Sudan / Digital Systems
Citizenship Statement Task
This project sits within the social context of digital inequality and conflict, focusing on how infrastructure in Sudan shapes access to communication, information, and memory. It speaks primarily to students and digital audiences who may assume constant connectivity. Ethically, the work avoids sensationalising conflict by using illustration to abstract sensitive realities while remaining grounded in research. It emphasises awareness rather than exploitation. Accessibility is considered through clear navigation, minimal interaction, and concise text, ensuring usability across devices. The project aims to make invisible systems visible, encouraging critical reflection on technology as a structure of power.
Design Decisions
The final prototype evolved from a static visual narrative into an interactive journey. Early designs focused on isolated screens, but testing revealed the need for a clearer flow, leading to a structured sequence: surveillance, power loss, communication breakdown, and memory loss. Illustrations were refined to maintain cultural relevance while simplifying detail for readability. Text was reduced and made more direct to improve clarity. Interaction was intentionally minimal to reflect disruption, with moments of delay and absence. Colour and lighting shifts were used to represent system failure. Overall, the design moved from descriptive to experiential, allowing users to engage with technological disruption rather than just observe it.
User Testing Results
User testing was conducted with three university students, representing the target demographic of digitally fluent users. Each participant was given 5 minutes to navigate the prototype and complete the task of progressing through all screens while explaining their understanding. Feedback showed that the narrative was clear, particularly the transition from surveillance to power loss. However, two users initially misunderstood the “Collect” screen, prompting refinement of the text. All users engaged with the visual style, noting that illustration made the topic more approachable and that they like the pulse animation. Minor adjustments were made to improve clarity, navigation cues, and text hierarchy based on this feedback.
