matteo moretti | Università di Sassari (original) (raw)

Papers by matteo moretti

2018 22nd International Conference Information Visualisation (IV), 2018

In Italy, the “Piano AntiCorruzione e Trasparenza” (Anti-corruption and transparency plan), with ... more In Italy, the “Piano AntiCorruzione e Trasparenza” (Anti-corruption and transparency plan), with the reform of the Decree n.33/2013, requires all the public administrations to make their data (financial data, personnel, etc.) public and available, as a matter of transparency. Despite that, we are still far from reaching fully the goal of transparency. Due to the lack of a shared protocol, each administration is free to choose the format to publish and present the data, resulting in a proliferation of different formats, different website structures and table of contents, which makes the exploration and discovering of facts and figures harder. Transparency without accessibility, is a lost opportunity. The paper will discuss these issues in the light of a new design and data storytelling oriented paradigm, intended to turn the mere online publication of data into a more engaging and immersive experience. We focus on a particular case study, the project Data Explorer, a prototype informed by a new way of visualizing and exploring data, with the aim of improving the informative process, and making sense of the transparency and making it accessible to a wider audience.

This paper introduces the design-research work in the field of information design developed by th... more This paper introduces the design-research work in the field of information design developed by the author, as a member of the Trans-form research cluster at the Free University of Bozen-Bolzano. The Trans-form group focuses on the interdisciplinary research studies and practices that combine design and the social sciences to promote the concept of sustainability across diverse fields, such as economics, politics, and finally information, with the goal of achieving an inclusive and aware society. Specifically, the way information is produced, consumed, and processed today, online and offline, offers an important space to design interventions and make an impact on society: an aspect to which this paper contributes, presenting the research done by the author in collaboration with sociologists, anthropologists, and journalists over the past five years at the Trans-form cluster. The following essay introduces the theoretical framework of socio-design within which the Trans-form cluster o...

2CO Communicating Complexity. Contributions from the 2017 Tenerife Conference, 2020

If we look at data visualizations as signifying machines, in which every element is meaningful, w... more If we look at data visualizations as signifying machines, in which every element is meaningful, what is the contribution of animation to the construction of meaning? What does motion or animation add in terms of significance to different kinds of graphics? Does it add something in terms of realism? How can animation be an implementer of meaning, dramatizing the sense of data or expressing doubt about the data itself? 152

Proceedings, 2017

What kind of images are data visualizations? Are they mere abstract transformations of numerical ... more What kind of images are data visualizations? Are they mere abstract transformations of numerical data? Should they reduce the phenomenal world into a set of pre-codified shapes? Or can they represent natural phenomena through figurative strategies? What is the boundary between useless decoration, narrative illustration and helpful visual metaphors? Through post-design reflections on a visual journalism project, the paper focuses on the context-dependent role of images in data visualization.

The Design Journal, 2017

Design scholars have been focusing more of their attention to public controversial "things", thro... more Design scholars have been focusing more of their attention to public controversial "things", through the focus on "making public things" or on the "formation of publics" in relation to design projects. With this in mind, this paper describes a design case contrasting and challenging the main media narrative through the production of digital artifacts. The design intervention we describe, aimed at counteracting the racist stereotyping which targets the local Chinese community of Bolzano. The project People's Republic of Bolzano reshapes the identity of the local Chinese community through digital media, in order to restore more transparent and balanced information, allowing a broader audience to inform itself on such a complex and multifaceted issue. This small project is part of an emergent phenomenon to counterbalance misrepresentation, in this case over the issue of migration.

The pragmatic turn in science clarified the constructive character of scientific exploration: Sci... more The pragmatic turn in science clarified the constructive character of scientific exploration: Scientific knowledge is not inherent in reality, it is a social construction. This process is not only dependent on formula or discourse. It also implies pictures and (mental) images. The research project, of which this paper examines and comments first results, tried to document the possible educational influence of design and art on the construction of such images in scientific research. The paper will present selected visual and theoretical results of an interdisciplinary research project developed within an academic context. Contributing also to the emerging field of image studies at the intersection of art, design and sciences, this project involved a team of scientists, a designer, an artists and art and media theorists, and it aimed at assessing the diverse role that visual design and visual arts can play in changing scientists' relationship with their visual production. Knowledge-Image-Learning in our case denotes the process of learning between disciplines (design-art-science) and the role of images in their different practices. The paper will therefore discuss the lab's scientific visualizations co-designed with a designer and an art project developed with the same team of scientists by a visual artist. The data so-far collected, especially during the design part of the project, suggest that, not only the scientists collaboratively produced new, more effective images. During the collaborative process of making, they also acquired awareness of and aesthetic sensitivity towards the technical images they produce.

