Link to visualization: https://histography.io/
This project, referred to as "Histography," was a final project at Bezalel Academy of Arts and Design. This extremely impressive visualization
uses data from Wikipedia to create an interactive 14 billion year timeline of historical events starting from the Big Bang and going to 2015.
As shown in the image below, the user is first introduced to the visualization by seeing events from the 400 year time period of 1600 to 2000.
Depending on what time span is chosen, the visualization will enlarge a few select points to show some of the most relevant historical events of
that time. For example, the invention of the telephone and World War II are among the points that are enlarged when the user first enters the visualization.
By hovering over a specific dot, the name of the event and a relevant image appears. If the user clicks on this point, they are given the option
to read the Wikipedia article about the event or view related events on the timeline. Clicking some points even gives the user an option
to watch an informational video about the event. The interactivity allows the user to explore the visualization
at their own pace and view events of interest in more detail. When hovering over the visualization, the user is able to see what year in history
they are looking at. As shown in the image below, hovering over the bar at the bottom allows the users to select which range of years they would
like to look at. The user is also given the option to select a specific time in history, such as "Middle Ages" or "Renaissance." The user is
also able to zoom in on the visualization to shorten the time period being viewed. Shortening the time period allows the user to see more events
from the specified time.
The left side of the screen provides yet another way for the user to interact with this visualization by filtering for the events that they are most
interested in. This side bar allows users to select one or two categories including "Literature," "Music," "Construction," "Riots," "Wars," "Inventions," "Politics,"
and more. In the image shown below, I have selected Wars (shown in white) and Inventions (shown in black) for 1979-1990. This filter is a great
way to compare the frequency of different types of events in a specific time period, see what events occurred within the same time frame,
or simply to modify the visualiation to only view specific categories.
By clicking on the green square in the corner of the visualization, the user is brought to a very interesting, interactive visualization that
allows the user to scroll through time and view the most prominent historical events over the years. As shown in the image below, a spiral
of dots appear on the screen and the user is prompted to scroll through the left bar of events to watch the dots follow the spiral as the
events and their corresponding pictures appear on the screen. While you are not able to customize this visualization as much as the other,
this is a great addition to the visualization that allows the user to see some of the major events without having to spend a lot of time
hovering over points in the original visualization.
I think that this data visualization is incredible. The aesthetic of the entire web page, including the color of the background and fonts used, make for an overall great experience for the user. While this visualization contains a large amount of data (from Wikipedia), I think the information is presented in a way that does not overwhelm the user. By calling out a few key historical events, the visualization invites the reader to explore more and shows them what type of exploration can be done with the visualization. The timeline on the bottom coupled with the labeled line going down the entire screen helps the reader understand exactly what point in history they are looking at. The images and short videos that appear when the user hovers over each point are a great addition which helps the reader more easily understand what the event may be about. The ability to zoom in and filter through different event categories on the side also further enhances the user experience and keeps the visualization fresh and exciting. While I love this visualization, there a few things I would change. First, I would more clearly indicate what the green box in the corner leads to. The visualization that appears on that screen in so amazing, and I would not want the user to miss it just because they did not know where to find it. Second, I would update the words on the top right to just contain either the number of years being looked at or the actual years. I think the words can be a bit tricky for the user to read, and can sometimes be misleadig (for example: when I was looking at 1979-1990), the words read "The Seventies"). Overall, this visualization shows the importance of having an approachable visual when so much data is being presented. I have learned from this visualization that by adding filters to visualizations and making them interactive, you can take a large amount of data and shrink it down to just what is most important to the specific user.