Big data, big creativity: designers respond to what you told us

Te Au | The Current is a forum for fresh ideas around Aotearoa New Zealand’s toughest environmental challenges. It is a part of Te Taiao | Nature and aims to collect and reflect diverse opinions that could spark real-world change. All anonymous responses are shared with researchers via data.govt.nz. Visitors have now submitted over 120,000 responses on more than 20 different environmental issues.

So, how do we present all this data in interesting ways?

Screenshot of Te Au | The Current, 2023. Te Papa

We got in touch with tertiary education providers around the country, inviting students and researchers to explore ways of visualising and re-presenting visitor responses, and to look at future ways for visitors to take part in discussion and share perspectives across museum exhibitions and online experiences.

Below are a selection of responses by Information Design students from the Te Kura Hoahoa | School of Design Innovation at Te Herenga Waka | Victoria University of Wellington, led by lecturer Dana Fridman, and by students from the Te Kunenga ki Pūrehuroa, Ngā Pae Māhutonga | School of Design at Toi Rauwhārangi | College of Creative Arts, Massey University, led by lecturer Kerry Ann Lee.

Each student chose a topic from Te Au | The Current to research and design for.

Ban all single-use plastics

FACT: New Zealand creates more plastic waste per person than most other countries – 36% more than Australia (Source: Royal Society Te Apārangi).
IDEA: New Zealand should ban all single-use plastics by 2025.
QUESTION: How do you feel about this idea?

Student: Jane Abraham

School of Design Innovation, Te Herenga Waka | Victoria University of Wellington

Jane Abraham’s visualisations aim to communicate, inspire, and motivate action from the public against single use plastics.

“These are data visualisations I completed using Te Papa’s Te Au | The Current data. The visualisations aim to communicate, inspire, and illicit action from the public against single use plastics.”
“Visualisations aimed to communicate, inspire, and illicit action from the public against single use plastics.”
“I organised the data to understand and analyse any relevant trends. Using colour maps I coded the values to communicate emotional responses. It aimed to visualise the gradient evolution of changing our angry outlook to hopeful.”
“Breaking down the national plastic system statistics. (New Zealand’s regional emotional averages, and national plastic waste flows.)”
“Consumer choice. (Specific regional, age, and emotion data alongside personal waste statistics.)”

Student: Richard Li

College of Creative Arts, Te Kunenga ki Pūrehuroa | Massey University

Richard Li engages digital illustration to focus on a single moment from within the massive impacts of plastic pollution. Though this moment, he amplifies the message in an accessible and tangible narrative that you can literally hold in your hand.

“Approach: I use digital watercolour drawing to show my ideas from research of Te Papa and internet.”
“Process: Through my research that reminds me to consider plastic pollution for the marine life, a lot of animals eats plastic to dead, so that I use manta fish as a representative to show the impact on their living environment.”
“I use digital illustration story to show, lets people knowing pollution impacts for these marine animals.”

Pōhutukawa and myrtle rust

FACT: Your garden can harbour myrtle rust, a fast-spreading fungal disease that is harming myrtle plants like pōhutukawa and mānuka, and could wipe out ramarama. (Source: Manaaki Whenua)
IDEA: To protect myrtles like pōhutukawa in their natural setting, we should not plant any myrtles in our gardens.
QUESTION: How do you feel about this idea?

Student: Khai Sheak

School of Design Innovation, Te Herenga Waka | Victoria University of Wellington

Khai Sheak designed ways to visualise and navigate visitor comments, as well as provide more information to visitors about this topic.

“Taking a trip down to Te Papa to get some visual inspirations and extra knowledge. Noting down interesting things and interactions I could use in my visualisation.”
“Rough concept drawing to get ideas on how to represent the data.”
“Further development potential exhibitions. I focused on differentiating what myrtle rust is and its behaviour. I ended up focusing on the kiosk display that could control a light show.”
“The final design. Includes ‘Learning about myrtle and myrtle rust’, ‘Data statistics for each emotion’, ‘Data visualisation for each emotion’.”

Student: Samara Brain

School of Design Innovation, Te Herenga Waka | Victoria University of Wellington

Samara Brain’s designs are for an interactive infographic displaying Emotional Responses of visitors to a number of topic questions on Te Au | The Current.

