Visualization for Public Policy

L. Arthi Krishnaswami Brown University

October 2016

OutlineProcessPolicy Design Design Problem Users Context Content: The Data Story DesignVisual Variables: Bertin Information Design: LATCH Visual Mapping Iterative Design Usability Testing Design Considerations Typography Hierarchy/Architecture

ExamplesGeographic Information Systems Emergency Management Maps Election Coverage Earnings and education attainment Facebook growth (location, time, category) NAUDL Smart Disclosures Research toolbox FOIA 1997 Quasi-Public Open or Shut? McMartin poster Community of Trust RyeCatcher Experience Map CB PSAT reports

Process

PolicyProblem definition

Agenda setting

AlternativesImplementation

Policy

Evaluation

Definethe problem

Exploreusers, content&context

Generate concepts and ideas

Refine the design

Evaluate with users

User-centered design process

Adapted from Cooper, Deal/O’Leary, Evenson.

Build the product

Process: Visualization for policy

• Problem

• Users/Context/Content

• Data Story

• Design (Visual Variables)

• Test/Adapt

• Launch

Problem definition

Users/Content/Context

Data StoryTest/Adapt

Design

Launch

Define the Problem

Users

Content Context

Users

• Personas

• Scenarios

Context

• Format

• Mode

• Time

• Goal

Content: The Data Story

• Descriptive

• Narrative

• Argumentative

• Decision-making

Design

Visual Perception Bertin

Jacques Bertin, Semiology of Graphics.

Retinal Variables Bertin

Jacques Bertin, Semiology of Graphics.

Information Design

L o c a t i o n

A l p h a b e t

T i m e

C a t e g o r y

H i e r a c h y

- Richard Saul Wurman, Information Anxiety

Visual Mapping

Mackinlay, J.D.: Automating the Design of Graphical Presentations of Relational Information, Computer Science Department, Standfort University, 1986

Iterative Design

• Sketching and low-fidelity prototypes

• Medium-fidelity prototypes

• Hi-fidelity prototypes

Charts and visualizations

• Chart types

• Orientation and labels

• Keys and legends

• Comparison

• Typography

• Tufte, Playfair, Tukey

Chart types

• Line charts

• Pie and doughnut charts

• Bar charts

• Area charts

• XY (scatter) and bubble charts

• Stock charts

• Flow charts

• Box plots

• Column charts

• Maps

Typography

• Line length

• Text size

• Color

• Contrast

• Serif versus sans serif

FormatPoster

Paper

Digital

• Page architecture • Levels of reading • Reading distance • Color/BW and reproduction • Audience and time

• Number of pages • Sequence • Narrative • Color/BW • Print/digital

• Sequence • Narrative • Time • Interactivity • Audience and format

User Research TM

Design solutions beyond words

Ask

the

user

User can articulate needs

User not yet conscious of needs

Obs

erve

the

user

Research ToolboxTwenty-three research methods to discover what your users really want.

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1 Survey or QuestionnairePrepare a Web-based or paper survey and distribute to participants from your target audience. Word questions carefully to avoid leading or confusing the user, and interpret the results knowing that what people say they do and what they do are often quite different.

Focus GroupBring together a small group of carefully selected participants to discuss a certain set of topics relevant to your concept. A facilitator should keep the group on topic and ensure that everyone contributes to the discussion.

InterviewPrepare a set of questions targeted to your concept, and ask users in a face-to-face setting. It is useful to have two researchers per interview session, so one can guide the discussion, and the other can take detailed notes.

Knowledge MiningLeverage the experience of people who are uniquely qualified to offer insights—early adopters, power users, wizened veterans. Draw out their knowledge in surveys, focus groups, interviews, or brainstorming sessions.

Guided StorytellingIn this interview technique, ask the participant to walk you through a real-life scenario pertaining to your concept. Guided Storytelling questions often begin, “Tell me about the last time you...”

Guided TourAsk a participant to give you a tour of their space relevant to your concept. Pay special attention to how they customize their environment.

Personal InventoryAsk participants to show you and talk about the contents of their purse, briefcase, pockets, car, or desk drawers. Your goal is to understand what people deem important enough to carry with them or store nearby, and why it makes the cut.

Web EavesdroppingSpend some time immersed in Web chat rooms or discussion boards related to your concept. To avoid disrupting the community, save questions of your own until the end of your immersion period.

Beeper StudyIssue your participants beepers or cell phones. Instruct them to record what they’re doing each time they are paged. (You can also ask them to fill out a brief survey, or to photograph their surroundings.) Several pages per day over the course of a week yield a spontaneous sampling of the participants’ daily experience.

Photo DiaryPrepare a journal for each of your participants with space to paste photographs and make notes. Issue each participant a Polaroid camera, and ask her to record her experience with regard to a certain topic.

Adopt a UserIf your goal is to reinvent an existing product, volunteer to act as technical support for someone who uses that product frequently. Each time your adopted user contacts you with a question, you will learn about how he understands the product, what he hopes to accomplish using it, and what steps he is likely to take to remedy a problem.

ShadowingArrange to spend some time following people from your target audience throughout their normal daily activities, making detailed notes about your observations.

Fly on the WallChoose a location relevant to your product concept. Carefully observe how people interact with each other, with the environment, and with existing products, processes, or technology.

Video ObservationArrange to record the activities of a given space over a period of time. Leave the camera long enough for participants to get comfortable, and scour the footage for insights into behavior. View the footage in time-lapse to reveal patterns of activity.

AEIOUIn any observational setting, use lists and sketches to record the activities, environments, interactions, objects, and users. The process of recording each of these components in detail often reveals breakdowns in the system, which translate into opportunities for your new product.

Task AnalysisList and diagram the steps your participant takes in order to achieve a given task. The task might be something as broad as choosing a bank, or as simple as logging in to verify an account balance.

Behavioral MappingDiagram a given space, and record the movements and activities of people within that space. This careful observation can reveal breakdowns, coping mechanisms, and frequently repeated behaviors— all of which can signify opportunity for a new product, process, or technology.

Prototype EvaluationAs early in the design process as possible, put low-fidelity prototypes in front of users for feedback and evaluation. Don’t present the concept. Find out how they would try to use it without much explanation.

