‘Explorable’ or ‘interactive’ graphical content presentations

I’ve long struggled with how to make informative explorable or interactive graphics for news presentations. I had some success with http://infogr.am/ – including one that was awarded 2nd place for use of new media by the CBA – but I was always dragged down by the coding necessary for the goal.

The problem was that I know very little about JavaScript or jQuery.

But I’ve learned there is more than one way to skin a cat.

Using some freeware libraries and a piece of software called “Tumult Hype,” I’ve been able to undertake some new projects recently that animate to allow users to explore content.

(Phil’s note: I’m calling my work so far “explorable” because I refuse to think of navigation, pan or zoom as “interactive.” The latter requires the user to have the ability to change the results. That remains a level above my current achievements.)

The first example is a training guide established for one of Colorado’s largest and most notable races, the Bolder Boulder.

The second example is a comparison of the furnishing in two judges’ chambers in two different court houses. This was paired with a story examining how the furnishings were paid for.

Using some of those same tools, I’m planning future projects that will encompass entire pages and involve a combination of these free JavaScript tools, HTML5 and CSS3.