〠
‍
Jina Anne Lee is currently working on the mobile adventure, so please explore this website on your computer for the best experience.

Thank you & let's connect on email, insta, &/or linkedin!
Story-telling Data Visualization
Interactive Website
Design System
Print & Social Media Assets
The USDA defines food insecurity as a lack of consistent access to food for an active & healthy life. Hunger & food insecurity are related, but they are separate concepts.
An old poster.


49 Million households are Behind the Numbers
Two images.
Hunger refers to a physical discomfort, while food insecurity is a lack of resources at the household level.
Census Bureau undoubtedly proves the scope of hunger occurring in the United states of america, but their data can obscure & mask the lived experiences for each of the 49 million households that are food insecure.

Behind the Numbers aims to surface these stories, combining a data-driven national level picture of food insecurity with the first person accounts of hunger from everyday Americans. This experience is not meant to solve the whole issue, but start a conversation to allow people to intervene in their own communities through volunteering and donating to food pantries. By combining the power of storytelling and data, Behind the Numbers aim to create a participatory platform where users can submit their own stories, reflections, and reactions, continuously enriching the content & surfacing new stories. This experience sought new ways to present Census data on an urgent, but often unseen, issue in the United States: food insecurity.

To learn more or see other projects from the CCL check here!

BEHIND THE NUMBERS 2021

Census Bureau
01.2022 - 03.2022
Data Visualization, Branding,
Art Direction, Comp. Design
BTN.BTN.
for the visual identity, we focused on keeping a monotone scheme that would allow users to focus more on the stories from the data.
‍
The brand metaphor focuses on using the hidden experiences from data by using layerings of various charts and graphs. There was an interactive data visualization and other infographics to showcase the issue of food insecurity in America.
Brand Guidelines
BTN.BTN.An old poster.A shadow of text.BTN.
By understanding the data sets provided by the Census Bureau, our team prioritized and explored the complex stories not fully shown in the data. Behind the Numbers uses a data-driven approach to highlight people's stories.
‍
Research
1
While food banks in larger urban areas have analytics teams, under resourced food pantries can’t leverage data to improve distribution & assist those in need most effectively.
2
Organizations like Feeding America have county level maps of food insecurity, but there are accuracy issues that could be fixed with tools targeting at a local level.
3
Current maps of food security & aid lack the contextual information of people's lived experience, making it difficult to pin-point types of resources needed.
BTN.
the CDC Social vulnerability index & household pulse survey are the type of data used to help strengthen our experience.
‍
The Household Pulse Survey measures household experiences during the Coronavirus pandemic which includes data around demographics most affected by food insecurity as well as factors that influence food insecurity including income, employment, race/ethnicity, & disability.

On the other hand, the CDC Social Vulnerability Index uses Census data to map social vulnerability down to the tract level. Social Vulnerability refers to the potential negative effects on communities caused by external event.
Data Sets Used
BTN.
BTN.

⎯ Entering the Matrix‍
BTN.

⎯ About BEHIND THE NUMBERS
BTN.

⎯ Data visualization home dashboard ‍
The matrix serves raise awareness & surface the complex yet changing ways of how people experience this issue.
users navigate through stories of food insecurity via a matrix developed by Feeding America.

To see what is “behind the number” users hover over the number revealing stories that juxtapose the plain statistic. Ultimately this interaction harks back to the idea that in order to be data literate you must look deeper than the statistic because sample sizes can be small, standard errors are large, and lots people are not accounted for. There’s often much more to the story.
BTN.

⎯ matrix stories intro by hovering‍
BTN.

⎯ Selecting a story‍
BTN.

⎯ Scavenger hunt for data in stories‍
When entering, you will see graphs about according to the Census. The charts are visualized in a conventional, inaccessible, & serialized manner.

Once you hover or click, the scene comes apart as the graphs fall, intentionally creating a sense of confusion. Hidden behind the graphs, you will see introductory text about the purpose of the site: to explore the human stories Behind the Numbers.
BTN.
When entering, you will see graphs about according to the Census. The charts are visualized in a conventional, inaccessible, & serialized manner.