“Europe At A Crossroads” – infographics about current challenges in Europe
Climate crisis and natural disasters, war and migration, restructuring of agriculture, sustainable energy production, efficient mobility, digitalization: Europe and its population face a number of challenges. In a democratic society, education about issues like these is of particular importance.
In this course, students explored and visualized a specific aspect of the semester’s topic: the current challenges facing Europe. They researched backgrounds, data, facts, numbers, chronological orders, and historical and recent developments, as well as future trends. This information was then translated into a story using detailed information graphics, such as maps, timelines, diagrams, charts, interactive visualisations, and animations, to present the content in an accessible and informative manner. Students should also brainstorm and sketch possible solutions to the challenges presented, and include sketches of future scenarios in their visualisations.
The result is a published infographic website on a self-chosen subtopic.
Our infographic website explores the various types of remote work in Europe. Additionally, we explored subtopics such as the impact of remote work on mental health, the emergence of remote work during the pandemic, and the broader societal implications of remote work.
Given the significance of this topic in the context of the COVID-19 pandemic and increasing globalization, we aimed to provide an overview of its key aspects. We used sources from the European parliament and McKinsey & company and others.
Concept
We decided to introduce the website’s topic with a “hard fact”, that catches the users interest. Then there is some general information and data about remote work. After that the user explores different types of work models through character stories: “The remote worker”, “The nomad” and “The hybrid”.
First we thought about telling a story about each workers. In the end we decided to add the character, which should lead the user through the story, but did not include that much detail about each character story.
The quiz after the “Choose your character” section, is an interactive part of the website, where the user can test their knowledge about remote work. This is followed by four drop down lists, where the user can check which character or work model fits best with their values and interests.
The “Summary” page sums up the topic, while also bringing up other aspects, like the future of remote work, urban economics and infrastructure.
A journey through our website
Style
Our style is colorful and playful in order to make the dry topic more engaging to read and help internalize the facts better.
Infographics
The infographics incorporates a combination of doodled lines and already existing icons. It was important for the infographics to support the content, allowing readers to visualize the numbers and facts, thus aiding in comprehension and preventing them from being forgotten too quickly.
