 | Gorilla |
| 1986 | 1295 | 0.16603 | 166.02564 | |
| 1987 | 1399 | 0.17936 | 179.35897 | |
| 1988 | 1509 | 0.19346 | 193.46154 | |
| 1989 | 1623 | 0.20808 | 208.07692 | |
| 1990 | 1743 | 0.22346 | 223.46154 | Wildebeest |
| 1991 | 1867 | 0.23936 | 239.35897 | |
| 1992 | 1999 | 0.25628 | 256.28205 | |
| 1993 | 2136 | 0.27385 | 273.84615 | |
| 1994 | 2287 | 0.29321 | 293.20513 | |
| 1995 | 2443 | 0.31321 | 313.20513 | Musk ox |
| 1996 | 2611 | 0.33474 | 334.74359 | |
| 1997 | 2791 | 0.35782 | 357.82051 | |
| 1998 | 2979 | 0.38192 | 381.92308 | |
| 1999 | 3181 | 0.40782 | 407.82051 | |
| 2000 | 3394 | 0.43513 | 435.12821 | Camel |
| 2001 | 3612 | 0.46308 | 463.07692 | |
| 2002 | 3843 | 0.49269 | 492.69231 | |
| 2003 | 4084 | 0.52359 | 523.58974 | |
| 2004 | 4340 | 0.55641 | 556.41026 | |
| 2005 | 4603 | 0.59013 | 590.12821 | Bison |
| 2006 | 4883 | 0.62603 | 626.02564 | |
| 2007 | 5178 | 0.66385 | 663.84615 | |
| 2008 | 5459 | 0.69987 | 699.87179 | |
| 2009 | 5747 | 0.73679 | 736.79487 | |
| 2010 | 6060 | 0.77692 | 776.92308 | Giraffe |
| 2011 | 6385 | 0.81859 | 818.58974 | |
| 2012 | 6723 | 0.86192 | 861.92308 | |
| 2013 | 7075 | 0.90705 | 907.05128 | |
| 2014 | 7442 | 0.95410 | 954.10256 | |
| 2015 | 7823 | 1.00295 | 1002.94872 | Great white shark /rhino |
| 2020 | 10000 | 1.28205 | 1282.05128 | |
| 2050 | 34000 | 4.35897 | 4358.97436 | Indian elephant |
In the same study I also found some interesting data around the small amount of plastic that actually gets recycled.
Of the 5800 million tonnes of primary plastic no longer in use, only 9 percent has been recycled since 1950. (Ritchie and Roser 2018)
I sketched out some simple diagrams that I could use to show the tiny amount of plastic that has ever been recycled.
As well as options to show the cumulative amount of plastic on the planet – either in the form of the weight of animals or in a more abstract way.
It became clear that using animals was a little unclear and also implied an equal weighting of plastic waste across the planet that is untrue. The design ideas to show the amount f plastic in the world showed a marked increase but it was still hard to comprehend the numbers.
I decided to refine my research area down further in the hope of creating a design with more impact. I wanted an area of plastic that was less well known.
I asked myself, how do I show a new insight into the problem with plastics?
Having recently started reading Caroline Criado-Perez’s book ‘Invisible Women: Exposing Data Bias in a World Designed for Men’ and it made me think what part of the plastic problem is not talked about because it is only related to women? (Caroline Criado Perez 2019)
I decided to look at how period products now contain so much plastic and are disposable. Things have progressed in the design of period products to make them easy to use and convenient, but the impact on the planet (and on women’s health) is not considered as much as it should be. The issues surrounding this are also not talked about often, due to the shame and stigma that still surrounds periods for many people and in certain cultures even more so.
How do I show the amount of plastic in period products? And how do I show the amount of waste this creates?
I researched what made up pads and tampons.
Tampax Tampons
Applicator – Plastic with pigments for colour
Absorbent Core – Cotton and/or Rayon of varying levels optimised for performance
Thin Fabric around Absorbent Core – Polyethylene and Polypropylene
String – Cotton with Polypropylene Braid
Thread – Polyester
Fragrance ingredients like those found in other women’s products.
Bodyform Pads
Surface material – Fiber material made of polypropene/polyethylene polyester/viscose. – The product keeps you dry and comfortable by absorbing the liquid.
Acquisition layer – Porous material consisting of wood fiber or polyester fiber. Transports liquid from the surface to the center of the product, where the liquid is stored.
Absorbent core – Paper pulp, a combination of paper pulp and super absorbents for pads and panty liners. – Absorbs and stores the liquids.
Adhesive – The adhesive consists of various polymers and synthetic resins. Binds together the different layers of the product and attaches the product to the panties.
Backsheet material – Polyethylene film. A fiber material is used in some panty liners. – Prevents leakage.
Fragrance (only certain products)—Perfume Gives the product a fresh smell.
Data
From the Women’s Environmental Network’s Environmenstral campaign I found out some shocking facts about the amount of period products used.
● Women use more than 11,000 disposable menstrual products in their lifetime – based on average of 38 years of menstruation using 22 items of sanitary products per cycle, 13 cycles a year
- Statista estimated that in 2016, an estimated 1.8 million women (aged 15+) in the UK used 25 or more menstrual towels a month.
- Average menstrual flow is around 85g per cycle. Barely enough to fill a small teacup. Most women and people who menstruate will do so for on average of 38 years and have approx. 500 periods in their lifetime.
- The average of commencement for menstruation is 12 yrs old, although it can be as early as 8
● Each period can cost up to £41, that’s £492/year and £18,450 over a lifetime.
