Data Narrative Animation System with Storyboard Interface

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Solution Overview

Problem

Conventional data narrative systems are inefficient, inaccurate, and inflexible, requiring extensive user interaction and coding to create customized data narratives, often resulting in laborious testing processes and producing jarring animations that fail to accurately convey data flows.

Innovation Solution

A digital narrative animation system that uses a storyboard animation user interface to generate data-driven transitions between scenes, leveraging data bound to each animation object, and exports interactive data narratives with flexible interactivity controls, allowing for efficient, accurate, and flexible creation of online data narratives.

Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles

VSEngineering Contradiction Analysis

1Productivity

If conventional data narrative systems are used to create customized data narratives, then data narratives can be generated, but extensive user interaction and time are required

Engineering Contradiction:

Improvedata narrative generation efficiencyVSAvoidtime required for user interaction

Core Design Contradiction:

ProductivityVSLoss of time

Solution Approach 1:

The system automatically generates data narratives by detecting relationships between visual elements and data values without requiring manual coding or extensive user interaction. The automated generation process allows the system to serve itself by creating animations and transitions based on detected data relationships.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #25Self-service

Solution Approach 2:

The system pre-establishes a library of animation templates and transition types that can be automatically applied to data narratives. By having these animation patterns prepared in advance, the system can quickly generate customized narratives without requiring users to create animations from scratch each time.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #10Preliminary action

2Adaptability or versatility

If conventional data narrative systems are used to create customized controls and animations, then customized data narratives can be generated, but extensive coding and user interaction are required

Engineering Contradiction:

Improvecustomization capabilityVSAvoidcoding complexity

Core Design Contradiction:

Adaptability or versatilityVSDevice complexity

Solution Approach 1:

The system uses template copying where pre-defined animation patterns and control mechanisms are automatically selected and applied based on the detected data relationships. Instead of requiring users to code custom animations, the system copies and adapts appropriate templates from its library to match the specific data narrative requirements.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #26Copying

Solution Approach 2:

The system employs universal animation templates that can be applied across different data narrative types and customization scenarios. These multi-functional templates allow the same underlying mechanisms to serve multiple customization needs, reducing the complexity required for creating customized narratives.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #6Universality (Multi-functionality)

3Reliability

If conventional data narrative systems are used for testing and development, then data narratives can be created, but page refreshing and restarting are required to identify changes

Engineering Contradiction:

Improveanimation accuracyVSAvoidtesting time

Core Design Contradiction:

ReliabilityVSLoss of time

Solution Approach 1:

The system provides real-time feedback during the data narrative creation and testing process. Changes to visual elements or data relationships are immediately reflected in the generated animations without requiring page refreshes. This continuous feedback loop allows developers to identify and correct issues efficiently during testing.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #23Feedback

4Reliability

If conventional data narrative systems are used to create animations, then data narratives can be animated, but animations are inaccurate with jumping, skipping, or flashing objects

Engineering Contradiction:

Improveanimation accuracyVSAvoidanimation smoothness

Core Design Contradiction:

ReliabilityVSManufacturing precision

Solution Approach 1:

The system introduces intermediate animation frames and transition mechanisms that smoothly connect different data states. Instead of directly jumping between discrete data points, the system uses intermediary visual elements and gradual transitions to maintain object permanence and create smooth, accurate animations that faithfully represent data changes.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #24Intermediary (Mediator)

Data Source

PatentUS20200142572A1Generating interactive, digital data narrative animations by dynamically analyzing underlying linked datasets

Publication Date: 2020.05.07 ADOBE INC

AI summary

The disclosure relates to methods, non-transitory computer readable media, and systems that leverage underlying digital datasets corresponding to static graphics to generate digital animated data narratives. In various embodiments, a digital narrative animation system receives static data graphics and a corresponding dataset and generate scenes for the data narrative using the static data graphics. Moreover, in one or more embodiments, the digital narrative animation system presents a storyboard animation user interface for customizing animated transitions between the scenes of the data narrative. Specifically, the digital narrative animation system can use the corresponding dataset to drive the animation transitions between scenes by linking values based on the data attached to each element, showing a different version of the data graphic based on a subset of the dataset, and/or changing the timing of an animation as a function of the data attached to each value.