How do different audiences make sense of climate change data visualizations and what do they take away as a main message? In this workshop paper, the authors are taking a closer look at this question by comparing takeaway messages of two exemplary data visualizations formulated by experts and lay persons. Thereby, they are building on the results of a previous study, for which they conducted semi-structured interviews with 17 experts in the fields of climate change, science communication, or data visualization, as well as with six lay persons with no professional background in either of these areas. Through a thematic analysis, they observed differences in the formulated takeaway messages regarding the included contents, the length and abstraction of messages, and the sensemaking process between and among the participant groups.
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"The main message is that sustainability would help" –
Reflections on takeaway messages of climate change data visualizations
Regina Schuster, Laura Koesten, Kathleen Gregory, Torsten Möller
