Format: Co-Creating Visual Communication as a Strategic Tool for Policy Making

Description

Visual communication plays a critical role in contemporary policy making by enabling the clear, efficient, and inclusive interpretation of complex data and analytical outputs. In public administration, decision-making processes increasingly rely on large volumes of heterogeneous data produced by national ministries, regional authorities, municipalities, research institutions, and private entities. However, these data are often presented in highly technical, textual, or tabular formats that limit their accessibility and practical usability for policymakers, stakeholders, and the general public.

Visual communication bridges this gap by transforming complex datasets and analytical results into intuitive, comprehensible, and actionable visual forms such as dashboards, maps, infographics, and interactive reports. In the context of policy making, visualisation supports both communication to policymakers (evidence provision, scenario comparison, impact assessment) and communication from policymakers (policy explanation, transparency, accountability, and public engagement).

Universities play a key role in this process by contributing methodological expertise in data analysis, cartography, data visualisation, user experience and user design, and cognitive aspects of information perception. Through structured cooperation between public administration and academic experts, visual communication becomes not merely a design add-on, but a strategic instrument supporting informed, transparent, and participatory governance.

Objectives

The main objectives of this format are to:

• Translate complex policy-relevant data into clear and understandable visual narratives tailored to different target groups (policymakers, experts, citizens).
• Improve comprehension, interpretation, and responsible use of data produced by public administration, academia, and the private sector.
• Support evidence-based decision-making by enabling rapid comparison of scenarios, trends, and policy impacts.
• Increase transparency and trust in public institutions through open, well-explained visual outputs.
• Promote the reuse and opening of public data by embedding visualisation within open data strategies.
• Strengthen long-term cooperation between universities and public authorities in the field of applied data communication.

How does the format work?

This format is based on systematic collaboration between data producers, policy users, and academic experts specialising in visual communication. The cooperation typically starts with identifying policy-relevant questions or decision-making needs and continues through the entire data lifecycle—from data preparation to final visual outputs.

A common implementation pathway includes:

1. Problem definition

   Policymakers, together with domain experts, define key policy questions, target audiences, and decision contexts. Defining the process could start with personal/online meeting between policymakers and researchers, where all tasks are defined. The following processes could be managed through regular hybrid meetings, email reports or through shared documents.

2. Data preparation and assessment

   Public administration provides relevant datasets, while university experts assess data quality, completeness, and analytical potential.

3. Visualisation design

   Academic teams propose suitable visualisation methods (e.g. maps, timelines, dashboards, comparative charts) aligned with cognitive principles and user needs.

4. Iterative development

   Visual outputs are refined through feedback loops involving policymakers and communication specialists.

5. Publication and dissemination

   Results are published via official websites, open data portals, policy reports, social media, or public presentations.

More advanced implementations may result in comprehensive online data portals that combine interactive visualisations, explanatory texts, downloadable datasets, and methodological documentation. These platforms allow users to explore information at different levels of detail—from high-level summaries to raw data—while remaining compliant with European open data principles and interoperability standards.

Challenges (and ways to address them)

Limited availability of skilled professionals
Solution: Establish long-term partnerships with universities and involve students and researchers through applied courses, internships, or project-based collaboration.

Insufficient data quality or coverage
Solution: Introduce data quality standards and iterative validation processes involving both data producers and analysts.

Inappropriate or misleading visualisation choices
Solution: Apply established visualisation guidelines and ensure expert review by specialists in data perception and cartography.

Financial constraints
Solution: Integrate visual communication activities into existing projects, grants, or strategic development programmes rather than treating them as standalone costs.

Capacity limitations within public administration
Solution: Combine in-house expertise with external academic support and provide targeted training for public-sector staff.

Tasks and resources

Public Administration

• Define policy questions and communication objectives.
• Provide access to relevant datasets and contextual knowledge.
• Ensure alignment with legal, strategic, and institutional frameworks.

Researchers

• Analyse data and propose appropriate visual communication methods.
• Design and develop visual outputs and explanatory materials.
• Provide consultations, training, and methodological guidance.

Knowledge Exchange and Communication Officers

• Facilitate cooperation between institutions – formal/informal discussion between researchers and chosen officers competent in given subject area – in-person/virtual meeting, round table discussion.
• Support dissemination, public outreach, and stakeholder engagement.

Required funding for activities

• No additional funding is required for routine data preparation conducted as part of public administration’s standard agenda.
• Financial resources may be required for:
  • University staff time dedicated to advanced analysis and visual design.
  • Development of interactive tools or digital platforms.
• Purely consultative involvement of academic experts typically falls within their standard professional responsibilities and may not require extra funding.

Example

Case: Regional Open Data and Visualisation Portal

A regional open data and visualisation portal was developed following an initiative by a university department specialising in geoinformatics and data visualisation – Department of Geoinformatics at Palacký University Olomouc and the Olomouc region. The project began with an analytical study assessing the current state of data availability and visual communication practices within the region.

University experts prsepared a set of strategic recommendations and proposed a visual framework aligned with international best practices. Following financial support from the regional authority, the portal was implemented as an interactive online platform combining thematic dashboards, maps, explanatory texts, and access to raw datasets.

Throughout the development process, continuous consultation, training sessions, and expert support were provided to regional staff. The resulting portal became one of the first comprehensive open data visualisation platforms in the country and now serves as a reference example for other regions.

Portal is available on https://www.dataok.cz/.

Do you want to know more about the policy engagement toolkit?

Do you want to share your experience in policy engagement? Do you think about contributing to the policy engagement toolkit? Feel free to contact Tome Sandevski via science-policy@pvw.uni-frankfurt.de