Challenge Summary
Welcome to Scout – Data Visualization Design Challenge
Our client the Department of Energy’s Building Technologies Office (BTO) is developing a modeling system called “Scout” that will help measure the energy conservation potential of new technologies. BTO calls these new technologies “energy conservation measures” (abbreviated as ECMs).
The goal of this challenge is to develop visualizations of data provided by “Scout” that can make it easier for decision-makers to answer some important questions about energy conservation opportunities.
- We would like to review your initial design and provide feedback.
- Please make sure to include a “Notes.jpg”. Please ensure that it provides a brief explanation regarding your submission, the reasoning/thoughts behind the design and any other detail you may want to provide.
- Your final design and files.
- Any updates and refinements from the Checkpoint review.
- Please make sure to include a “Notes.jpg”. Please ensure that it provides a brief explanation regarding your submission, the reasoning/thoughts behind the design and any other detail you may want to provide.
Challenge Description
The purpose of this challenge is to design interactive visualizations for a website that helps users answer important questions from data produced by “Scout”. These questions might include:
- Which energy conservation measures (ECMs) yield the largest (energy, CO2, or energy cost) reductions?
- How much (energy, CO2, or energy cost) can be saved/avoided for a given (ECM, end use, in total)?
- How do the potential (energy, CO2, or energy cost) savings compare to the total baseline (energy use, CO2 emissions, or energy cost) for that end use?
- What is the cost-effective savings for a given ECM, end use, in total? Cost-effectiveness can be indicated by metrics like internal rate of return (IRR), payback, cost of conserved energy, and cost of conserved CO2.
You are encouraged to submit rough concepts for the Checkpoint (so we can provide feedback on your submission and overall graphic/illustration choices) and then clean them up/finalize your design for Round 2.
Design Requirements
- The emphasis for this design challenge is on concepting interesting, unorthodox, and useful ways of visualizing the data. Designers are encouraged to be inventive when thinking about ways to respond to this challenge:
-- Visualizations submitted should NOT use traditional methods of displaying data such as bar charts, pie charts, or x-y/scatter plots.
-- Some examples can be found at Flowing Data and Information is Beautiful. These examples are intended as inspiration, NOT a list of our preferred design concepts.
- Color scheme, font selection, and other design elements are less important than the method used to display the data.
- You can submit multiple visualization concepts. These concepts can have entirely different plot types and design typologies.
- Visualizations should relate to one or more of the questions in the challenge description.
- Some outcome variables (see Scout Variables Excel spreadsheet supporting document) will be reported as a range of possible values with a lower and upper bound. Visualizations developed in this design challenge should be able to represent uncertainty in these variables. Careful consideration should be given to appropriate methods for showing uncertainty:
-- Some examples of visualizations with uncertainty
-- Different methods for visualizing uncertainty with the same data set
- Good practices:
-- All plotted variables should be labeled (e.g., “Energy Use”) and tick marks should be used to indicate axis values (e.g., 0, 15, 30, 45).
-- Visualizations should not have embellishments unrelated to the data being displayed (i.e., no “chartjunk”).
-- Colors, fonts, spacing, and sizing of elements should be chosen to engage the user and maintain visual interest.
Design Notes
- Design concepts produced in this challenge will be implemented using web standard approaches (e.g., d3.js) and can incorporate interactive features.
- No istockphoto allowed in this contest. Use your own designs and illustrations.
- Please make sure you list all fonts you’ve used in your design to avoid failing screening.
Supporting Documents
- Scout Variables (Scout_Variables_Codebook_Simplified_080816.xlsx): In this Excel sheet you will find the variables available for the visualizations. You can use any values between the indicated minimum and maximum values to represent the data.
Branding Guidelines
- For the sake of the best visualization there are no branding requirements.
Target Audience
- Technology and program managers within BTO (Building Technologies Office).
- DOE (Department of Energy) offices.
- Federal agencies.
- External BTO partners (e.g., universities, national labs, industry organizations).
Judging Criteria
- Innovativeness of the approach used for the visualization.
- Visual representation of the data in a way that can be used for comparisons and making decisions.
- Visual representation of the data that does not lead to mistaken conclusions as a result of the way the data are drawn. (For reference, see “39 studies about human perception in 30 minutes”.)
Submission & Source Files
Submission Notes
Please make sure to include a “Notes.jpg”. Please ensure that it provides a brief explanation regarding your submission, the reasoning/thoughts behind the design and any other detail you may want to provide.
Preview Image
Please create your preview image as one (1) 1024x1024px JPG or PNG file in RGB color mode at 72dpi and place a screenshot of your submission within it.
Submission File
Submit JPG/PNG for your submission file.
Source Files
All original source files of the submitted design. Files should be created in Adobe Photoshop and saved as layered PSD file, or Adobe Illustrator as a layered AI file.
Final Fixes
As part of the final fixes phase you may be asked to modify your graphics (sizes or colors) or modify overall colors. As part of final fixes you may be asked to fix or update your screens to meet any missed Requirements, Forum requirements or Checkpoint requirements.
Our client the Department of Energy’s Building Technologies Office (BTO) is developing a modeling system called “Scout” that will help measure the energy conservation potential of new technologies. BTO calls these new technologies “energy conservation measures” (abbreviated as ECMs).