Think Aloud ProtocolAsk your participant to complete specific tasks using a prototype of your product or a related existing product. Ask them to think out loud—to verbalize every thought—as they try to complete the tasks. Quiet participants might need gentle reminders to think aloud as they proceed.

Draw Your ExperiencePrepare your participants by asking them to record their habits or feelings with regard to a certain topic for about a week. At the end of the week, provide an inviting array of drawing tools, and ask them to visually express their experi-ence and feelings. Listen carefully to the stories they tell as they describe their illustrations.

Card SortPrepare your participants as described in Draw Your Experience. Provide a small deck of cards using words and/or images relevant to your concept, and ask your participants to arrange the cards in ways that make sense to them.

CollagePrepare your participants as described in Draw Your Experience. Invite a small group of participants to build collages from provided materials. A mixture of ambiguous words, images, stickers, and shapes allows the participants to project their own meanings. Ask them to present and explain their collages.

Velcro ModelingPrepare your participants as described in Draw Your Experience. Assemble a toolkit of compo-nents common to the kind of product you hope to design. For example, if you’re designing a remote control, provide various shapes that might act as the body of the remote, and provide easy to adhere buttons in a wide variety of shapes, sizes, and colors. Invite a small group of users to design their own product using those components.

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These research methods are a sampling of the tools available as you work to understand your users. Each method varies by both the kind of research activity taking place, and the sort of needs you’ll discover.

In some cases, all you need to do is ask. The users can articu-late their needs. At other times, the research can lead both you and your users to a better understanding of what they really want. The right methods will uncover latent needs—needs the users themselves haven't even recognized.

These methods are best for gathering information quickly and directly. Use caution with these methods, since what people say and what they do are often quite different.

Tell Me

The places and things people interact with provide clues about what they value, what tasks they want to simplify, and what kinds of tools or technology they prefer. These methods give you access to those insights.

Show Me

These methods offer a practical alternative to following users around 24/7. Instead, arrange for them to give you reports of their activities, so you just get the highlights.

Get a Report

The sooner you start turning ideas into prototypes, the sooner you can put those prototypes in front of real users and catch your own misconceptions. Test it early, test it often—and save yourself time and money!

Test It

Research methods that tap into the creativity of real-life users can lead to extremely valuable insights. These methods can help users express concepts or feelings that they might not be able to put into words otherwise.

Get Creative

Watch and ListenThese methods show you what tasks and goals your users work to achieve on a daily basis. More importantly, they help you recognize obstacles to your users’ progress, which often translate into golden opportunities for your new product.

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12Shadowing

8Web Eavesdropping

13Fly on the Wall

15AEIOU18

Prototype Evaluation

9Beeper Study

1Survey or Questionnaire

2Focus Group

3Interview

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16Task Analysis

17Behavioral Mapping

14Video Observation

19Think Aloud Protocol

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21Card Sort

22Collage

20Draw Your Experience

6Guided Tour

7Personal Inventory

Velcro Modeling

5Guided Storytelling

Knowledge Mining

Examples

McMartin: Book

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aprmarfebjandecnov may19841983

at preliminary hearing

at trial

interview only

complainant

at retrial

Figure 2.6 CII Interview Sequence—Children at Preliminary Hearing, Trial and Retrial.

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41

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10

3

Icons do not represent the order of interviews within the month.

Compiled by author from assorted CII and court documents.Some children were interviewed twice.

Last interview

before charges

were finalized

10 May

Legend

may1985

june1985

july1985

02 05 22 01 05 10 15 20 25 30 01 05 10 15

Legend

25 30

first interview

Number of Children

one interview

two interviews

more than two interviews

Tota

l int

ervi

ews

second interview

third or greater interview

Figure 5.7 Kelly Michaels Investigative Interview Sequence, All Children by Number of Interviews.

...

* Fifty children had first interviews; two children were interviewed in a single session on June 17. Compiled by author from assorted court documents.

two children interviewed together

Each icon represents one interview. The vertical stacks of icons indicate the number of interviews in one day. The space between 5 to 22 May is not drawn to scale.

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• Bar chart • BW • Print, presentation • Value • Keys and legends

McMartin: Poster (2006)

Council on Empirical Legal Studies (2007)

A Systematic Study of Motions to Reduce Criminal Sentencesin Rhode Island Superior Court (1998-2003)

by Laura Braslow and Ross E. CheitRighteous Research Brown University

Question

Methods

Results

• Most states allow for sentence reduction• Judicial discretion is generally unconstrained• Few jurisdictions require a statement of reasons

AcknowledgementsThe authors thank the following individuals for providing researchassistance throughout this project: Bailey Langner, Jesse Maniff, RobertPowers, Jacquelyn Rudis, Stephanie Skaff and Owen Washburn.Special thanks to L. Arthi Krishniswami for designing this poster.

• Motions identified electronically• Universe sample of 597 cases• All files checked by hand• Race data obtained from prison system

Based on a universe sample of all cases where Motions to Reduce Sentence were brought over a five-year period, this study utilizes descriptive statistics, multivariate models and textual analysis to describe the practice of sentence reduction in the aggregate and to isolate some of the determinants of motion outcomes. Key variables include case and statutory factors (type of crime, filing window, violations), defendant factors (age, gender, race, prior criminal history), representation (private attorney, public defender or Pro Se), judges (individual judges, whether the judge hearing a motion to reduce is the original sentencing judge), and qualitative factors (reasons for reduction given by defendants).

Descriptive

Most jurisdictions allow criminal defendants to bring post-conviction motions to reduce their sentence. Conceptually, the primary justification for sentence reduction policies is to allow for modification of original sentences which may have been excessive or unfair when compared to co-defendants or other defendants as a group. Other reasons may includemercy, or rewarding defendants for good behavior. This mechanism could be an avenue for correcting inappropriately long sentences, but the virtually unfettered discretion given to judges in ruling on these motions could also be an invitation to abuse. This study seeks to empirically examine the practice of sentence reduction in the Rhode Island Superior Court system.

How often to judges reduce criminal sentences? How much does the practice vary by judge? How much does it vary by crime? Are some of the stated reasons for sentence reduction more successful than others?What are the determinants of outcomes of Motions to Reduce Sentence?

