Reflection
For this project, I decided to work with the provided Covid-19 dataset because of the abundance of latest statistics, fundamental information and its global relevance. As a topic that was once covered in class, I challenged myself to place greater emphasis on the user experience and maximise my communicative potential in the visualisation process. I therefore attempted to incorporate animated elements and a degree of interactivity to better intrigue the viewer, which proved to be a true test to my understanding of data and code. Juggling both strategic visualisation and design execution, I went through multiple phases of testing where it became apparent to me that creative coding is to understand the driving forces behind visual perception, work on the integration of individual elements, and having everything work harmoniously and intuitively to guide the overall comprehension of my data.
View original data source
Design Decision
As a representation of viral particles, I chose to use circles in an icky green, against a murky background to resemble the microscopic view of floating bacteria. In also rendering the sketch interactive, I wanted the stress the fact that wearing a face mask is a collective social responsibility in which everyone has a part to play. For the data visualisation, I was particularly inspired by Apple’s Move, Exercise and Stand ring that is characteristic of the Apple Watch. I therefore sought to visualise my dataset in the manner of a multi-coloured wheel that similarly makes comprehension and comparison easy. I also added a little animation to better illustrate my point and further engage the viewer.
Issues
In referencing certain sketches on OpenProcessing, it took me a while to figure out the language of PJS and translate that into P5.JS. Another challenge I faced was achieving the repelling particles which required me to do further learning, go outside of my comfort zone and apply knowledge not taught in class i.e. createVector, lerpColor, etc. Lastly, to effectively render my code adaptable to all screen dimensions, I also had to do several rounds of trial and error to replace all the hard-coded values with global variables that enables my sketch to be responsive.
Feedback
Talking to my peers about my progress, I received feedback regarding design decisions that I could further consider, such as the colour choice, virus particles count, and mask image. That prompted me to rework certain visual aspects of my code, where I took on a more informed approach in its treatment, and how that might better facilitate and aid the understanding of my data. After refining my sketches in accordance to the initial comments I gathered, I am satisfied that my overall work evoked a positive response from my classmates.
Achievement
Focusing on the theme of Virus, I would like to think that I was successful in considering how masks have been essential to the prevention of Covid-19 transmission. In my data visualisation and visual interpretation, I measured the efficacy of various masks types and illustrated the protection that surgical mask can offer respectively. Through the process of sketching on paper, testing ideas in code, and embedding my sketch into a webpage via Brackets, I am proud to see my efforts culminate into an effective, cohesive and aesthetically-pleasing end product.
