Centralizing species data

The Challenges

• The fact-finding, analytical, and data dissemination processes that drive the formulation of environmental policy in the Congo Basin are fundamentally broken, with far-reaching consequences for the quality and impact of conservation programs. Organizations working on conservation and forestry issues in the Congo Basin face several challenges:

• Finding and analyzing the data they need as part of their day-to-day work is labor- and resource-intensive;

• There’s a total lack of a platform that systematically communicates the fluctuating state of the rainforest to a global audience.

The Goal

• Create a simple, intuitive dashboard that gathers all the data from the IUCN Red List and the CITES Appendices in one place, making it easily digestible for those who need it.

• Create Species ID Cards that allow governments, local law enforcement, and anti-poaching groups to easily see all the available information about the different species in the Congo Basin.

The Process

I started by researching the resources currently available and chatting with the client to better understand their userbase.

Starting with the IUCN Red List database, I began gathering screenshots of relevant pages. Given the magnitude of information they’re conveying, IUCN’s Red List UI is remarkably easy to use. Project Canopy’s primary demographic is already used to using IUCN’s platform, so while creating PC’s dashboard, I chose not to reinvent the wheel.

User flows

At a basic level,

My first user flow was somehow both oversimplified and too detailed (not sure how I managed that). After several iterations that involved wild amounts of detail, I decided that a scaled-down user flow was best for the timeline and scope of this project. User research validated this decision:

Creating the dashboard

I spent the low-fidelity stage learning about data visualization and exploring dashboard designs. Utilizing the expertise of my design managers and insight from my peers, I landed on a fixed side navigation.

Mid-fidelity is where things really started coming together. I experimented with using cards to see an overview for each country. During design critiques, I received overwhelming feedback that the cards made the dashboard feel chaotic (I whole-heartedly agree!). At this stage, I transitioned away for excessive text and towards graphs and tables.

During a design critique, I received the feedback that my initial color palette did not adequately convey the severity of the information displayed. So back to the drawing board I went!

I read more about data visualization and ultimately decided that pie charts weren’t a useful way to display data.

Trying to stay within the client-provided product colors, I tried my hardest to get around the red/green Christmas vibe. Sadly, it was unavoidable. I experimented with multiple tints of red, orange and yellow, and ultimately made the primary button color a dark blue. This allowed me to use the red and oranges needed to convey the severity of the data at hand. User testing confirmed the success of this choice.

The evolution of the species page

The species page provides a simple and informative view of biodiversity in the Congo Basin Rainforest, while the species ID cards provide more detailed information and can be shared, downloaded, and printed for use by local authorities.

Out of the whole project, I had the most fun designing the species cards. They’re like baseball cards, but for animals! My goal was to keep them visually simple while still conveying the most important information.

Design system

Color palette

Project Canopy’s original colors were very warm, so with the blessing of the clients, I adjusted the tone to cooler variations. I wanted to keep the same earthy vibe, but elevate it to feel more modern and sophisticated.

In the same tone as the product colors, the darker blue pairs nicely with the threat indication red and oranges while avoiding a Christmas vibe.

Typeface

I experimented with Heebo, Open Sans, and PT Sans before landing on IBM Plex Sans.

As soon as I saw it, I knew it was the obvious choice for Project Canopy’s typeface. It’s clean and professional while still approachable. It conveys the seriousness of the information without being intimidating.

Branding

Final designs