Datastories

Datastories is a research and web design project about road safety, traffic rules, and the beliefs people hold about them. The goal was to use data in conversation without making people feel attacked, judged, or defensive.

The project began with street interviews in Schaarbeek. Instead of asking direct or accusatory questions, I used statistics as a starting point for reflection. For example, I introduced data about how small increases in speed affect accident risk, then asked people how they interpreted that information.

Those conversations showed how strongly personal experience, habit, and assumption shape people’s views on road safety. By combining qualitative answers with factual statistics, the project made those biases visible without turning the discussion into a confrontation.

I then translated the material into an interactive online visualisation. The website uses a map of the neighbourhood, with interview points connected to specific locations, questions, quotes, and broader traffic data.

The information structure was built around gradual discovery. The site first explains the purpose and method, then invites users to explore the map. That helps connect individual voices to larger questions about cars, safety, public space, and responsibility.

The final website became a way to share the research with a wider audience. It shows how careful questions can reduce polarisation and create space for a more thoughtful discussion.

The project also helped me develop my skills in qualitative research, data storytelling, information architecture, and web development.

Datastories shows how design can make complex or sensitive topics easier to discuss. By combining interviews, statistics, and interaction, the project turns road safety into something more local, human, and open to reflection.