The visualization is a grid of character icons, each representing a person, or a single line of data within the dataset. The colors assigned to these icons range from red to green, corresponding to their self-reported well-being on a scale from 0 to 10, with red indicating lower well-being and green indicating higher well-being.
This interface is specifically aimed at the everyday college student, offering a user-friendly and interactive means to grasp the concept of well-being within the U.S. population. It's an educational tool for students to intuitively understand how factors like student loans, employment, and educational attainment contribute to individual well-being.
The visualization holds significance for college students as it offers a relatable and immediate representation of well-being influenced by factors that often directly impact their lives, such as education and finances. By interacting with this tool, students can gain insights into how various socio-economic conditions affect well-being, creating empathy and a better understanding of the challenges faced by their peers.
The visualization can be read by noting the color of each icon within the grid. Users can interact with the visualization by selecting one or more categories from the sidebar, such as age, gender, ethnicity, region, etc., to filter and highlight connected persons. Moving the mouse over an individual icon will display all its features in the inspect tab, providing detailed information about the person's specific circumstances, like their education level, employment status, or repayment of student loans. This interactivity allows students to explore the data dynamically and gain specific insights into the factors contributing to well-being.