“The first step of my process was to analyse the response data from Te Au | The Current nature debate provided by Te Papa. I researched four of the provided questions and found particular interest in the emotional response data.”
“I was surprised that people responded that they didn’t care about the expressed issues. It led me to explore what percentage of the total responders expressed that they ‘Don’t care’.”
“To begin the process of visualising my selected data as an infographic I sketched up concept visuals and thought about how I wanted people to interact with my visualisation. I then took these concepts and began digitally creating my interactive infographic on Figma.”
“The end result of my project presents the selected data in a manner designed for interactive engagement, with the aim of inspiring people to better understand the importance of why they should care about our planet.”
“The final message I hope people take away from my design: ‘We need everyone to care enough, to make a change and work towards saving our planet.’”

Genetically modify wasps

FACT: Introduced wasps are a significant pest that harm our native birds and insects, and threaten human health and recreation. (Source: Department of Conservation)
IDEA: To control wasps in Aotearoa New Zealand, we should consider using gene editing instead of poison.
QUESTION: How do you feel about this idea?

Student: Lucy Woodall

School of Design Innovation, Te Herenga Waka | Victoria University of Wellington

Lucy Woodall’s concept is embodied by an interactive design for sorting and exploring visitor responses and engaging with further information about the topic question.

“Approach to research. Journey and reflection – design that encourages collaboration and participation. It’s important to maintain easy user-experience and to understand how to emphasise, educate, and create clear guidance. Both Andres Clerici and Biomuseo: Panama focus on using media displays to communicate an immersive sensory perspective using kaleidoscopic visuals of interactive personalised databases of information.”
“Exploration. This was some exploration of some conceptual ideas. The leading motifs revolved around the physical aspects of wasps to have a structure that visually complimented the info-graphic data. ‘Spread your wings’, ‘Tunnel Vision’, and ‘The Greenhouse’ were three brainstorms which helped to form and collaborate with each other for the final output.”
“The Greenhouse. An ever-changing garden of information and growth: The Greenhouse. It carves the space through circular symbolism and creates a lens to display the reflective aspects of this survey response. The glowing strings representing DNA, the glass wall reflecting the viewer. The space is constantly renewing and transforming itself based on the participant.”
“Final output. These designs complement and work with the physical interactive structure. The top row is a kiosk view, and the bottom is the projection displayed on the large wing walls. There is a direct correlation between the two. The circles merge like focusing a lens and emphasise togetherness, reacting with the action of the participant.”

Student: Sophia Sipos

School of Design Innovation, Te Herenga Waka | Victoria University of Wellington

Sophia Sipos’s designs aim to educate and support New Zealanders through the unpredictability of our future towards more hopeful and optimistic perspectives.

“The concept I developed was an interactive model that dives deeper into the complexities of Te Au | The Current topics that would be positioned next to Te Au | The Current in Te Papa. The model allows users to understand more about the specific concerns, improving the sense of validation and support in their views.”
“After analysing the data sets collected from Te Au | The Current, I identified a common sense of uncertainty and concern for the future. I wanted to approach this project by educating, and supporting New Zealanders through the unpredictability of our future, in hopes that their views become more hopeful and optimistic.”
“After receiving feedback from tutors and peers I further developed the concept to improve aesthetic usability and interactivity.”
“The final prototype takes the user through an interactive, story-telling journey.”
“The user is given the opportunity to read more about the topic and reflect on whether the information makes them more or less optimistic for the future. It also allows the public to connect and collaborate in discussion, strengthening the sense of community and support.”

Student: Callum O’Leary

College of Creative Arts, Te Kunenga ki Pūrehuroa | Massey University

Callum O’Leary responded to the different emotion expressed by visitors towards wasp and created a series of wasp characters that represent these different human perceptions. Outputs included a range of stickers.

“These were some of the notes I took for three of the topic questions I found to be the most interesting.”
“After choosing the topic question that asked Te Au | The Current users whether or not we should gene edit wasps, I began to conduct some media studies.”
“These were my final design outcomes! ‘The Good’ represents a successfully gene edited wasp, ‘The Bad’ represents wasps as they currently are now, and ‘The Ugly’ represents a mutated wasp after an unsuccessful gene edit.”

