Fifteenth International Conference on Design Principles & Practices

Abstract

Data visualization, in all of its rigor and depth, has always been an act of measuring and analyzing the world. The ubiquity of charts and graphs as used for scientific, journalistic, and sometimes for entertainment purposes has given data visualization an advantage to impart and explain critical and complex topics. However, it is also a field that is rooted under western-centric assumptions and even a history with its own prejudices. Situated in the terrain of the ever-evolving digital technologies and design specializations, it is easy to be singularly focused on the technical and empirical aspects of data visualization, and perpetuate the faulty assumption that data is a purely objective medium that cuts through prejudice and bias. From ISOTYPE’s depiction of people of color that relies on cultural stereotypes to the lack of BIPOC (Black, Indegenious, People of Color) practitioners in the field today, there are numerous issues that must be addressed both in academia and industry practice. Realizing these challenges, this paper proposes how data visualization curriculum can be changed—without abandoning the analytical and technical instructions—to become more racially and socially inclusive, confront past racist practices involving data, promote past current practitioners who identify as BIPOC, and use data to uncover unjust realities around us.