Our latest news, opinions, insights and an initial glimpse into some recently launched projects.

Our latest news & insights 

World bank - BG.jpg

World bank - FG.jpg

World bank

Human capital animation

Swiss RE - BG.jpg

Swiss RE - FG.jpg

Swiss Re

Closing the protection gap

iii - BG.jpg

iii - FG.png

Insurance Information Institute

Dynamic economics dashboard

WWF - BG.jpg

WWF - FG.png

Digital toolkit

QMUL - BG.jpg

QMUL - FG.png

Queen Mary University London

Research highways

Solutions that endure and excel determine and address user needs before they crystallise into explicit demands. Digital Darwinism is a concept popularised by Brian Solis and Tom Goodwin. It refers to the idea that businesses must rapidly adapt to technological and societal changes in the digital age to thrive.

At Soak, we use this concept to drive a disciplined, forward-looking approach that defines how we conceive, evaluate, and refine our digital endeavours. It is not merely a strategy but an explicit commitment to ensure we stay ahead of the curve.

<h2>The Rising Tide of User Expectations</h2>

Modern audiences inhabit a world where technology is not simply a tool but an extension of their daily lives. From algorithms curating bespoke content to interfaces that subtly recalibrate based on individual preferences, the threshold for a sophisticated, seamless experience has risen rapidly. Users expect immediacy, coherence, and understated elegance when using any application, platform, or transactional system. However, these expectations often remain latent - users won&#39;t articulate their desire for a streamlined workflow or an uncluttered aesthetic until they encounter its absence, at which point disengagement is swift and often irrevocable.

The practice of amassing functionality with the promise of subsequent refinement is akin to a species banking on brute strength while ignoring an encroaching ice age. By the time criticisms surface, the project&#39;s momentum may be irretrievably lost, with resources depleted, goodwill eroded, and the team relegated to a cycle of remediation.

The concept of Digital Darwinism offers a corrective: it champions proactive evolution over belated reaction, embedding this ethos in the nascent stages of a project when flexibility is at its peak and unfounded assumptions are least costly.

<h2>A Refined Instrument of Insight</h2>

One of the tools in our armoury is optimised benchmarking, a precise and methodical process that balances speed and insight while intensely focusing on the core user experience. It is relatively lightweight and helps us refine the interface and interactions by assessing the response time, clarity of navigation, and effectiveness of key tasks. When structured correctly, this process provides valuable insights quickly, often within just a few days.

Consider an emerging digital platform in its formative stages. Through careful testing, we can determine how long it takes to execute a key function, identify where users might hesitate, and assess how the interface performs under moderate demand.
This approach does not aim for exhaustive mastery but follows a measured path, maintaining intellectual and operational flexibility, allowing us to improve the user experience before making deeper structural commitments. The process provides a valuable lens into the core preferences that will shape the project&#39;s future.

<h2>Driving Digital Sophistication</h2>

Optimised benchmarking combined with a fluid design process extends way beyond present utility and helps us understand and map what lies ahead. The signs of progress are unmistakable: artificial intelligence now tailors interactions with remarkable accuracy, voice and gesture controls are replacing traditional inputs, and inclusivity is emerging as a core UX principle. The digital experiences of tomorrow will offer predictive prompts drawn from a prior engagement, interfaces that adapt seamlessly across devices, and auditory commands that render content as optional. These are not fanciful conjectures but imminent realities.

In a recent exercise, we modelled a system that adjusted its presentation based on user patterns, prioritising frequently visited elements while downplaying extraneous ones. As a result, we observed a measurable increase in dwell time. This was achieved not through dramatic innovation but by proactively recalibrating the user experience. These advancements highlight an important truth - the future of digital success lies in being anticipatory and sophisticated, meeting users where they will be rather than just where they are.

<h2>A Custodian of Foresight</h2>

Our clients seek both execution and enlightenment. As a digital and data design agency, we are responsible for building and illuminating, discovering the unseen and exploring the uncharted. It&#39;s not good business for user dissatisfaction to signal a flaw; instead, we identify and address issues proactively, ensuring sustained relevance. This distinction sets each new project apart from one already dominating its domain.

Very few users will analyse the underlying architecture or the development timeline; they focus on the quality of their experience. A digital journey that anticipates their instincts reduces their effort and evolves alongside their needs, moving beyond mere utility to become essential and expected. In an era where user loyalty is the most valuable currency, adaptability is not just an option but a necessity.