Student: Hilary Armstrong

College of Creative Arts, Te Kunenga ki Pūrehuroa | Massey University

Hilary Armstrong’s analysis of visitor comments, and the emotive and sometimes humorous language used, has led her to develop a series of illustrations that explore and juxtapose the range of narratives and perspectives that our visitors have expressed.

“Some of the commentary I found within the Te Au | The Current data. I wanted to respond to the emotive and humorous entries that I found. ”
“An example of my messy creative practice. I played with ink, etching and watercolour. This was to get a feel for my visual style I’d use down the line.”
“The first nine panels of the sequential art piece. These panels introduce the ecosystems in beech forests that wasps negatively interact with. I wanted the wasps to look as scary as possible to invoke an emotional reaction. ”
“The last nine panels of the sequential art piece. These detail the ways in which wasps affect other ecosystems. The panels finish with the solution of genetic modification to make wasps friendly, with the other ecosystems in agreement.”

Student: Evie Bell

School of Design Innovation, Te Herenga Waka | Victoria University of Wellington

Evie Bell’s designs are for an immersive infographic experience that chances dynamically with interactions and responses from visitors.

Data gathered by The Current indicated that the general population had a lack of knowledge about New Zealand’s wasp control. Maintaining a balance between protecting our wildlife and controlling the bug population is key to our environment.
Creating different ways to communicate the data and information through appealing visuals. Using touch screen kiosks Te Papa visitors can interreact with the infographic, changing the environment projected onto the floor. This educational interaction generates an immersive and unforgettable experience for all ages.
In the controlled environment with a maintained number of wasps, we see the ideal equilibrium resulting in native birds surrounded by flowers in bloom.
An overpopulated environment with an overwhelming number of wasps, results in an imbalance, where there are no native birds and the flowers are dull.
No wasps leads to an extinct environment with an increase in the bug and critter population, and flowers dying from lack of pollination.

Ban petrol cars

FACT: Transport makes up about 20% of our greenhouse gas emissions (Source: Productivity Commission).
IDEA: Petrol cars should be banned by 2030.
QUESTION: How do you feel about this idea?

Student: Ruth Benton

School of Design Innovation, Te Herenga Waka | Victoria University of Wellington

Ruth Benton’s project allows the viewer to independently navigate through the data. They are then invited to share their own ideas on how these issues might be helped.

“My research approach focused on what I found most meaningful about the data. I personally think that Te Au | The Current highlights how all of us need to be thinking where our future is going, and how we all play a part in guiding its direction.”
“My exploration for this project ranged across how I sorted the data, how the data was displayed, the visual themes, and its interactivity. All of these components were swapped, changed, and tweaked until the final product was produced. I wanted to keep it simple but meaningful.”
“This is the first set of graphical displays in my final output ‘this is who we asked’. It highlights the diversity of people who answered the question: how do you feel about banning petrol cars by 2030?”
“This is the second graphical display in my final output ‘this is what they said’. It shows only one graph, pictured as a broken car, showing the different percentage of people who said they felt angry, sad, don’t care, hopeful, or excited.”
“The third graphical display appears when a section of the car is clicked, and shows more detail into why people felt that emotion. It is labelled ‘this is why’. It shows comments left by participants and a graph that further breakdowns the emotion group into why they felt this way.”

Student: Ana Hoonhout

School of Design Innovation, Te Herenga Waka | Victoria University of Wellington

Ana Hoonhout takes the existing design of Te Au | The Current and expands it to include visualisation of demographic data as well as a range of proven solutions to the environmental issue.

