Data Fusion & Surveillance.
Unpacking the Ethics of Data Fusion



Carnegie Council
2024

UI, UX, Data Visualization

Role: Visual Interaction Designer. Creative Direction: Sergei Larionov.
Development: Kenton Powell. Project Management: Rebecca Ojala. Under the guidance of Partner Christian Marc Schmidt

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CHALLENGEThe Carnegie Council's Ethics Accelerator brings together thought leaders to examine ethical issues in technology. For their first convening, they needed a compelling way to communicate the complexity of data fusion and how disparate data points can be combined to form powerful, and often invisible, inferences about individuals. The challenge was to present this topic to a general audience while encouraging critical thinking about its societal impact.

APPROACH
  • Partnered with Council researchers to translate abstract ethical concerns into narrative components.
  • Used visual metaphors and motion to make technical concepts accessible.
  • Built interactive elements that invite participation and reflection.

ROLE
  • Visual design for the full web experience
  • Collaborated with the vison and metaphor-driven UI featuring a Sankey diagram animated as fluid, fusing data bubbles
  • Helped shape the storytelling flow and supported content modeling in collaboration with the Council team.

SOLUTIONA web-based storytelling experience featuring:
  • A central animated Sankey diagram that visualizes how isolated data points converge to create new insights.
  • Thoughtfully layered UI elements that walk users through the concept of data fusion
  • Contextual sidebars and reflection prompts that explore legal, ethical, and cultural implications

IMPACTThe experience helped ground a complex issue in relatable, visual terms. It served as both a teaching tool and a conversation starter, expanding the audience's understanding of data surveillance and its role in shaping modern civic life.