The [In]tangible Forces that Shape Public Transport Systems in the U.S. is an integrated collection of models that translates the complexity of the U.S. Transportation System.
Brief
Objective
Demonstrate a holistic understanding of transportation in the United States to illustrate and explain subjects and characteristics too large or numerous to conceptualize using memory and cognition alone through visual techniques.
Illustrate the U.S. Department of Transportation's history, infrastructure, and contemporary issues facing the shared mobility industry into coherent visual representations to optimize the reading experience.
The Process
Matching various types of models to different kinds of complexity
Models can act as lenses for processing research data. They can function as tools for non-linear analysis, allowing a team to filter data through a series of specific models, each targeting a particular understanding. By determining the project's different purposes of us and the information to convey, I became conversant with varying types of data and scales to think about ways to conceptualize and organize the information.
Experimenting with mapping complex topics by building relevant structures
Iteration generates insights—but only by iterating enough can you get beneath the surface and generate deep, multi-faceted design-ready insights. Applying theories of visual perception, exploring the principles of visual design, and expanding on design considerations and opportunities, I found new ways to represent the information correctly and clearly so that, as form follows function, the structure reflects and visually enforces the data, respond to the reader's needs and conditions, and support comprehension.
Negotiating ambiguous topics to navigate issues of scope and content development
While simple models and frameworks often emerge naturally from design work, truly complex topics are difficult to bound and represent without theories and approaches to guide the process. Following a typical design process of analysis and synthesis, I determined the appropriate relationships to represent, chose the variables and dimensions, and decided the level of representation (from concrete to abstract) and detail (i.e., captions and callouts).
The [In]tangible Forces that Shape Public Transport Systems in the U.S.
The final output is an integration of several models to tell a larger story about the public transportation system in the U.S. These models included a timeline diagram providing a compelling account of the U.S. public transportation system's history and current status, an ecosystem map breaking links, connections and relationships between different stakeholders in the system, and concept map illustrating equity considerations around the system, created using Louis Thompson's "Public Transportation in the U.S.: History and Current Status" and Nathan McNeil, Joseph Broach, and Jennifer Dill's "Breaking Barriers to Bike Share: Lessons on Bike Share Equity." The models are structured for and presented in a broadsheet to resemble newspapers that riders and commuters might read while traveling by Train or Bus.
Ecosystem Map
The ecosystem map highlights the bi-directional relationships between the actors and entities in the U.S. public transportation system, demonstrating how decisions made at the institutional level can affect individuals and societies.
Timeline Diagram
The timeline integrates the legislative evolution of urban transportation in the United States, emphasizing critical advancements in policies and programs while offering brief explanations of their contents.
Concept Map
The concept map showcases the survey findings of McNiel, et al.'s research which delves into the opinions of community residents, bike-share users, and bike-share system operators on the topics of equity, obstacles, and areas of interest.
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