Poster prepared for Second Annual Conference on Empirical Legal Studies, New York University School of Law (November 9, 2007)

Research challenges: The Rhode Island State criminal records database reflects only whether a Motion to Reduce Sentence was filed. It does notrecord the outcome of that motion, nor does it reflect any resulting change in sentence as a result. Key documents such as defendants' filed motions do not routinely appear in the physical case file, and are often boilerplate. Written judges' orders recording the outcome of motions are hardly ever part of the physical case file.

Outcomes of Motions to Reduce Sentence by Filing Window (n=534)

How do trial court judges exercise their discretion to reconsider criminal sentences?

within filing window

ruled on

not ruled on

other

withdrawn

passed

granted

denied

197 (37%)

total cases

534

152 (28%)

70 (13%)

82 (15%)

27 (5%)

8 (1%)

10 (2%)

45 (8%)

outside of window

ruled on

not ruled on

other

withdrawn

passed

granted

denied

337 (63%)

255 (48%)98 (18%)

157 (29%)

47 (9%)

11 (2%)

23 (4%)

82 (15%)

Outcomes of Motions to Reduce Sentence by Pre-MRS Violation (n=534)

no pre-MRS violation

ruled on

not ruled on

other

withdrawn

passed

granted

denied

409 (77%)

total cases

534

317 (59%)

134 (25%)

183 (34%)

52 (10%)

14 (3%)

26 (5%)

92 (17%)

pre-MRS violation

ruled on

not ruled on

other

withdrawn

passed

granted

denied

125 (23%)

90 (17%)34 (6%)

56 (10%)

22 (4%)

5 (1%)

8 (1%)

35 (7%)

Multivariate

Variable Coefficient Odds Ratio [Exp(B)]Constant -3.122 0.044

Case and Statutory Factors In 120 Day Window 0.292 0.747 Pre-MRS Violation -0.372 0.690 Offense Type Violent Crimes 0.672 1.958 Sex Crimes -0.631 0.532 Child Sex Crimes 1.013 2.753 Theft 0.921 2.512 Financial Property Crimes 0.118 1.125 Drug Crimes 1.410*** 4.094 Nuisance Crimes 22.955 -- Traffic Crimes 0.929 2.533 Destruction Crimes 0.563 1.756 Other Crimes / Unknown -- --

Attorneys and Judges Attorney Type Private / Court-Appointed 1.203*** 3.329 Public Defender 0.971** 2.640 Pro Se -0.146 0.865 Other / Unknown -- --

Judges Clifton 1.128** 3.090 Dimitri 0.616 1.852 Fortunato 2.256**** 9.543 Gale 0.579 1.784 Gemma 1.238** 3.449 Indeglia -0.960 0.383 Israel 1.256* 3.512 Keough 1.833*** 6.256 Krause 0.154 1.167 Pfeiffer 1.094*** 2.985 Procaccini 0.826* 2.284 Rodgers 1.296* 3.656 Sheehan -0.746 2.109 Thompson -1.193*** 3.297 Thunberg -1.469*** 4.346 Williams -0.740 0.477 Other -- --Motion Judge Different from Sentencing Judge -0.173 0.842

Defendant Characteristics Prior Criminal History 0.109 1.116 Defendant Age 0.000 1.000 Defendant Gender -0.292 0.747 Defendant Race White -0.012 0.988 Black -0.056 0.946 Hispanic -0.057 0.945 Other/Unknown -- --

Qualitative Factors Defendant Arguments for Reduction Mercy 0.007 1.007 Rehabilitation / Reform 0.328 1.389 Excessive Sentence -0.110 0.896 Procedural 1.319** 3.741 Witness / Informant 0.232 1.261 Other / Unknown -- --

Model Chi-square 95.903**** 95.903****Pseudo R2 0.237 0.237% Cases Predicted 75.8 75.8-2 Log Likelihood 550.845 550.845

* Significant at p < 0.10** Significant at p < 0.05*** Significant at p < 0.01**** Significant at p < 0.001

Case and Statutory Factors• Statutory factors (motion brought within filing window, motion brought after a probation violation) are not statistically significant.• Most offense types are not significant – however, sentence reductions are significantly more likely to be granted in cases involving drug crimes.

Attorneys• Sentence reductions are much more likely to be granted in cases where the defendant is represented by a private attorney.• Sentence reductions are somewhat more likely to be granted when the defendant is represented by a public defender.

Judges• Individual judges are the most strongly and consistently significant determinant of outcomes of motions to reduce sentence. • Whether the judge ruling on a motion to reduce sentence is the same as or different from the sentencing judge is not a statistically significant factor in motion outcomes.

Defendant Characteristics• Individual defendant characteristics do no appear to be significant in whether motions to reduce sentence are granted or denied.• Defendant race, gender, age and prior criminal history were all tested, and none were found to be statistically significant.

Qualitative Factors• The reasons given by defendants in support of their motions to reduce sentence are not very significant to motion outcomes.• The only reason which has a statistically significant impact on motion outcomes is procedural arguments, for example the need to transfer a defendant to federal custody.

Model Significance and Explanatory Power • The model of determinants of motion outcomes is highly significant, and has reasonable explanatory power.

Logistic Regression Results -- Motion Outcomes, Granted or Denied (n=534)

Next Steps in Multivariate Analysis •The last major component of the analysis of motion outcomes (grant or deny) will be to incorporate initial sentence lengths into the model as a potential determinant.

• We also plan to produce two parallel models to isolate the determinan ts of reduction length for cases where sentence reductions are granted, one based on absolute reductions (i.e., number of months taken off of a defendant’s sentence), and one based on the percentage of the initial sentence which is removed through a granted motion to reduce sentence.

note: percentages are based on total cases

note: percentages are based on total cases

Outcomes of Motions to Reduce Sentence (n=534)

total cases

ruled on

not ruled on

534

407 (76%)

granted168 (31%)

denied239 (45%)

passed74 (14%)

withdrawn19 (4%)

other34 (6%)

127 (24%)

note: percentages are based on total cases

Figure 3: Probability of Granting Sentence Reduction Motion, Severe Case, by Judge

Other judges(10.2%)

0 100

40.3%Overall(12.5%)2.1%

Motion grant probability (%), severe cases by high volume judges (A through P)

Figure 1: Overall Probability of Granting Sentence Reduction Motion, by Judge

Other judges(23%)

0 100

64.6%Overall(27.9%)5.6%

Motion Grant Probability (%), by high volume judges (A through P)

