DataPhysIT an image-schema-based Data Physicalisation Design Toolkit developed by Research through Design

Data physicalisation has the potential to enhance communication and comprehension of data, as well as interaction with data. However, most current physicalisations do not exploit the full potential of this medium, remaining generic, passive and visual. We present image schemas as a design approach to address this and to promote data physicalisation design. Image schemas are abstract representations of multisensory experiences that promise to support the design process and encourage more intuitive, innovative, (inter)active, and multimodal designs. We conducted a research through design process to combine previously developed image-schema-based tools into a toolkit to increase their ease of use and efficiency. Our contribution are the emerging Data Physicalisation Inspiration Toolkit (DataPhysIT) and preliminary findings on how the toolkit influences the data physicalisation design process and design ideas.