Have you ever looked at an Excel sheet or map and wondered, “Why does this even matter?”
Sometimes, the facts on a map or numbers in a chart can get overwhelming, and the importance of the data can get lost. When this happens, the audience immediately loses focus on what they should take away from the infographic, and often, data analysts waste time trying to explain why the dataset was even made. This is where digital storymapping can come in.
Stories have always been important to societies; they are a tale as old as time. They build human connection, make information easy to remember, and help us understand complex ideas. While we are used to seeing this with fiction or traditionally artistic mediums, it can also be applied to data visualization through digital mapping.
By incorporating narrative elements such as a defined story arc or illustrative aids, these visuals can transform complex data and technical reports into a more accessible and interactive experience. Rather than presenting research through isolated charts and graphs, anchoring information within a cohesive spatial or thematic framework makes it more engaging.
Storymapping is a valuable tool for data analysts and a word for other people who work with data. Besides framing insights through narratives, it also provides benefits such as:
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Increased Cognitive Retention: Using visuals and a story-driven context can help the brain process information faster and retain it longer.
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Empathy and Engagement: Through a narrative-driven analysis, it turns numbers and data into something more tangible and relatable. By using a story lens, it can help the audience see a different perspective.
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Bridging the Gap Between Technical and Conceptual Viewpoints: Storymapping provides a common ground for both viewpoints and works to help the audience understand both the technical details and the big-picture concepts.
So, why don't we use mapping all the time?
If you only have limited or simple data, it might be better to use a standard chart or graph that quickly illustrates it. However, if you are analyzing spatial facts, narrative tools can be a great for telling a story; they illustrate how people move within a space, how time flows, or even how places change over time. If your data moves between different scales, such as a regional context versus a neighbourhood context, a storymap can transition between the two scales while telling the audience exactly why it is doing so. It focuses on the narrative and can be a good tool to layer different levels of complex data points in a cohesive manner. For example, a storymap can visualize how local demographics shift while also showing how the infrastructure changes over time and the environmental impacts that result, all without overwhelming the audience.
Overall, storymapping is a great tool to visualize content through a storytelling lens. If you would like to try it yourself, here are two things to remember:
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Who is the "main character"?
This is the primary focus of the storymap. The main character does not necessarily have to be a person; it can be a region, a community, or an issue. Think of the TV show Lost; the island itself is practically its own character. - 2
What is the journey that this "main character" takes?
To make sense of the data and why it is important, you need to show how the "main character" was shaped and how their story arc was resolved.
Similar to traditional stories, the map should follow a similar arc:
- Setup: What are the setting or baseline conditions? Is there important local or regional context that the audience needs to know?
- Tension: What are the questions that the research is trying to answer?
- Climax: What is happening to the "main character" after asking those questions? Are there any environmental changes, geographic disparities, policy changes, or information hotspots that need to be highlighted?
- Resolution: Now that the climax and action are over, what is the end result and how did the "main character" change (or not change)? If a "sequel" were to happen, what next steps or solutions are needed?