Figure 2: Probability of Granting Sentence Reduction Motion, Mild Case, by Judge

Other judges(28.4%)

0 100

70.4%Overall(33.5%)7.1%

Motion grant probability (%), mild cases, by high volume judges (A through P)

• Distribution from the mean, flow chart • BW • Print, presentation, poster • Value • Typography

Geographic Information Systems: Lead Model

I-85

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$10,002.00 - $33,074.00

$33,074.01 - $45,930.00

$45,930.01 - $60,880.00

$60,880.01 - $78,960.00

$78,960.01 - $120,888.00

$3,500.00 - $13,700.00

$13,700.01 - $20,600.00

$20,600.01 - $28,900.00

$28,900.01 - $41,300.00

$41,300.01 - $59,100.00

°200

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2% - 25%

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36% - 55%

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76% - 100%

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New Homes Constructed/Significant Renovations 1993-1999

New Homes Constructed/Significant Renovations Post 1999

° 0.25Miles

WALLTOWN CONTEXT

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° 200Yards

Owner Occupied Housing

Renter Occupied Housing

Change to Renter Occupied

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DurhamBloodLevelScreeningResults

DURHAM1995-1999

DURHAM2000-2003

7444

9661

2814 2527

401 2850

2000

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Lessthan5 Greater than9between5and9(inclusive)

WalltownBloodLevelScreeningResults

WALLTOWN1995-1999

WALLTOWN2000-2003

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Durham Leadmodel 2005Nonresidential/No Data

Priority 1

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200Yards

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200Yards

WALLTOWN NEIGHBORHOOD

ST. TERESA NEIGHBORHOOD

High Crime Density

Low Crime DensityLocations of Violent/Drug Related Crimes 2003

New Homes Constructed/Significant Renovations

Housing Tenure

Housing Value

Lead Exposure Risk

2003 Crime Locations

Walltown Surrounding Area

Walltown Neighborhood Analysis

Children's Environmental Health Initiative

(866) 264-7891

A Research and Community Outreach Program of theNicholas School of the Environment and Earth Sciences at Duke University

This Map Was Produced by

For Questions Please Call Toll Free:

cehi@env.duke.edu http://www.env.duke.edu/cehi/

Percent Increase

1999

1999

2005

2005

Data Sources: Durham County; Durham Police Department; Habitat for Humanity; Self Help; and the NC Childhood Lead Posioning Prevention Program

• Maps • GIS • Color v. BW • Contrast • Poster, paper

Emergency Management Maps

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Thurgood Marshall Academy for LearningW 135th & Adam Clayton Powell Boulevard NY, NY 10037

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• Map • Color v. BW • Readability • Orientation, hierarchy • Navigation and way finding

Election Coverage

http://www.nbcnews.com/politics/2016-election http://www.270towin.com/maps/nbc-battleground

• Maps, bars, tables • Color • Digital • Levels of information • Keys, labels, legends

NY Times (value, size, location) 08/29/2007 12:22 PMThe New York Times > National > Image > Changes in Economic Well-Being

Page 1 of 2http://www.nytimes.com/imagepages/2007/08/29/us/29censusweb.ready.html

August 29, 2007

Copyright 2007 The New York Times Company

The New York Times > Business > Image > Comparison Consuming http://www.nytimes.com/imagepages/2008/05/13/business/200805...

2 of 3 5/15/08 9:34 AM

• Lines, graduated circles, maps, tables • BW, neutral tone • Print and digital • Comparison • Keys and legends as image

NY Times (color, location, category)

Facebook growth (location, time, category) 3/29/09 2:15 PMThe New York Times > Business > Image > The Road to 200 Million

Page 1 of 1http://www.nytimes.com/imagepages/2009/03/29/business/29face.graf01.ready.html

March 29, 2009

Copyright 2009 The New York Times Company

• Maps, line, area, network • Color, contrast • Multiple charts • Narrative • Progression of time

NAUDL

Your Dollar National Board & Sponsors $1.13

Local School Systems $2.73

Local Private Partners $3.02

Total $7.94

10Dollars Students Schools

$1000

$5000

$10,000

$25,000

$50,000

52

104

261

522

.25

1.25

2

6

12

Your Investment Brings Opportunities to New Schools and Students

Your Contribution to the NAUDL Attracts Other Public and Private Investors

The Impact of Your Support

Non-Debater Debater

Rate

of

Hig

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oo

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Urban Debaters are Three Times More

Likely to Graduate from High School

High School Graduation Rates

Non-Debaters

55%

Debaters

77.4%

Note: Chicago Public Schools students who participated in the Chicago Debate League are more likely to graduate than their non-debating peers, even after accounting for prior achievement.

Note: After statistically accounting for self-selection, debaters are on average three times more likely to graduate than nearly identical students who did not debate.

A COST EFFECTIVE, EVIDENCE-BASED INVESTMENT

For more information, see www.urbandebate.org/costeffectiveness

Urban Debate: A Proven, Evidence-Based Approach…

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Total Rounds Debated During High School

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Total Rounds Debated During High School

ACT College-Readiness Reading

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80%

100%

0 20 40 60 80 100Pro

bab

ilit

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f R

each

ing

Colleg

e-R

ead

iness B

en

ch

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Note: Black male debaters are 50% more likely to be college-ready in English than non-debaters.

Note: Black male debaters are 70% more likely to be college-ready in Reading than non-debaters.

50% more likely to be college ready in english

70% more likely to be college ready in critical reading

1

1

2

3

4

5

6

15 30 45

Life

time

Earn

ings

(Mill

ions

of D

olla

rs)

YearsProfessional DegreeBachelors DegreeHS GraduatesDropouts

$116,664$53,725 $27,815 $17,798

$1,749,960$805,875$417,225$266,970

$800,910

Earning Degrees Increases Expected Income for Urban Debaters

$5,249,880

$2,417,625

$1,251,675

$3,499,920$1,611,750$834,450$533,940

That Transforms Life Trajectories

College Graduation Rates by

Unweighted High School GPA

10

20

30

40

50

60

70

80

Perc

ent G

radu

ated

Fro

m 4

-yea

r C

olle

ge W

ithin

6 Y

ears

Unweighted High School GPA3.6+3.1 - 3.52.1 - 2.52.0 or less 2.6 - 3.0

Distribution of GPA

2

5

10

15

4

DebatersNon-Debaters

Percen

t o

f S

tud

en

ts

High School GPA

Note: Black male urban debaters increased their GPAs by 0.5, dramatically improving their chances of graduating from the four-year college.