On 26 May 2020, the European Union Council members agree on the central role that media literacy ... more On 26 May 2020, the European Union Council members agree on the central role that media literacy covers in the European population skillset. Among the various forms that make up media literacy, we also find graphicacy (Bhargava R. et al., 2015), defined as the ability to understand and present graphic-visual information such as sketches, photographs, diagrams, maps, plans, tables, graphs and other non-textual formats. A form of literacy necessary-if not fundamental-in the increasingly datafied western society (Van Es, & Schäfer, 2017), which increasingly relies on visual data mediated communication and information. Indeed, new forms of information emerged, such as data and visual journalism, for instance (Bonegru, & Gray, 2021). These rely on analysing a vast amount of data and their visualisations to narrate today's complexity to a broader and more heterogeneous audience. Some of these projects also tend to enhance the graphicacy of readers, enabling them to understand better the charts that they feature, thus moving beyond their primary function of narrating the phenomenon dealt with. In this context, the present paper presents and discusses a case of interest, designed by the author, which contribute to the ongoing research on data journalism from a design and visual storytelling perspective. It is a further and emerging form, hitherto little researched, and necessary, especially to tell and understand complex and global phenomena, such as climate change (Prasad, 2019).

Sciences du Design, 2017

Tous droits réservés pour tous pays. La reproduction ou représentation de cet article, notamment ... more Tous droits réservés pour tous pays. La reproduction ou représentation de cet article, notamment par photocopie, n'est autorisée que dans les limites des conditions générales d'utilisation du site ou, le cas échéant, des conditions générales de la licence souscrite par votre établissement. Toute autre reproduction ou représentation, en tout ou partie, sous quelque forme et de quelque manière que ce soit, est interdite sauf accord préalable et écrit de l'éditeur, en dehors des cas prévus par la législation en vigueur en France. Il est précisé que son stockage dans une base de données est également interdit.

XY Journal, 2018

In seeking to explore one of the possible directions in the evolution of the relationship between... more In seeking to explore one of the possible directions in the evolution of the relationship between graphic image and society in the field of information design, it is essential to consider the figure of Otto Neurath, the Austrian sociologist, philosopher and economist, author of ISOTYPE, a visual system with the ambition to be universal, designed to inform a larger part of society than consolidated information systems allow. Neurath may be considered as a pioneer of visual journalism, a narrative form based on visual communication that aims to inform and/or offer an entry point into complex and multifaceted themes to a public that is often distracted and even overwhelmed by the quantity of available information. In recent years, almost a century later, we are witnessing a new era of particular attention to information design, that relies on data visual- isation, infographics, and even visual journalism as a meaningful synthesis of texts and graphic images. These practices are now consolidated, and are finding greater scope and space for de- sign thanks to the advent of new technological paradigms that make Neurath’s work extremely relevant. There are many common features in this parallel across time, such as interdisciplinary practice, or user–focused design. Though the technological – and hence semantic – differences are obvious, there remains a common thread that also connects some of the aspects that involve society. In his book, International Picture Language (1936), Neurath makes reference to the large quantity of images and visual stimuli to which we are constantly subjected: a sort of information overload that makes it fundamental to plan strategies for conveying information to a public that has become ‘blind’ to the overabundance of stimuli. The proposal we submit will introduce case studies in visual journalism that support the thesis according to which visual communication based on graphics and images, as an integral part of multidisciplinary investigative news reports, can play a role in educating a society capable of elaborating a critical view of events that take place at a speed that often allow little time for thought1.

In Italy, the "Piano AntiCorruzione e Trasparenza" (Anti-corruption and transparency plan), with ... more In Italy, the "Piano AntiCorruzione e Trasparenza" (Anti-corruption and transparency plan), with the reform of the Decree n.3312013, requires all the public administrations to make their data (financial data, personnel, etc.) public and available, as a matter of transparency. Despite that, we are still far from reaching fully the goal of transparency. Due to the lack of a shared protocol, each administration is free to choose the format to publish and present the data, resulting in a proliferation of different formats, different website structures and table of contents, which makes the exploration and discovering of facts and figures harder. Transparency without accessibility, is a lost opportunity. The paper will discuss these issues in the light of a new design and data storytelling oriented paradigm, intended to tUTll the mere online publication of data into a more engaging and immersive experience. We focus on a particular case study, the project Data Explorer, a prototype informed by a new way of visualizing and exploring data, with the aim of improving the informative process, and making sense of the transparency and making it accessible to a wider audience.