The goal of this challenge is to develop visualizations of data provided by “Scout” that can make it easier for decision-makers to answer some important questions about energy conservation opportunities.
Round 1
Round One (1) - Submit your design for Checkpoint feedback:- We would like to review your initial design and provide feedback.
- Please make sure to include a “Notes.jpg”. Please ensure that it provides a brief explanation regarding your submission, the reasoning/thoughts behind the design and any other detail you may want to provide.
Round 2
Round Two (2) - Final design plus any Checkpoint feedback:- Your final design and files.
- Any updates and refinements from the Checkpoint review.
- Please make sure to include a “Notes.jpg”. Please ensure that it provides a brief explanation regarding your submission, the reasoning/thoughts behind the design and any other detail you may want to provide.
Challenge Description
The purpose of this challenge is to design interactive visualizations for a website that helps users answer important questions from data produced by “Scout”. These questions might include:
- Which energy conservation measures (ECMs) yield the largest (energy, CO2, or energy cost) reductions?
- How much (energy, CO2, or energy cost) can be saved/avoided for a given (ECM, end use, in total)?
- How do the potential (energy, CO2, or energy cost) savings compare to the total baseline (energy use, CO2 emissions, or energy cost) for that end use?
- What is the cost-effective savings for a given ECM, end use, in total? Cost-effectiveness can be indicated by metrics like internal rate of return (IRR), payback, cost of conserved energy, and cost of conserved CO2.
You are encouraged to submit rough concepts for the Checkpoint (so we can provide feedback on your submission and overall graphic/illustration choices) and then clean them up/finalize your design for Round 2.
Design Requirements
- The emphasis for this design challenge is on concepting interesting, unorthodox, and useful ways of visualizing the data. Designers are encouraged to be inventive when thinking about ways to respond to this challenge:
-- Visualizations submitted should NOT use traditional methods of displaying data such as bar charts, pie charts, or x-y/scatter plots.
-- Some examples can be found at Flowing Data and Information is Beautiful. These examples are intended as inspiration, NOT a list of our preferred design concepts.
- Color scheme, font selection, and other design elements are less important than the method used to display the data.
- You can submit multiple visualization concepts. These concepts can have entirely different plot types and design typologies.
- Visualizations should relate to one or more of the questions in the challenge description.
- Some outcome variables (see Scout Variables Excel spreadsheet supporting document) will be reported as a range of possible values with a lower and upper bound. Visualizations developed in this design challenge should be able to represent uncertainty in these variables. Careful consideration should be given to appropriate methods for showing uncertainty:
-- Some examples of visualizations with uncertainty
-- Different methods for visualizing uncertainty with the same data set
- Good practices:
-- All plotted variables should be labeled (e.g., “Energy Use”) and tick marks should be used to indicate axis values (e.g., 0, 15, 30, 45).
-- Visualizations should not have embellishments unrelated to the data being displayed (i.e., no “chartjunk”).
-- Colors, fonts, spacing, and sizing of elements should be chosen to engage the user and maintain visual interest.
Design Notes
- Design concepts produced in this challenge will be implemented using web standard approaches (e.g., d3.js) and can incorporate interactive features.
- No istockphoto allowed in this contest. Use your own designs and illustrations.
- Please make sure you list all fonts you’ve used in your design to avoid failing screening.
Supporting Documents
- Scout Variables (Scout_Variables_Codebook_Simplified_080816.xlsx): In this Excel sheet you will find the variables available for the visualizations. You can use any values between the indicated minimum and maximum values to represent the data.
Branding Guidelines
- For the sake of the best visualization there are no branding requirements.
Target Audience
- Technology and program managers within BTO (Building Technologies Office).
- DOE (Department of Energy) offices.
- Federal agencies.
- External BTO partners (e.g., universities, national labs, industry organizations).
Judging Criteria
- Innovativeness of the approach used for the visualization.
- Visual representation of the data in a way that can be used for comparisons and making decisions.
- Visual representation of the data that does not lead to mistaken conclusions as a result of the way the data are drawn. (For reference, see “39 studies about human perception in 30 minutes”.)
Submission & Source Files
Submission Notes
Please make sure to include a “Notes.jpg”. Please ensure that it provides a brief explanation regarding your submission, the reasoning/thoughts behind the design and any other detail you may want to provide.
Preview Image
Please create your preview image as one (1) 1024x1024px JPG or PNG file in RGB color mode at 72dpi and place a screenshot of your submission within it.
Submission File
Submit JPG/PNG for your submission file.
Source Files
All original source files of the submitted design. Files should be created in Adobe Photoshop and saved as layered PSD file, or Adobe Illustrator as a layered AI file.
Final Fixes
As part of the final fixes phase you may be asked to modify your graphics (sizes or colors) or modify overall colors. As part of final fixes you may be asked to fix or update your screens to meet any missed Requirements, Forum requirements or Checkpoint requirements.
Please read the challenge specification carefully and watch the forums for any questions or feedback concerning this challenge. It is important that you monitor any updates provided by the client or Studio Admins in the forums. Please post any questions you might have for the client in the forums.