• Pie, bar, line, regression • Single color • Print, presentation • Narrative and highlights • Decision-making

Smart Disclosures Ideas42

Research Brief Aesthetics and Valuation

High design

Images shownColorful, pleasing images.

Image layoutPleasing and well-designed placement of images.

TypographyResearchers attemped to use pleasing typeface withoutaffecting fluency or readability.

MessageJustified text is visually pleasing.

Data tableBold design catches the eye.

Low design

ImagesOlder, less aesthetically pleasing buildings and photos. Typography

Less pleasing font with samereadability. Image layout

Odd borders and uneven placement on page. Data table

Bland data table presentation.

MessageUnjustifed text is less visually pleasing but potentially easier to read.

A standard economic analysis might assume that how informa-tion is presented should have little or no influence over how consumers evaluate the information – rather, only content should matter. Behavioral economics argues that aesthetics can influence information processing and decision making.

Research by Claudia Townsend and ideas42 Affiliate Suzanne Shu has shown that the aesthetics of how information is pre-sented can have large impacts on people’s financial judgment. Perhaps most surprisingly, aesthetics can influence even the investing judgments and decision making of trained financial professionals.

The researchers asked 55 finance-trained individuals to rate the importance of various factors in investment decisions. Profit margins and past and future stock price information were rated most important; the aesthetics and design were rated amongst the least important.

The researchers then gave a randomly assigned packet of companies’ annual reports, and asked them to rank order based on willingness to invest.

The annual reports had aesthetic differences such as these, below:

6 varieties on display

JAMJAM

JAM JAM JAM

JAM

10x jam purchased

Fewer shoppers stop

More shoppers stop to sample

Choice overload =fewer purchases

24 varieties on display

JAMJAM JAM

JAM JAM JAM

JAMJAM JAM

JAM JAM JAM

JAMJAM

JAM JAM JAM

JAMJAMJAM

JAM JAM JAM

JAM

JAMJAMJAMJAM JAM JAM

JAM

JAM

JAMJAMJAM

JAM

JAM JAM

JAM

JAM

JAM

JAM

JAM

JAM

JAM JAM

JAM

JAM

JAM

JAM

JAM

JAM

JAM JAM JAMJAM JAM JAM

JAM

JAM

JAM JAM JAM

JAM

JAM

JAM

JAM

JAM

JAM

JAM

JAMJAM JAM JAM

JAM

JAM

JAM

JAM

JAM

JAM JAM

JAM

JAM

JAM

JAMJAM

JAM

JAM

JAM

JAM

• Custom design charts • Color • Print, presentation, digital • Narrative • Comparison of data

Smart Disclosures Ideas42

High design

Low designFinancial advisor

The difference in rate of recommending investing in the company between was approximately equal to the effect of a 20% increase in previous year’s revenue.

vs. = revenue20%

change the default

text reminder

force decision

annual enrollmentreminder

401(k) Enrollment: Potential Nudges

enrolled

default path: not enrolled

not enrolled

Potential Nudges

auto-enroll and opt-out

text reminder

or not

annual enrollment reminder

• Flow chart • Indicator values • Print, presentation, digital • Comparison • Narrative impact

Freedom of Information Act (1997) Access to Public Re c o rd s

An Audit of Rhode Island’s Cities & TownsA Comprehensive Analysis of the Implementation of the Open Records Law

Nike: Fuel Map

Community of Trust

A Community of Trust in Education, © 2016 RyeCatcher LLC. Created for the Digital Media + Learning Trust Challenge, funded by the MacArthur Foundation.

Medical ServicesPhysicianPsychiatristDentistNurse

Principal

Special Education

Coordinator

Special Education Teacher

Teacher

Tutor

Classroom Aide

Intervention Specialist

Student Support

Literacy Specialist

Approved Private School

Online Educational

Resources

Autism Spectrum Support

Counselor / Therapist

School Counselor

School Psychologist

Social Worker

Psychologist

Mentors & Advisors

Mentors / Advisors

Education Advocate

Transition Coordinator

College Counseling

Career CounselingRehabilitation

TherapiesHearing /

Deafness Specialist

Vision Specialist

Speech Pathologist

Occupational Therapist

Occupational /

Vocational Rehabilitation

Physical Therapist

Community &

Family ServicesCommunity or

Recreation Center

Children, Youth, and

Family Services

Faith-Based Services

Gang Intervention

Homeless Services

Transportation

INNER CIRCLE / CUSTODIAL ACCESS

IN SCHOOL / ACCESS BY VIRTUE OF ROLE

OUT OF SCHOOL / ACCESS AS GRANTED

BROADER LEARNING ENVIRONMENT / ACCESS IMPLICIT OR AS GRANTED

Medical Services

Behavioral & Emotional Support

Transportation

Community & Family Services

Rehabilitation Therapies

AcademicSupport

Student-Centered Circles of Support

Inner Circle includes the students’ parents, family members, or other custodians. They frequently make decisions on behalf of the student. They have access to all student information, and serve as gatekeepers, providing consent for services and access to student information as needed.

The Broader Learning Environment encompasses enrichment experiences available to students outside of school, including sporting events, field trips, and other extracurricular activities. Providers’ access to student information is frequently limited, while consent and permission are granted tacitly.

The People and Resources that are available to enter a student's circle at any time create the foundation for the community of trust. When engaging with students, these resources are granted appropriate levels of access and the necessary information to meet the students’ needs.

Supported with appropriate technology and tools, in-school and out-of-school

providers become a dynamic network, working together to provide optimal support for each student’s academic, behavioral, and social development. Increased transparency, accountability, and communication among providers ensures that needed services are provided and that no student slips through the cracks.

In-School Providers typically have access to student information by virtue of their role in the school. Parents frequently grant in-school providers access to necessary student information as part of a consent process with schools at the start of the academic year.

Academic Support

Out-of-School Providers frequently need explicit consent from custodians to provide services, and might become part of a student’s circle of support at any point in the academic year. RyeCatcher makes it easy for parents to provide, track, and manage consent for services with out-of-school providers.