2018 22nd International Conference Information Visualisation (IV), 2018

In Italy, the “Piano AntiCorruzione e Trasparenza” (Anti-corruption and transparency plan), with ... more In Italy, the “Piano AntiCorruzione e Trasparenza” (Anti-corruption and transparency plan), with the reform of the Decree n.33/2013, requires all the public administrations to make their data (financial data, personnel, etc.) public and available, as a matter of transparency. Despite that, we are still far from reaching fully the goal of transparency. Due to the lack of a shared protocol, each administration is free to choose the format to publish and present the data, resulting in a proliferation of different formats, different website structures and table of contents, which makes the exploration and discovering of facts and figures harder. Transparency without accessibility, is a lost opportunity. The paper will discuss these issues in the light of a new design and data storytelling oriented paradigm, intended to turn the mere online publication of data into a more engaging and immersive experience. We focus on a particular case study, the project Data Explorer, a prototype informed by a new way of visualizing and exploring data, with the aim of improving the informative process, and making sense of the transparency and making it accessible to a wider audience.

This paper introduces the design-research work in the field of information design developed by th... more This paper introduces the design-research work in the field of information design developed by the author, as a member of the Trans-form research cluster at the Free University of Bozen-Bolzano. The Trans-form group focuses on the interdisciplinary research studies and practices that combine design and the social sciences to promote the concept of sustainability across diverse fields, such as economics, politics, and finally information, with the goal of achieving an inclusive and aware society. Specifically, the way information is produced, consumed, and processed today, online and offline, offers an important space to design interventions and make an impact on society: an aspect to which this paper contributes, presenting the research done by the author in collaboration with sociologists, anthropologists, and journalists over the past five years at the Trans-form cluster. The following essay introduces the theoretical framework of socio-design within which the Trans-form cluster o...

2CO Communicating Complexity. Contributions from the 2017 Tenerife Conference, 2020

If we look at data visualizations as signifying machines, in which every element is meaningful, w... more If we look at data visualizations as signifying machines, in which every element is meaningful, what is the contribution of animation to the construction of meaning? What does motion or animation add in terms of significance to different kinds of graphics? Does it add something in terms of realism? How can animation be an implementer of meaning, dramatizing the sense of data or expressing doubt about the data itself? 152

Proceedings, 2017

What kind of images are data visualizations? Are they mere abstract transformations of numerical ... more What kind of images are data visualizations? Are they mere abstract transformations of numerical data? Should they reduce the phenomenal world into a set of pre-codified shapes? Or can they represent natural phenomena through figurative strategies? What is the boundary between useless decoration, narrative illustration and helpful visual metaphors? Through post-design reflections on a visual journalism project, the paper focuses on the context-dependent role of images in data visualization.

The Design Journal, 2017

Design scholars have been focusing more of their attention to public controversial "things", thro... more Design scholars have been focusing more of their attention to public controversial "things", through the focus on "making public things" or on the "formation of publics" in relation to design projects. With this in mind, this paper describes a design case contrasting and challenging the main media narrative through the production of digital artifacts. The design intervention we describe, aimed at counteracting the racist stereotyping which targets the local Chinese community of Bolzano. The project People's Republic of Bolzano reshapes the identity of the local Chinese community through digital media, in order to restore more transparent and balanced information, allowing a broader audience to inform itself on such a complex and multifaceted issue. This small project is part of an emergent phenomenon to counterbalance misrepresentation, in this case over the issue of migration.

The pragmatic turn in science clarified the constructive character of scientific exploration: Sci... more The pragmatic turn in science clarified the constructive character of scientific exploration: Scientific knowledge is not inherent in reality, it is a social construction. This process is not only dependent on formula or discourse. It also implies pictures and (mental) images. The research project, of which this paper examines and comments first results, tried to document the possible educational influence of design and art on the construction of such images in scientific research. The paper will present selected visual and theoretical results of an interdisciplinary research project developed within an academic context. Contributing also to the emerging field of image studies at the intersection of art, design and sciences, this project involved a team of scientists, a designer, an artists and art and media theorists, and it aimed at assessing the diverse role that visual design and visual arts can play in changing scientists' relationship with their visual production. Knowledge-Image-Learning in our case denotes the process of learning between disciplines (design-art-science) and the role of images in their different practices. The paper will therefore discuss the lab's scientific visualizations co-designed with a designer and an art project developed with the same team of scientists by a visual artist. The data so-far collected, especially during the design part of the project, suggest that, not only the scientists collaboratively produced new, more effective images. During the collaborative process of making, they also acquired awareness of and aesthetic sensitivity towards the technical images they produce.

