As someone with dyslexia our module on data visualization and accessibility really spoke to me. If digital tools are supposed to be the great equalizer in providing access to knowledge, that means knowledge must be made accessible for a whole variety of learners!! Digital historians must remind themselves of their diverse audience, or as Jon Kolko says, “the user’s point of view” (Kolko, 1). Why, you ask? Well, think of it like this, imagine if the shoe store only sold size eight shoes. While that is the average shoe size and would accommodate most people, but there would be a whole bunch of people with smaller or bigger sized feet trying to make an uncomfortable pair of shoes fit. Doesn’t that just sound awful? It should! One size does not fit all, or as Drs. Brett, Otis, and Kelly put it “Creating accommodations for people with disabilities isn’t a hypothetical need or a requirement imposed by law, but rather a moral imperative if the digital humanities are to be the inclusive and welcoming community we publicly aspire to be” (3). With dyslexia, my brain quite literally is alternatively wired, processing information completely differently than someone without dyslexia. As mentioned in “Reframing the Conversation,” there is unfortunately the perception that people with disabilities, both visible and invisible, are unable to participate in certain activities like the digital humanities. Despite being differently wired or abled that doesn’t mean people with disabilities can’t also reap the benefits of the digital world. If anything, the unending possibilities of the digital world are an advantage as we can continue to come up with new accessible innovations for the digital world’s broad audience (Brett, Otis, Kelly, 1-16).
Focusing on the example of interfaces discussed in Andrews and van Zundert’s “What Are You Trying to Say? The Interface as an Integral Element of Argument” and Whitelaw’s “Generous Interfaces for Digital Cultural Collections” how data is presented matters. As Andrews and van Zundert get at, an argument within a digital history project can be supported or harmed by a lackluster or inefficient interface which is what immediately presents the data to viewers. Andrews, van Zundert, and Whitelaw all demonstrate how a correctly made interface should be inviting, as if someone is browsing through a store, while also generating further curiosity and interest in a digital project. Interfaces should provide access to a wide range of metadata while making them easy to navigate through more poignant overviews. Think about how basic general marketing works, as the way a product is designed can help it sell. The whole point of having celebrity-backed brands is that the fame will draw the customers in. (I’ll be the first to admit I was suckered into buying Rare Beauty products because I loved Selena Gomez as a kid lol). When creating an interface for digital collections, digital historians should ask themselves, what is it that we’re selling or trying to provide access to? What is it that our audience wants/needs to see? (Andrews and van Zundert, 3-30; Whitelaw, 1-15).
A digital collection that I find particularly interesting is the Internet Medieval Sourcebook, created and maintained by Fordham University. My medieval history professors in college used this sourcebook all the time as it provides easy access to hundreds of sources from throughout all aspects of medieval life. While the sourcebook provides you with an abundance of metadata, it also provides specially curated indexes, sources on specific topics, and even educates you on the broader themes seen within the digital collection. For my research I have used the specially curated “Jewish Life” section which makes my search process for sources so much easier! Go check out the sourcebook here: https://sourcebooks.fordham.edu/sbook.asp?_ga=2.203183185.1112191157.1762464021-2100099192.1762202130
During class we looked at a few visualizations on Tableau Public, which echoed the points of our readings, as these visualizations play with data presentation. While the visualization “A History of the FIFA World Cup” made sense to my groupmates, it did not make a whole lot of sense to me. The lines, circles, and colors just didn’t speak to me! But other visualizations like ones tracking college football and NFL fan bases across the US were easier for me to follow, as they used the familiar framework of the continental US in conjunction with bright color coding. As demonstrated, different visualizations work for different people, and we must keep the diversity of audiences in mind! (https://public.tableau.com/app/profile/dhruvil.shah6203/viz/AHistoryoftheWorldCup_17191675790470/WorldCup; https://public.tableau.com/app/profile/matt.sorenson/viz/CollegeFootballFollowerMap/CollegeFootballMap; https://public.tableau.com/app/profile/matt.watson2889/viz/USCountiesNFLMap/NFLTeamsCountyMap). Minard’s visualization of Napoleon’s march to Russia was super easy to follow, although as Vikas mentioned in class the graph does leave out key information about the historic march (https://thoughtbot.com/blog/analyzing-minards-visualization-of-napoleons-1812-march). As our readings and activities for this week have demonstrated to us, factoring in your audience while being mindful of the overall design of your presentation matters when creating a project (Kolko, 1-4; Brett, Otis, Kelly, 1-16; Andrews and van Zundert, 3-30; Whitelaw, 1-15).
Ally, excellent post! Your analogy related to shoes is spot on! The idea that any shoe store would only have one size of shoes is so visual and compelling! I agree with you related to the FIFA visualization that we picked. The top part caused me to have to work really hard to have a minimal understanding of what it was trying to communicate. Further, that was not just because I know nothing about soccer (aka football). I wonder, however, did you find the bottom part equally confusing? I thought that was more straightforward.
Hi Ally! This is a great post. You presented some of the core concepts from the reading in a clear and concise way. I particularly appreciated your analogy about the shoe store. It’s an excellent way to illustrate the importance of providing accommodations for a variety of needs! I also liked the way you referred to digital tools as “the great equalizer” to emphasize how important it is to make them accessible. I’m glad you included the link to the medieval source book in this post as well, that seems like a particularly useful digital tool. I will be saving that for my own research in the future!
Hello, Ally, great post. I love how the title ties into how accessability is a spectrum and that type of accommodation does not help every type of person needing accessability. The inclusion of the Medieval source book isi great. It also shows how the inclusion of different search modes can make it more accessable to scholars who are looking for more specific information.