Behavioral &

Emotional Support

Mentors& Advisors

RyeCatcher Experience Map

Signs & Signals Screening Evaluation Evaluation Report Progress & Reevaluation

PrimaryGoal

Support

Process-BasedOpportunities

EmotionalExperience

GlobalOpportunities

Stages

Process & Documents

Student/Parent ExperienceGuiding Principles

Help parents and students navigate the special education process by providing information and guidance.

Provide access to consolidated information aboutprocess, people, and resources to support students.

Humanize process by orienting the experience aroundbuilding a circle of support of people and other resources.

Provide a secure framework for the utilization andexchange of student information to improve outcomes.

Transition

At-birthdiagnosis

Parent noticesbehavioral issue

Hearingtest

Physician diagnoseshearing impairment

Teacher observesreading deficiency

4-yr university /community collegeAcademic

assessments

Report cards / attendance records

Classroomobservation

HHS preschoolrecommendation

must evaluate within 60 days

multiple potential followups to manage IEP/ILP process: goal setting, intervention tracking, celebrating goal achievement.

multiple potential 2-3 year reevaluation cycles.

no IEP

Parent must identify signs & signals of potential disability at home or in school, and learn about how to find appropriate support for child. If child is diagnosed at birth, parent proceeds to evaluation and IEP report stage.

Resources to help identify whether child has special need.

Resources to help families of students with physical disabilities.

uncertainty, fear, anxiety, helplessness

Resource or tool to inform parents about questions to ask in the context of the phase.

out-of-school

in-school

If student exhibits signs of a special need, parent and school perform different types of screening. Screening process varies between disability types. Additionally, school, parent and community provide student with “natural supports”, Universal and/or classroom-based interventions.

Resource for information about screening process, legal requirements, and forms of screening available in and out of school.

Descriptions, definitions and examples of natural support and universal intervention.

Resource that connects parents with natural supports outside of school.

Resource that explains response to intervention at the school level.

confusion about the process, feeling of inequity, helplessness, anxiety, anger about process and lack of control

Resource that describes roles and respon-sibilities in and out of school at each step in process.

Parent can request a formal evaluation of child by a school psychologist to determine whether accommodations and an individualized education program are necessary. Evaluations may also be performed by independent professionals.

Resource that explains the evaluation process in a step-by-step fashion.

Resource to explain legal framework for evaluation process. (Rights of the child.)

fear, anxiety, financial worry, concern for equitable treatment of child, confusion about school’s legal requirements

Resource that describes the data access, security, and privacy framework and implications. (HHS, PII, etc.)

Receive results of the evaluation report containing: recommendation, category of disability (if one has been identified), diagnosis, IEP goals, strengths and needs of the student. If an IEP has been recommended, parent will receive a procedural safeguard document.

Resource that describes appeal process, re-evaluation and legal framework.

Resource that provides step-by-step walkthrough of procedural safeguard, and its implications.

Resource that describes next steps for a child that has/does not have an IEP.

confusion, deluge of documentation and legal information, anxiety, anger at diagnosis, worry about labeling child

Resources to help find parents like me.

Goalbook

Review annual progress. Modify and update IEP goals. Review interventions, both in and out of school, to determine progress and achievement of IEP goals.

Resource that collects and presents parents with available resources, service providers, and other tools to help my child succeed and achieve goals.

Resource or tool to help parents track progress aligned to goals and curriculum skills.

when goals are met, positive feelings; when goals are not met, negative feelings, fear and anxiety; helplessness; agency

Resource that provides parent/teacher and advocate ratings and reviews of service providers in local/regional areas.

Goalbook

Provide transition plan detailing transition of student out of school and into the work-place. Required for students aged 14 or older.

Resource that helps parents and students find service providers, and other resources to help students transition out of HS.

Resource that describes the types of supports available for students after HS.

Resource that lists vocational, technical, career, or educational service providers that help child prepare for a career.

fear, anxiety, confusion about how the process and legal requirements vary from those that apply in the school environment

Resource or tool to help parents track meetings, documents, evaluations, assess-ments, reports, and other interactions.

nonlinear, nonstandard, potentially cyclical nonlinear, nonstandard, potentially cyclical linear, multi-input, potentially cyclical eval meeting; 1-month & periodic followups annual IEP review, 2-3 year reevaluations student-specific, nonlinear

Physical /cognitiveevaluations

Permissionto evaluate

Proceduralsafeguard

Occupational/vocational rehab

Transitionplan (14+)

Transitionplan (14+)

Tradeschool

Evaluationreport

Physicaltherapy

Agreement to waivereevaluation

Request forindependent evaluation

Individualizededucation/learningprogram

Request forreimbursement

meeting | decision point journey through process

required documentation potentially cyclical stage

IEPIEP

Evaluationreport

L. Arthi Krishnaswami, arthi.krishnaswami@gmail.com

PSAT

Score Report Plus

Your Selection Index Sum of scores in critical reading, mathematics and writing skills.

Percentile Compares your performance with college-bound juniors.

Online Access Code

Number & Operations

Algebra & Functions

Geometry & Measurement

Data, Statistics & Probability

On test day, you told us that you’re interested in

To learn more about college majors, visit My College QuickStart™. There you can also: • Learn about related careers • Search for colleges • Take a personality test

Your ScoresOverall Score See your projected SAT® scores at www.collegeboard.com/quickstart.

Score Range Scores in this range are similar to yours.

Percentile The percentage of test takers who scored below your score.

Your SkillsThese skill categories can help you understand your score and focus your study efforts before you take the SAT.

To learn more about your skills and review suggestions for improvement based on your test performance, visit www.collegeboard.com/quickstart and sign in using your code below.

Your AnswersSee the questions and review explanations of the answers at www.collegeboard.com/quickstart.

You can also ask your counselor for a copy of your test book back so you can review the questions.

Name: Year: Grade: School Code: Optional Code:

Critical Reading Mathematics Writing Skills

Entry Requirements (Information you provided on your answer sheet.)High school student:

Year to complete high school and enroll full-time in college:

Years to be spent in grades 9–12:

U.S. citizenship:

Eligibility Information

National Merit Scholarship Corporation (NMSC) uses a Selection Index based on PSAT/NMSQT® scores as an initial screen of over 1.5 million students who enter its scholarship programs. (See reverse for more information.)

