Alivia Chaudhuri
M.Des/Year 2
Visualizing climate change in the context of Indian Sundarbans
Visualizing climate change in the context of Indian Sundarbans
Prof. Venkatesh Rajamanickam
This interactive website titled "The Beautiful Forest" provides a holistic narrative of the climatic and ecological changes of the Indian Sundarbans through data visualizations. Despite the extensive ongoing research on climate, there is a need to improve the communication of these findings to the general public. In this project, we thoroughly examined available peer-reviewed scientific literature, conducted a brief field study in the Sundarbans (specifically Ghoramara Island), and consolidated data from various sources to shape a compelling narrative. Our target audience comprises the general public with an understanding of science, mathematics, and geography. The website's design engages users and encourages them to interpret the data, drawing their own conclusions. By presenting the data story through a combination of text, images, illustrations, microinteractions, and animations, we aim to raise awareness about the degradation of the ecosystem.
Font search and selection behaviour of non-experts
Font search and selection behaviour of non-experts
Prof. Girish Dalvi
One of the most commonly used user interface components is the font search menu. Users use it regularly when creating documents, writing text, or making designs. We claim that current font search menus are not user-centric. Through this mixed-method research project, we evaluate the usability of two popular font search websites—Google Fonts and DaFont on the basis of font classification. We also identify how non-expert users (i.e., novices) perceive fonts, search and choose an ‘appropriate font’ for a given design task. We propose that font classification should be grounded in a user’s vocabulary, and cultural context instead of hard-to-understand historic classification meant for experts.
