Road safety information can be dry. How might we help people care? As road users, we’re always thinking about getting from A to B. Rarely do we consider the scale and breadth of our road systems, or the millions of people that are crossing this complicated web of connections. Despite the complexity of our road systems, the majority of accidents are avoidable. Closer to Zero is a set of interactive data visualisations for the Transport Accident Commission, engaging users in a novel way, whilst introducing the Road to Zero road safety exhibition inside.
I was responsible for the art direction, UX and UI of the two data visualisations.
TAC provided a dense dataset of deaths and injuries on Victorian roads since the year 2000. The challenge was to reframe reams of information into a meaningful experience that visitors could connect with.
The People wall honed in on the real stories of humans who travelled on the same roads as us but unfortunately did not arrive safely.
For the Road Systems wall, statistics about vehicle types were condensed into sharp, impactful statements to simply highlight the scale and complexity of our road systems.
The sensitive subject matter called for a humble, yet refined visual style. All buildings, objects, vehicles and people were designed with minimal planes of geometry so that detail would not be lost at scale.
The design intent was to bring emotion back into the dry statistics to draw visitors in. Conceptually fittingly, lidar is a technology used in cars to judge proximity to the environment. Using presence as the core interaction, walking closer triggers a deeper dive into the content.
Client: Transport Accident Commission
Studio: Grumpy Sailor
3D: Ryan Nankervis