On 26 May 2020, the European Union Council members agree on the central role that media literacy ... more On 26 May 2020, the European Union Council members agree on the central role that media literacy covers in the European population skillset. Among the various forms that make up media literacy, we also find graphicacy (Bhargava R. et al., 2015), defined as the ability to understand and present graphic-visual information such as sketches, photographs, diagrams, maps, plans, tables, graphs and other non-textual formats. A form of literacy necessary-if not fundamental-in the increasingly datafied western society (Van Es, & Schäfer, 2017), which increasingly relies on visual data mediated communication and information. Indeed, new forms of information emerged, such as data and visual journalism, for instance (Bonegru, & Gray, 2021). These rely on analysing a vast amount of data and their visualisations to narrate today's complexity to a broader and more heterogeneous audience. Some of these projects also tend to enhance the graphicacy of readers, enabling them to understand better the charts that they feature, thus moving beyond their primary function of narrating the phenomenon dealt with. In this context, the present paper presents and discusses a case of interest, designed by the author, which contribute to the ongoing research on data journalism from a design and visual storytelling perspective. It is a further and emerging form, hitherto little researched, and necessary, especially to tell and understand complex and global phenomena, such as climate change (Prasad, 2019).

Sciences du Design, 2017

Tous droits réservés pour tous pays. La reproduction ou représentation de cet article, notamment ... more Tous droits réservés pour tous pays. La reproduction ou représentation de cet article, notamment par photocopie, n'est autorisée que dans les limites des conditions générales d'utilisation du site ou, le cas échéant, des conditions générales de la licence souscrite par votre établissement. Toute autre reproduction ou représentation, en tout ou partie, sous quelque forme et de quelque manière que ce soit, est interdite sauf accord préalable et écrit de l'éditeur, en dehors des cas prévus par la législation en vigueur en France. Il est précisé que son stockage dans une base de données est également interdit.

XY Journal, 2018

In seeking to explore one of the possible directions in the evolution of the relationship between... more In seeking to explore one of the possible directions in the evolution of the relationship between graphic image and society in the field of information design, it is essential to consider the figure of Otto Neurath, the Austrian sociologist, philosopher and economist, author of ISOTYPE, a visual system with the ambition to be universal, designed to inform a larger part of society than consolidated information systems allow. Neurath may be considered as a pioneer of visual journalism, a narrative form based on visual communication that aims to inform and/or offer an entry point into complex and multifaceted themes to a public that is often distracted and even overwhelmed by the quantity of available information. In recent years, almost a century later, we are witnessing a new era of particular attention to information design, that relies on data visual- isation, infographics, and even visual journalism as a meaningful synthesis of texts and graphic images. These practices are now consolidated, and are finding greater scope and space for de- sign thanks to the advent of new technological paradigms that make Neurath’s work extremely relevant. There are many common features in this parallel across time, such as interdisciplinary practice, or user–focused design. Though the technological – and hence semantic – differences are obvious, there remains a common thread that also connects some of the aspects that involve society. In his book, International Picture Language (1936), Neurath makes reference to the large quantity of images and visual stimuli to which we are constantly subjected: a sort of information overload that makes it fundamental to plan strategies for conveying information to a public that has become ‘blind’ to the overabundance of stimuli. The proposal we submit will introduce case studies in visual journalism that support the thesis according to which visual communication based on graphics and images, as an integral part of multidisciplinary investigative news reports, can play a role in educating a society capable of elaborating a critical view of events that take place at a speed that often allow little time for thought1.

In Italy, the "Piano AntiCorruzione e Trasparenza" (Anti-corruption and transparency plan), with ... more In Italy, the "Piano AntiCorruzione e Trasparenza" (Anti-corruption and transparency plan), with the reform of the Decree n.3312013, requires all the public administrations to make their data (financial data, personnel, etc.) public and available, as a matter of transparency. Despite that, we are still far from reaching fully the goal of transparency. Due to the lack of a shared protocol, each administration is free to choose the format to publish and present the data, resulting in a proliferation of different formats, different website structures and table of contents, which makes the exploration and discovering of facts and figures harder. Transparency without accessibility, is a lost opportunity. The paper will discuss these issues in the light of a new design and data storytelling oriented paradigm, intended to tUTll the mere online publication of data into a more engaging and immersive experience. We focus on a particular case study, the project Data Explorer, a prototype informed by a new way of visualizing and exploring data, with the aim of improving the informative process, and making sense of the transparency and making it accessible to a wider audience.