The Infographic Self

BFA in Digital Arts Thesis Project

THE INFOGRAPHIC SELF is an interdisciplinary project in which visual design is merged with human psychology. This bridge is constructed through the use of data visualisation, where quantitative and qualitative data, recorded from a group of four subjects, is visually represented in a series of distinct designs. The final work provides a clear and visual alternative to the understanding of personality without the need of any previous theoretical psychological background.

Methodology

The subjects chosen for this project were a nuclear family of four which gave the researcher the possibility to explore the prospect of genetics being a predisposition in determining an individual’s personality make up. They were also chosen so as to analyse how each individual exists in his / her own specific environment as well as that of his / her family.

Throughout the study’s research, a physchological personality test, the NEO Inventory test, was found and chosen to attain a holistic analyses of the personalities in question. Basically, the Inventory test classified each individuals character into five main traits; Extraversion, Agreeableness, Conscientiousness, Neuroticism and Openness to experience, which originate from the Big Five theory in psychology. The resulting data was purely numerical and thus the first to be visualised. However, I wanted to attain a deeper analysis of the individuals’ personalities. As a result, I matched a behavioural habit with each trait and created a daily log for the four individuals to track their behaviour for a seven day period.

The questions posed in the log, “Daily Data-cord”, were not only aimed at collecting a number of instances, but also qualitative details such as what they complained about or what tasks they were doing before getting distracted. The log was crucial as it enables the audience to step into the individuals’ daily routine and experiences. In addition to the behaviour, I also collected the individuals’ moods and feelings through out the week, thus connecting with the individuals on a psychological, behavioural and emotional level.

Experiments

The visuals were created using an analogue approach which facilitated the experimentation of multiple ideas through the playful implementation of form and colour. I chose an illustrative style so as to challenge the technical nature of data visualisations, and attribute to it a more organic form that can match with the malleable nature of human personalities. The main inspiration for the final visuals were botanical drawings which were referenced due to the fact that families have historically been represented through tree diagrams in order to explain linage and succession.

Project Installation

In order to give the final visuals context, they were implemented onto household objects, namely dinnerware. By creating a customised dinner set per individual and placing these sets in the context of a dinner table, the researcher engaged in a contextual metaphor, where by the viewers are invited to sit at table and get to know this family of individuals during dinner. Therefore, the final outcome of the project was a set of seven visuals for each individual, presented on dinner plates which could be deciphered using the legends printed onto accompanying dinner napkins.