“My research on Te Au | The Current and their current design for the idea that petrol cars should be banned by 2030.”
“Analysis of the 100k+ responses from the current design in Te Au | The Current. To understand the data, I generated pie graphs to understand the correlation between gender, age, and emotion towards the idea. Limitations of the data were addressed.”
“The results revealed that the majority of participants were ‘excited’ and ‘hopeful’ about the idea, and female participants were a lot more ‘worried’ about the idea than male and gender-diverse. The majority of participants were ‘under 15’ and ‘15-24’.”
“User testing to provide an unbiased, accurate, and direct examination of the design, and benefit the final design. The user found the experience straightforward and a realistic design in the Te Au | The current.”
“My final UX design illustrates the Te Au | The Current visitor’s emotion towards the idea ‘Petrol cars should be banned by 2030’. The design is a participatory-museum response device that acknowledges the user’s feelings and provides Te Papa with informative qualitative and quantitative data to analyse the topic further. After submitting a personalised data string, a spin wheel device will provide users with a solution to the ‘so what’ question, providing them with something to consider for transport making up about 20% of our greenhouse gas emissions.”

Sustainable fish only

FACT: 32% of our fish catch is from stocks whose sustainability is not clear. (Ministry for Primary Industries)
IDEA: Supermarkets should only sell sustainably caught fish, even if it costs more.
QUESTION: How do you feel about this idea?

Student: Chloe Stephenson

College of Creative Arts, Te Kunenga ki Pūrehuroa | Massey University

Chloe Stephenson was inspired by visitor comments and employed a range of digital and analogue illustration processes to create a set of postcards, engaging for both the postcard sender and the receiver with the issue of seabird bycatch. Evocative illustration and rich information are combined to motivate action.

“The ‘Save Our Native SeaBirds' postcard series was influenced by public data and comments on Te Au | The Current which led towards a focus on the bycatch of our native seabirds. Statistics from the Department of Conservation and the Ministry of Primary Industries were also a large part of the development.”
“The illustration's lettering is press printed with an old net which is then scanned and edited on photoshop. Digital painting is then used to layer watercolour, printmaking and painted effects.”
“Toroa or the Salvin's albatross is currently threatened nationally. This postcard highlights one of three threats to native seabirds which is Trawling.”
“Toanui or the Flesh-Footed Shearwater is a vulnerable seabird often injured or killed by unsustainable fisheries. One of the worst fishing methods for seabirds are set nets.”
“Tāiko or the Black Petrel is currently endangered. This postcard addresses long line fishing as a major threat to these seabirds.”

Student: Sarah Gatland

College of Creative Arts, Te Kunenga ki Pūrehuroa | Massey University

Reading through the many thousands of visitor comments, Sarah Gatland was struck by one in particular:

‘That’s a stupid idea because there will be more fish in the sea so more for sharks. Shark population will soar and will start to attack more and more babies on beaches. Soon humanity extinction will be real’ – Anonymous

In response, Sarah has created an imaginative and evocative zine that uses a wide range of production techniques to take our visitor’s comment to its literal conclusion.

“A brief introduction to the topic on fish catch and my response to a particular data sheet answer focusing on sharks.”
“During the exploration process I explored different media such as printmaking, painting and textile work. I began developing the world where sharks were in charge instead of humans.”
“Exploring a zine format to develop the shark world. I wanted to play on the idea of the sharks taking over a very mundane lifestyle. Also testing lino cutting and other printmaking techniques.”
“Snapshots of the final artwork. Opening pages exploring Wellington where sharks are swimming through the streets. Linocut printmaking combined with embroidery.”
“Snapshots of the final artwork. A ‘day in the life’ style exploration of Mark the shark’s daily habits.”

Student: Millicent Helen Jones

School of Design Innovation, Te Herenga Waka | Victoria University of Wellington

Millicent Helen Jones’ use of video creates an insightful, captivating experience.

Brain storming was when I was thinking of ways to show the data and the different ways I could portray it.
Gathering information was when I was looking through the information and picking ones that could be good to use in the project.
The screen set up that will be placed in front of the video set up for people to interact with and be able to share their own thoughts.
The screen set up that will be placed in front of the video set up for people to interact with and be able to share their own thoughts.
The gallery setup is a mock-up of how my idea will look on display and how it will be laid out.

Example of how the video would run:

Protect kauri

FACT: Humans are spreading Kauri dieback disease. (Manaaki Whenua)
IDEA: We should protect kauri, even if that means we’ll never get to walk in a kauri forest again.
QUESTION: How do you feel about this idea?

