A Guide to SPS
Information Design
Information Design
Information Design
Information Design
Information Design
Information Design
Information Design
Information Design
Information Design
Interaction Design/Product Design, Other...
Designer(s)
Elise ZiYuan Wang
Duration
0 Weeks
Recognitions
RGD Students Awards 2020 Honorable Mention - PIVOT Award for Information Design
A Digital Guide to SPS
For this Information Design project, students were asked to create a data visualization pamphlet + digital adaptation for a topic of their choice. Due to personal experience with this innate trait, I decided to research and create a beginner’s guide to Sensory-Processing Sensitivity. Sensory-processing sensitivity (SPS) is a neurobiological trait characterized by an increased sensitivity of the central nervous system and a deeper cognitive processing of physical, social and emotional stimuli. SPS is genetically-based and present in 15-20% of human populations as well as over 100 animal species. SPS adaptation strategies of empathy, awareness, calmness and self-control allows for deep integration of environmental and social information, which may enhance survival and well-being of a species. When well-adapted to society, HSPs contribute significantly to almost all areas of human civilization, leaving timeless legacies in the arts, design, film, literature, physical and social sciences, religion and world politics.
The Problem
Sensory-processing sensitivity is an urgent point of research due to its high prevalence in human populations and its direct relation to various maladaptive life outcomes, as a significant factor in HSP well-being and quality of life. Despite its prevalence, SPS is still relatively unknown and misunderstood in the general public, which increases the risk of HSP ostracization, isolation and mental illness — especially in high stimulation-oriented Western societies. This is where I believe design has an opportunity to bridge gaps of public knowledge and improve HSP self-perception, by introducing new ways of understanding SPS in visual language.
Creative Process
My ideation for symbolic illustrations involved an intuitive mix of symbols, metaphors and motifs, as well as allusion. I developed a light linear illustrative style to reflect the delicacy and intangibility of the concept. As for colour scheme, I opted for a ‘night’ indigo-esque backdrop and ‘sunset’ colours to induce a quiet and contemplative mood — which is a common characteristic of people with SPS. The colour scheme is used to distinguish levels of SPS, as well as different traits in the brain diagram. Perhaps the greatest infographic challenge was the brain diagram — which required researching and understanding basic brain anatomy, learning to draw a feasible depiction of the relevant anatomical parts, and finally achieving a balance of information hierarchy and readability across print and screen.
Ending Thoughts
This project was ambitious and challenging in many ways. It was my first time visualizing extensive qualitative information from a specialized field. I learned first-hand the cruciality of determining a realistic scope before advancing in to the design process, and the importance of maintaining a consistent visual language in a detailed project. It was interesting to see the effects of different mediums on my thought processes in working with the same information. I noticed that predetermining a medium had profound effects on the way I approach solving a problem, for better or worse. All in all, I’m glad to have have had the opportunity to focus my efforts on this relevant and underrepresented topic. This is still a largely-untapped realm for design, so there’s still a lot more to be done — which leads me to my thesis project on SPS.