● There are around 18 million women of menstruating age in the UK.
● Disposal of single use menstrual products – tampons, pads and applicators generates 200,000 tonnes of waste per year.
(WEN 2020)
I wanted to use these stats to make my information design.
In adverts around period products the colour red is always completely ignored so I didn’t want to stick with this in my design. I also however, didn’t want to make the design too graphic or uncomfortable for people to look at, I wanted to ensure the design was welcoming enough that people would be happy to take the time to look at it and discover the data I was trying to show.
After a lot of sketching and trying ideas out, I came to the idea of simplifying the products into a rectangle for a pad and a circle for a tampon. This would allow my design to look less messy while still maintaining clarity. This was also inspired by the data design of Giorgia Lupi, who manages to distill incredible complex data down into an array of simple yet beautiful shapes and lines.
Lining up each individual period product to show the amount of waste each woman creates in a lifetime actually surprised me as I was doing it. I knew it was a problem but it wasn’t until I lined up each one that a saw how massive the collection of waste was. It painted a pretty bleak picture.
I decided to add in another option – the period cup – which is much less widely used as it is less convenient and less understood. The design was basic but the block of waste I thought was quite effective.
I elongated the design to make the block seem as if it went on and on, as well as to balance out the design a bit better. I also added in a simple illustration of a woman to try and add a bit of a human connection into the design.
I tried adding in the landfill rubbish at the bottom- it was eye-catching but also made the design more uncomfortable to look at, which I thought may give people an excuse to not take in the data I was trying to show.
Looking at the pinky colours and friendly graphics I had ended up using to show this subject I thought this depiction was quite childlike and approachable. This made me think it could be used in schools to show young girls the choice they had about their future period plastic use. Something I was never made aware of when I was young. It could be used to empower young girls to make a choice and educated them on the alternatives.
To make it more educational I looked up some other sustainable options and worked out how many of them would be used in lifetime so I could add this into the design.
Reusable pads – recommend owning 12 pads at a time – they last 4 years – 114 in a lifetime
Period pants – recommend 4 at a time – they last 2 years – 76 in a lifetime
What are they made of?
Period pants- 95% third-party certified organic cotton and 5% spandex, with a lining of polyurethane laminate topped with organic cotton.
https://www.grove.co/blog/period-underwear-guide
Reusable pads
- Core: a wicking layer that draws moisture away from your skin in seconds (polyamide, polyester, lycra)
- Top and Bottom outer layers: two layers of super-soft natural fibres that stay comfortable against your skin (lyocell, organic cotton)
- Odour-proof inner layer: An absorbent odour-proof layer is made from 4D fabric technology that holds 10 times its weight in two seconds (organic cotton, bamboo, polyester)
- Watertight backing: watertight layer gives you extra security (polyurethane)
All materials are manufactured with no harmful chemicals or finishes. We have tried to use as many natural ingredients as possible, while making sure we have made a pad that gives you safety and confidence throughout your period.
https://wearedame.co/apps/help-center#hc-what-are-dame-reusable-pads-made-of
Final Design
I wanted to make sure my data visualisation was understandable, powerful and also informative. I wanted it to be approachable and clear at a glance. I think the inclusion of other options underneath clearly shows how even the least sustainable reusable option is so much better for the planet than disposable option.
I chose a friendly looking font and colour scheme that would appeal to a younger audience, while drawing inspiration from Giorgia Lupi’s data designs.
Reflection
Finding a new and interesting angle on some data for this week proved to be quite challenging. But I made an effort to stick to a process and not jump ahead to try and visualise my final product, instead trying out ideas, reflecting on how they worked and then making adjustments and additions where necessary.
My design on that effects of period products on plastic pollutions shows a side of the plastic problem that is less talked about due to stigma and shame surrounding periods. My idea that it would be used in schools would aim to break down some of this stigma, while also educating young girls on the choices they have from the start. I believe if you started this conversation early the stigma, and lack of knowledge around the waste and alternatives could be eliminated from the start. My design is very literal, I wonder if too much so and if I could have managed to create the same amount of impact of how much is used in a more abstract way?
This weeks research has also made me think about the period poverty around the world. The period cup could be used to make access to sanitary products easier for people across the world who currently don’t have appropriate access to period products. I would love to also research this area further, to look at the countries and cultures who still instil extreme shame or dangerous rituals on women whilst on their period, the areas where due to war or poverty girls don’t have access to period products, and what can be done to help them issues.
Reference list
CAROLINE CRIADO PEREZ. 2019. INVISIBLE WOMEN : Exposing Data Bias in a World Designed for Men. S.L.: Vintage.
DISALVO, Carl. 2015. Adversarial Design. Mit Press.
GOLDSMITHS, UNIVERSITY OF LONDON. 2018. “Forensic Architecture Research Agency at Goldsmiths.” YouTube. Available at: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GhmkvhIM_G0 [accessed 19 Feb 2021].
IT’S NICE THAT. 2018. “Nicer Tuesdays: Offshore Studio.” YouTube. Available at: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9uxcQmQlCS8 [accessed 13 Feb 2021].
RITCHIE, Hannah and Max ROSER. 2018. “Plastic Pollution.” Our World in Data [online]. Available at: https://ourworldindata.org/plastic-pollution [accessed 19 Feb 2021].
WEN. 2020. ENVIRONMENSTRUAL FACT SHEET. Available at: https://www.wen.org.uk/wp-content/uploads/Fact-Sheet-Environmenstrual.pdf [accessed 19 Feb 2021].
Lizzie Wa Design 
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