Student: CJ McLaughlin

College of Creative Arts, Te Kunenga ki Pūrehuroa | Massey University

CJ McLaughlin’s goals included reaching people in a wide range of contexts about the issue of Kauri dieback disease. Drawing directly from visitor comments, CJ devises an eco-graffiti to give the Kauri trees themselves a voice within urban environments.

“An introduction to my understanding of the issue, exploring kauri dieback and the negative effects of its biology.”
“Exploring physical aesthetics of kauri and different styles of stencils and stencilling.”
“The final work, a distribution of sense and nonsense survey answers installed around the city with temporary clay ‘paint’ that washes away after a few days of rain. I liked using clay because of its impermanence in this process and as representation of how kauri dieback is distributed through infected soil, either by hikers’ shoes, animals’ feet and/or water.”

Student: Nyssa Zhang

College of Creative Arts, Te Kunenga ki Pūrehuroa | Massey University

Nyssa Zhang approaches telling the story of Kauri dieback through a historical lens, while applying innovative and contemporary Manga comic book illustration, design, and storytelling techniques to convey complexity and detail in a highly engaging way.

“Photos from Te Papa, screenshots from the website.”
“Process: cut and collage, illustration, manga.”
“Final work: A fictive fantastic story. How the Hero punished the bad guys and finally became the Guardian of the Forest. A dramatic, educational, and romantic story.”

A day a month for nature

FACT: Spending time in nature supports our wellbeing. (Mental Health Foundation of New Zealand)
IDEA: Nature helps us get through lockdowns – workplaces should give back one day a month for nature.
QUESTION: How do you feel about this idea?

Student: Javin Bridgeman

College of Creative Arts, Te Kunenga ki Pūrehuroa | Massey University

Engaging with visitor comments and researching more widely on links between nature and wellbeing led Javin Bridgeman to the story of Brando Yelavich, a young New Zealander who battled with mental health and substance abuse. In 2013 he set out on a long, epic journey on the 15,000km coastlines of Aotearoa. The result is a graphic representation and digital storytelling reflection on Brando’s journey.

“Using pill bottles and nature together to show the different ways Brando used to help his mental health. Working with different mediums.”
“Exploration of one idea, and using photography to bring the concept more forward.”
“The final work, showcasing Brando’s footsteps for his journey and using the beach coastline as an element.”

Video of final work:

Student: Yining Lai

College of Creative Arts, Te Kunenga ki Pūrehuroa | Massey University

In analysis of visitor comments, and exploring nature herself, Yining Lai identified the caregiving role nature has for us. The result embodies nature as mother, through illustration, text and typographic design, printing, 3D design, experience design, and augmented reality.

“Methodology: In my research, I used two main methods, data analysis and fieldwork. I analyzed the comments about my chosen topic in Te Au The Current. Additionally, I visited Zealandia, a wildlife sanctuary near Wellington.”
“Explore: I use mixed media like watercolour, gouache, and printmaking to visualise my feelings about the gathered information.”
“Process of thinking: I have come to realise that nature protects us like a mother and not the other way round. This realisation has convinced me that we should give back to nature and be responsible for its protection.”
“Illustration: Mother: I expressed my thoughts through illustrations, depicting New Zealand’s creatures, plants, and humans cradled in the arms of Mother Nature.”

Make cats an indoor-only pet

FACT: Cats kill 1 million native birds in New Zealand each year. (Forest & Bird)
IDEA: We need to make cats indoor-only pets.
QUESTION: How do you feel about this idea?

Student: Xinyi Wang

College of Creative Arts, Te Kunenga ki Pūrehuroa | Massey University

Xinyi Wang shows that domestic cats in Aotearoa New Zealand live in two words, living as both indoor pets and semi-wild outdoor animals. The result is a deceptively simple puzzle, where it is unclear which world you are creating until you are finished, and in creating one, you are always creating the other – hidden on the other side.

“Approach: Utilising Te Papa photos and test experiences – illustration, collage, and laser cutting.”
“Process: Conducting design research.”
“Final work: Creating illustrations and a double-sided jigsaw puzzle depicting the lives of indoor cats and outdoor cats in New Zealand.”

Explore Te Au | The Current at tepapa.nz/teau.

Big data, big creativity: designers respond to what you told us