A.track.tion

Overview

Aa.track.tion is a web-based exploratory platform with interactive data visualizations that allows users to explore social and musical patterns through visual analysis. The project focuses on enabling intuitive data exploration without requiring prior knowledge or explanations.

Project context: Sónar + D / Institution: Barcelona Supercomputing Center 

Type: Dashboard / Maps / Data story / Scientific Visualization / AI explainability

My role: UX Lead / Interaction designer

Duration: 3 months

Challenge 

The main challenge was to design complex interactive visualizations that could be immediately understood by users interested in music but without expertise in data analysis or visualization. There was a clear risk of cognitive overload, misinterpretation of data, or user drop-off if the visual logic was not self-explanatory.

The main UX challenge was to ensure that complex visualizations were immediately understandable for non-expert users. Given the exploratory nature of the platform, there was a risk that users could feel lost, misinterpret the data, or abandon the experience if the visual logic was not clear from the first interaction.

UX Methodology

Given the scope and constraints of the project, we applied a lightweight but effective UX approach:

1. User research with profiles interested in music to understand expectations, mental models, and common interaction patterns.

2. Guerrilla usability testing with researchers from the center to quickly validate whether the proposed visualizations were intuitive without prior explanation.

3. Rapid feedback loops allowed us to test assumptions early and avoid over-engineering the interface.

Insights from user research and guerrilla testing directly influenced the design of the visualizations: Visual encodings and interactions were simplified to reduce cognitive load. Navigation and interaction patterns were aligned with users’ existing mental models.
Labels, hierarchy, and interaction affordances were refined to ensure users could understand the visualizations without guidance.
These decisions helped transform complex datasets into an experience that felt exploratory rather than overwhelming.

Final outcome

The final platform enabled users to explore musical and social data in an intuitive and self-directed way, without the need for tutorials or instructions. UX validation increased confidence in the design decisions and ensured that the visualizations supported natural exploration and comprehension. 

Thanks to the UX validation process, the final visualizations were perceived as intuitive and self-explanatory by users. The team gained confidence that the design decisions supported usability, and the platform enabled users to explore the data naturally, without the need for tutorials or extensive explanations.

Link: A.track.tion