Determining the Meaning of Words

Author’s Craft: Style, Tone & Literary Devices

Reasoning & Inference

Organization & Ideas

Understanding Literary Elements

Grammatical Relationships between Words

Words & Phrases Used to Modify or Compare

Phrases & Clauses

Correctly Formed Sentences

Relationships of Sentences & Paragraphs

Ques

tion

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tion

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Ques

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Correct Answer Your Answer

Next StepsGo online to see your projected SAT scores, learn how to improve them, and find critical college and career planning information.

Take the next step today! Go to www.collegeboard.com/quickstart and sign in using your code below.

20 80 20 80 20 80

Online Access Code

Get suggestions for improving your skills before you take the SAT. www.collegeboard.com/quickstart

Find out why you missed questions. www.collegeboard.com/quickstart

Key P Correct e Easy o Omitted m Medium u Unscorable h Hard

Scoring• Correct answer = PLUS 1 POINT.

• Omitted answers = O POINTS.

• Wrong answers to multiple-choice questions = MINUS 1/4 POINT.

• Wrong answers to math questions 29–38 = NO LOST POINTS.

• Points are totaled, then converted to scores on the 20–80 scale.

Find out why you missed questions.

www.collegeboard.com/quickstart

1 A P e2 B P e3 A C m4 C A h5 B E h6 D P e7 B P m8 D o e9 B P m

10 E B h11 D P h12 C P m13 A P m14 B A m15 A P e16 C P m17 A P e18 E P m19 B P m20 B E m21 E P m22 D B h23 E P m24 A P m

25 D P m26 D P e27 D P e28 A P e29 C P e30 D E m31 A B h32 E P h33 B A h34 D P e35 A P e36 E A e37 C P m38 B P m39 B C h40 C A h41 B P h42 C E m43 E P m44 C P m45 D B m46 A B m47 C E e48 E A m

1 A P e2 C E e3 A P m4 B E m5 E B h6 B D e7 A C m8 C E h9 C D m

10 A C h11 B E h12 B E m13 D E m14 D E m15 E C e16 B P m17 D P e18 A B m19 C E m20 E P m

21 C P m22 B P h23 E P m24 C P m25 D A m26 A P e27 A B e28 C A e29 C A m30 D P m31 B A h32 A P h33 D C h34 D P e35 E A e36 A D e37 B P m38 C P m39 C P h

1 D P e2 E P e3 E P e4 C P e5 B P e6 B P e7 C o e8 A P m9 B P m

10 C P m11 B o m12 C P m13 B D m14 A D h

15 E D m16 E P m17 A C h18 E o h19 D A h20 D C h21 B P e22 C P e23 A P m24 D P m25 B P m26 D P e27 C A m28 A B m

29 7 P m30 3 P m31 4.5 or 9/2 P m32 1000 P m33 10, 12, 14, or 16 P h34 8/5 or 1.6 P h35 29 P h36 108 50.9 h37 42 4.2 m38 8 10 h

12 of 15 questions correct (1 omitted)

5 of 5 questions correct (0 omitted)

8 of 10 questions correct (2 omitted)

6 of 8 questions correct (1 omitted)

9 of 15 questions correct (0 omitted)

3 of 5 questions correct (0 omitted)

8 of 10 questions correct (2 omitted)

2 of 8 questions correct (2 omitted)

4 of 10 questions correct (0 omitted)

3 of 12 questions correct (1 omitted)

1 of 5 questions correct (2 omitted)

6 of 10 questions correct (2 omitted)

1 of 6 questions correct (4 omitted)

2 of 6 questions correct (3 omitted)

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXX, XXXXXXXXXXXX X XXXX XX XXXXXX XX Student Copy

156

47

Yes

2011

4

Yes

If your Selection Index places you among the 55,000 high scorers who qualify for program recognition, you will be notified next September.

Sport & Fitness Administration/Management

A02670146P

50 72 34

You scored higher than 55% of juniors. You scored higher than 87% of juniors. You scored higher than 23% of juniors.

A02670146P

{

30 to 38

{

46 to 54

{

68 to 76

Percentiles

Your Educational PlansGrade Average B College Major Computer Engineering

Information above is self-reported.

Name: STUDENT, IMA B Year: 2008 Grade: 11 School Code: 123456 Optional Code: 00 A02670146P

Question

1 A 2 B e 3 A C m 4 C A h 5 B E h 6 D e 7 B m 8 D o e 9 B m 10 E B h 11 D h 12 C m 13 A m 14 B A m 15 A e 16 C m 17 A e 18 E m 19 B m 20 B E m 21 E m 22 D B h 23 E m 24 A m 25 D m 26 D e 27 D e 28 A e 29 C e 30 D E m 31 A B h 32 E h 33 B A h 34 D e 35 A e 36 E A e 37 C m 38 B m 39 B C h 40 C A h 41 B h 42 C E m 43 E m 44 C m 45 D B m

46 A B m 47 C E e 48 E A m

KeyCorrect

o Omitted u Unscorable e Easy m Medium h Hard Alg Algebra & Functions Data Data Analysis, Statistics & Probability Geom Geometry & Measurement Num Number & Operations

Sentence Completions

Sentence Completions

SECT

ION

3

Passage-BasedReading

Critical Reading50

Scoring Correct answer =

PLUS 1 POINT.

Omitted answers = NO POINTS.

Wrong answers to multiple-choice questions = MINUS 1/4 POINT.

Wrong answers to math questions 29–38 = NO LOST POINTS.

Points are totaled, then converted to scores on the 20—80 scale.

80

Mathematics52

Writing Skills44

Ask for your test book

back so you can see the

questions.

Scores within these ranges can be considered similar to yours:

Your Scores

Review Your

Answers

Improve Your

SkillsThe skills listed

are based on your

individual performance

on the test andrepresent those that

you have the bestchance to improve

with extra work.

Follow the suggestions to

improve in each area.

