The dataset for this challenge was particularly interesting. it was a snapshot of real-life struggles. The New York City Eviction data. These were stories of people facing housing crises, legal battles, and life-altering decisions.
1. Design Philosophy: Learning from San Francisco
Remember the San Francisco Police Incident Dashboard? That project taught me valuable lessons about designing for different user group. For example, compare to normal people, law enforcement is interested in details of most category and cases. In this dataset, Marshall’s names, docket numbers were crucial to understanding the eviction cases. If I built a dashboard for the average citizen, they might not need these specifics. But for policymakers, legal experts, and housing advocates, these details were gold.
2. The Aesthetics: Prestige and Cleanliness
Designing the dashboard was like composing a symphony. I draw the inspiration from other dashboards and opted for a muted color palette—shades of gray. Gray exudes prestige and cleanliness. It doesn’t distract; it lets the data speak. The layout was minimalistic, allowing users to focus on what truly mattered—the eviction trends and addresses.
3. Interactivity: Hover, Search, Filter
- Hover Over: Each docket point on the map revealed the details of the eviction. Hovering over a dot brought up the tenant’s name, the reason for eviction, and the legal proceedings. Suddenly, those dots transformed into human stories.
- Search by Docket Number: Users could isolate a single case by searching for its docket number. Imagine a lawyer preparing for court, pulling up the relevant eviction history effortlessly.
- Filter by Marshall’s Name: Curious about a specific marshal’s track record? Type in their name, and the dashboard filtered out cases handled by that marshal. Transparency at its finest.
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Take a look of final product:
