Design for Digital Experience | PGDPD
Rupesh Vyas
Integrated Design Services, NID, Ahmedabad
Keywords Information design Data visualization Public sector Interaction design
The project, based on information design and interaction design, involved designing the print and online collateral of the Census of India, 2011. This included the Census Report, Provisional Population Totals, which was designed in collaboration with the Office of Registrar General of India and a proposal for a web application for the same. The idea behind this project was to use information design and data visualization principles to make the complex information accessible and interesting and get more people interested in and curious about the status of the country.
Census, in India, is an enormous exercise of national importance and involves the efforts of lakhs of people. The data thus collected is huge and it is important to deliver and present it in a manner that can be understood by the desired audience. The project involved two sets of users: one of IAS officers, policy makers and government authorities and the other, of journalists, NGOs and students.
The project included the study of older reports of censuses done in India and abroad, literature review, understanding and learning the technicalities of data visualization methods, mapping user needs to the product by creating personas and task-flows. The concepts were tested with the help of low fidelity paper prototypes followed by wireframes. Since the project had two deliverables, some of the processes were shared while others were isolated. The result of this project was the report, Provisional Population Totals, which was released nationwide on March 31, 2011.
Although design at the public sector level is still nascent in India, the boundaries are now getting pushed. My project was a small step towards it. By working as part of a team, I polished my strategy and managerial skills.