20 8020 8020

800200

100%50% 100%50% 100%50%

SAT WritingSAT MathSAT Critical Reading 800200 800200

SECT

ION

1

Correct A

nswer

Your Ans

wer

Difficulty

Question

1 D e Alg 2 E e Data 3 E e Geom 4 C e Alg 5 B e Geom 6 B e Alg 7 C o e Num 8 A m Geom 9 B m Data 10 D m Alg 11 B o m Geom 12 D m Alg 13 B D m Alg 14 A D h Data 15 E D m Alg 16 E m Num 17 A C h Num 18 E o h Geom 19 D A h Alg 20 D C h Geom 21 B e Num 22 C e Alg 23 A m Geom 24 D m Num 25 B m Geom 26 D e Alg 27 C A m Alg 28 A B m Num

Multiple-Choice

Multiple-Choice

SECT

ION

4

Student-Produced Responses

SECT

ION

2Corre

ct Answ

er

Your Ans

wer

DifficultyConte

nt

29 7 m Alg 30 3 o m Num 31 4.5 or 9/2 o m Alg 32 1000 m Data 33 10, 12, 14, or 16 h Alg 34 8/5 or 1.6 o h Geom 35 29 h Data 36 108 50.9 h Num 37 42 4.2 m Alg 38 8 10 h Geom

Question

Difficulty

Content

Question

1 A e 2 C E e 3 A m 4 B E m 5 E B h 6 B D e 7 A C m 8 C E h 9 C D m 10 A C h 11 B E h 12 B E m 13 D E m 14 D E m 15 E C e 16 B m 17 D e 18 A B m 19 C E m 20 E m 21 C m 22 B h 23 E m 24 C m 25 D A m 26 A e 27 A B e 28 C A e 29 C A m 30 D m 31 B A h 32 A h 33 D C h 34 D e 35 E A e 36 A D e 37 B m 38 C m

39 C h

Improving Sentences

IdentifyingSentence Errors

Improving Paragraphs

SECT

ION

5

Correct A

nswer

Your Ans

wer

Difficulty

You answered correctly 21 of 38 math questions and earned 21 points. 9 of 10 easy questions 10 of 18 medium questions 2 of 10 hard questions

You omitted 6 question(s). You answered incorrectly 11 question(s) and lost 2 point(s).

Ranges

Your Ans

werCorrect Answer(s)

You answered correctly 29 of 48 critical reading questions and earned 29 points. 11 of 14 easy questions 15 of 23 medium questions 3 of 11 hard questions

You omitted 1 question(s). You answered incorrectly 18 question(s) and lost 5 point(s).

You answered correctly 16 of 39 writing skills questions and earned 16 points. 4 of 11 easy questions 9 of 19 medium questions 3 of 9 hard questions

You omitted 0 question(s). You answered incorrectly 23 question(s) and lost 6 point(s).

Selection Index146

Percentile 47 compares your performance with college-bound juniors

The Selection Index (S.I.) is the sum of your critical reading, mathematics, and writing skills scores. NMSC uses the S.I. as an initial screen of over 1.5 million students who enter its scholarship programs (see reverse).

Entry RequirementsBelow is information you provided on your answer sheet.Full-time high school student: Yes

Year to complete high school and enroll full time in college: 2010

Years to be spent in grades 9—12: 4

U.S. citizenship: Yes

National Merit Scholarship Corporation

(NMSC) Programs

Passage-BasedReading

Description: In the com-puter engineering major, students learn to design and develop computer and com-puter-related systems. These systems include software systems, hardware systems, and combined hardware/soft-ware systems. Students take courses in basic sciences, mathematics, and engineer-ing science and design.

Associated Skills: Computing, basic sciences, mathematics.

Recommended High School Courses: English 4, precollege mathematics 4, biology 1, chemistry 1, physics 1, social studies 3–4, history 2–3, for-eign language 2–4, music .5, visual arts .5, and computer science .5–1.

Determining an author’s purpose or perspective

How to improve: Authors write for a variety of purposes, such as to inform, to explain, or to convince. When you read, try to determine why the author wrote what he or she wrote.

See questions 20, 42, 48.Understanding complex sentences

How to improve: Ask your English teacher to recommend books that are a bit more challenging than those you’re used to reading. Practice breaking the sentences down into their component parts to improve your comprehension. Learn how dependent clauses and verb phrases func-tion in sentences. See questions 5, 33.

Understanding sentences that deal with scientific ideas

How to improve: Read magazine articles about scientific subjects to improve your comfort level in this area. See questions 8, 36.

Dealing with probability, basic

statistics, charts, and graphs

How to improve: Practice solving problems that involve basic probability, basic count-ing, and finding the average (arithmetic mean), median, and mode. Look for charts and graphs in newspapers and magazines, and practice interpreting the data in them.

See questions 13, 14, 19.

Understanding geometry and

coordinate geometry

How to improve: Review geometry units in your textbook involving perimeter, area, volume, circumference, angles, lines, slope. Familiarize yourself with the formulas given at the beginning of math sections of the test.

See questions 7, 11, 13.

Making connections among

mathematical topics

How to improve: Practice problems that require combining skills acquired in different math courses, such as problems that use combinations of arithmetic, algebra, and geometry. See questions 7, 11, 15.

Being precise and clear

How to improve: Learn to recognize sentence elements that are ambiguous and confusing. In your writing, choose words carefully and connect them for clear meaning. See questions 4, 6, 8.

Recognizing logical connections

within sentences and passages

How to improve: Use the writing process to help you revise your draft essays. Work with classmates and teachers to clarify meaning in your writing. See questions 8, 28, 29.

If your Selection Index places you among the 55,000 high scorers who qualify for program recognition, you will be notified next September.

46 54 48 56 40 48

You scored higher than 55% of juniors. You scored higher than 57% of juniors. You scored higher than 33% of juniors.

460 560 480 580 420 540

VIEW PSAT/NMSQT questions and answer explanations at www.collegeboard.com/quickstart YOUR CODE: A02670146P

Check your projected SAT scores online: Did you know you can add a "0" to the end of each PSAT/NMSQT score to find the equivalent SAT scores?See how your performance compares to that of students in your state: Did you know two-thirds of U.S. students begin college in their home state?

High school students: Get a personalized SAT study plan at www.collegeboard.com/quickstart YOUR CODE: A02670146P

FIND personalized lists of colleges, majors, and careers and use MyRoad atwww.collegeboard.com/quickstart

YOUR CODE: A02670146P

Airplane signals

Questions?

Contact me: arthi@ryecatcher.com or arthi.krishnaswami@gmail.com

ryecatcher.com lakrishnaswami.com

@arthikswam