Reframing Africa’s Narrative Through Interactive Education

  • CONTEXT

    Africa is often misrepresented in media due to misinformation, disinformation, and generalization. Diversity of Africa is an interactive educational application designed to highlight the continent’s rich cultural and ethnic diversity.

  • CHALLENGE

    How might we create an engaging, data-driven experience that challenges misconceptions about Africa’s diversity? Despite Africa's vast ethnic and linguistic variety, many existing resources:

    • Lack accessible, engaging visual formats for exploring ethnic and cultural data.

    • Present outdated, fragmented information in non-interactive ways.

    • Fail to personalize learning experiences, making complex data difficult to grasp.

  • KEY RESPONSIBILITIES

    UX Research
    UX Strategy
    Information Architecture (IA)
    UX Design
    Prototyping & Testing
    Stakeholder & Client Communication

The Impact

Raised awareness of Africa's diverse ethnic groups, languages, and traditions.

Provided an intuitive platform to explore complex cultural data through visual storytelling.

Enabled deeper engagement through interactive maps, multimedia, and data visualization.

  • Client

    Academy of Art University MFA Thesis Project – Designed for academics, educators, and cultural enthusiasts.

  • Team

    Client
    Me as UX strategist, UX designer, UI engineer, and DB engineer

  • Timeline

    August 2017 - April 2018

Source: http://africaisntacountry.herokuapp.com/

Root Analysis

The continent of Africa is severely misrepresented in popular media due to misinformation, disinformation, and generalization. There is a notable lack of educational applications that effectively promote and showcase Africa's rich cultural and ethnic variety. The main issues identified include:

1. Lack of accessible and engaging data– Most educational platforms present Africa’s diversity in static, text-heavy formats that are not appealing to users.

2. Difficulty in visualizing ethnic distribution – Users have struggled to understand how ethnic groups relate to one another geographically and culturally.

3. Complexity of historical and linguistic data – There is a need for an interface that simplifies exploration while still providing comprehensive information.

Proof of Concept

Personas Flow Diagrams

Strategic Process

The objective was to create an engaging and cohesive interactive experience by incorporating current data visualizations, interactive infographics, audio, and imagery.

The primary audience consists of students, directors, researchers, and professors in academia, aged 14 to 38. The secondary audience includes members of non-profit organizations, government agencies, and museum curators who focus on the African Diaspora or Afrocentric themes, aged 18 to 42. The tertiary audience comprises Afrocentric individuals, such as parents, travelers, and enthusiasts, who are interested in learning about or sharing African cultures and practices.

To develop an effective UX strategy, a comparative analysis is needed on the following:

  • AfricaMap (Harvard CGA) – Strong data structure but lacked UX appeal.

  • Scoring Africa – Limited interactivity.

  • The Refugee Project – Great visual storytelling; inspired clean design & UX.

Design Process

During the visual design process, I sought inspiration for effective ways to communicate the message in my application. The goal was to use animation and narration to bring the data to life while simplifying complex information into more digestible pieces.

Visual Style

  • Minimalist yet vibrant to reflect the diversity of Africa’s cultures.

  • Interactive storytelling approach with engaging micro-interactions.

Core Features

  • Ethnic & Linguistic Map – Users can explore ethnic groups across geographic boundaries.

  • Cultural Media Library – Includes audio samples, artwork, and traditional music.

  • Comparative View – Side-by-side analysis of ethnic and cultural similarities.

Design Validation

I performed usablity sessoins that focuses on the ease and quickness of specific user tasks. These user tests were recorded on video and focused on:

  1. Task success rate – Users needed to quickly find and compare ethnic groups.

  2. Navigation clarity – Ensuring a smooth flow between maps, stories, and media.

  3. Engagement levels – Measuring interaction depth through analytics.

Key Findings:

  • Users loved the interactive elements, making learning more immersive.

  • Some struggled with Task #4 (Language Samples), prompting an interface redesign.

Analysis & Conclusion

Developing an educational application for this purpose presented significant challenges, particularly in gathering reliable and diverse data and ensuring compatibility with various resources. Despite these obstacles, support from academic mentors facilitated both technical and philosophical growth, enhancing our understanding of interaction design and the cultural significance of art.

Ultimately, the project succeeded in creating a socially impactful tool to promote Africa’s diversity, though there are still opportunities for further improvement and expansion.

SUCCESSES

  • Clean Ul

  • Succint Interface

  • Impactful Infographic

  • Full Stack Development Expertise

CHALLENGES

  • Data Curation

  • User Testing Scheduling

  • Development Library Compatitiblties

KNOWLEDGE GAIN

  • Mastery UX Process

  • Mastery in Typography

  • Inforgaphic Understanding

  • Database Development

  • Coding Efficiency