While all my projects are heavily user-centered and focused on designing with the community – this one is all about untethered, speculative design. Most of my explorations in this project are centered on the idea of going beyond what we typically see. To use speculative design and motion to introduce new ways of thinking and deconstruct data visually.
Prototyping, Visual Design, Speculative Design & UX
By: Taha Hossain
Using: Framer,, Illustrator, Photoshop, After Effects
Exploring various organic and geometric forms to visualize variables
The design choices in this project were guided with these overarching design principles.
Tools used to define the overall experience of the data visualization and the interface.
"Speculation introduces a dialogue of discussion and debate, one that requires the viewers to suspend their disbelief and allow their imaginations to wonder."
- Speculative Everything by Anthony Dunne and Fiona Raby
A human computer interaction technique that helps the user maintain focus by reducing cognitive workload. This was applied by designing a hierarchy that presents the most important information first while also allowing the user to go into further detail.
Each of the data visualizations were intentionally designed to serve a purpose
The dashboard visualization shows a high level overview of both water and electricity usage through the day. The density in the visualization would vary depending on usage at that particular time.
Each dot represents a single case of water or electricity usage
A blue dot represents water usage
A white dot represents electricity usage
The data model for electricity usage focuses on comparing all connected rooms in one visualization. The further the branches are within the rings the higher the energy consumption.
Each branch represents a room
Sub-branch represents a smart connection
Visually representing the water usage of a whole month in one data model. Each water line represents a day of the month.
Thickness represents amount of water
Represents cold water
Represents hot water
Displaying water usage of a particular day through a visual representation within a 24 hour data model.
Width represents amount of water
Represents data from previous day
Represents hot/cold water
The following shows how the data models would be used in context accompanied by the various interactions.
The dashboard allows the user to view the usage at a particular time or visually compare it with other days.
Quickly compare data with other days
Finer control on time as a variable
The electricity data model allows the user to view every smart connection in comparison to the room but also the entire home.
Visually compare every smart connection
The water usage section presents an overview of the month's usage before allowing the user to see their day's use in finer detail.
Visually see the month's usage pattern
The art of speculation requires you to untether yourself from usual constraints and the ordinary. It required a lot of internal effort to break free from my personal boundaries of thinking.
A lot of the insights gained through the course of this project came from my peers that encouraged me to use other areas of design as inspiration and the overlap that it may have with data visualization.