Disruption can come from many sources, such as competitors, technological changes, or shifts in user behaviour. The real question isn&#39;t if these forces will emerge but whether your digital project will be ready for them. At Soak, we see firsthand how valuable early, user-focused insights can be in transforming new ideas into lasting successes.

In the realm of digital innovation, longevity is not a gift bestowed upon the most robustly engineered or extravagantly funded; it is primarily earned through adaptability.

Soak web_DD.png

Digital Darwinism: The Importance of Anticipatory Design Solutions

Born in 2009, Soak&#39;s childhood home was St Francis House - a former Primitive Methodist chapel built in the 1800s. 

We knew it as converted office space, and there, Soak&#39;s early years took shape.

Once the teenage years hit, Soak moved homes twice - travelling from Bank Plain, the former &#39;Banking Circle&#39; of the city, to Millenium Plain, overlooking the famous Millenium Library at the Forum.

Now into its adulthood, Soak has found a comfortable home within the historic area of Colegate - a bustling collection of streets, lanes, and alleyways which have been settled since Saxon times.

Soak sits now in a Georgian building with high ceilings, delicate wainscotting, and windows that require someone over 6 feet tall to open them. The laptops are whirring, and the creative flow is flowing.

Nestled within the Creative Quarter of the city, our neighbours feature bars, cafes, pubs, crypts, and cloisters - a sprinkling of old and new for the next stage in Soak&#39;s journey.

We&#39;re happy to announce our new home to you all!

Soak Digital has explored many corners of the fine city that is Norwich.

IMG_9037.jpg

We've Moved!

Here are our thoughts on how things might evolve.

<h3>Artificial Intelligence</h3>

AI will profoundly impact many industries. We believe that if leveraged ethically and responsibly, it has the potential to streamline some of the more labour-intensive aspects of data visualisation. If AI could be utilised to efficiently generate bespoke visualisations tailored to specific business needs, or individual user preferences - this allows more time for analysis of the data, and more time for deeper consideration of the insights.

<h3>Immersive visualisations</h3>

With Augmented Reality (AR) and Virtual Reality (VR), we see a potential to bring data visualisation into immersive 3D spaces, allowing users to navigate and explore data in multi-dimensional environments. This has great possibilities for accessibility of data, as well as profound implications in fields such as medicine, climate science, and urban planning.

<h3>Hyper-personalisation</h3>

As the world fills with more and more personalised data, we would like to see dashboards and data tools adapting to individual user behaviours in real time. This shift would turn static, one-size-fits-all dashboards into fluid, user-specific BI tools that are both powerful and easy to use.

<h3>Natural Language interfaces</h3>

Integrating natural language processing (NLP) into data visualisations would allow users to interact with data on a more human level. Instead of manually adjusting filters or constructing queries, users will be able to ask questions like &quot;what&#39;s driving this quarter&#39;s revenue growth?&quot; and receive intuitive visual representations of the answer. This will help to democratise data access, making it easier for a broader range of users to interact with complex datasets.

<h3>Ethical and transparent visualisation</h3>

As data becomes increasingly central to decision-making, the ethics of data and data visualisation should also be paramount. We imagine a future where specific transparency features allow users to track the origins, assumptions, and biases behind the data. Visualisations will need to evolve to ensure ethical representation, allowing users to understand the process of data collection, and ensuring that visual decisions (like scales or colour schemes) do not mislead or manipulate.

<h3>Collaborative and social visualisations</h3>

We want to see visualisations become more collaborative, allowing teams to interact with the same data set in real time. Visualisations should also become more social, with features allowing users to share insights, comments on specific data points, and integrate findings directly into their workflows.

<h3>Sustainability and minimalism in visualisation</h3>

At Soak, we already place a high value on sustainability and minimalism in data visualisation - and we predict that this will become the norm, with the industry embracing a change towards clarity, simplicity, and eco-efficiency. As the cognitive load of information increases, there will be a demand for visualisations that strip away unnecessary complexity, focusing on delivering the core message as succinctly as possible.

Data already has a profound impact on our businesses, organisations, and our everyday lives. As we move into the next decade, we hope that data will become more accessible and immersive, and you won&#39;t need to have a phD in mathematics to understand it.

Over the next decade, data visualisation is poised to undergo transformative changes, driven by advances in artificial intelligence, augmented reality, interactivity, and personalised insights.

joshua-sortino-LqKhnDzSF-8-unsplash (1).jpg

Decoding the next decade - Visualising the near future of data

The exercise was to conceive ways of elevating specific ‘behaviour change over time’ visualisations to be more informative and engaging.

After evaluating a range of sample data sets, we conceptualised our approach using several charting styles and variations that we refined with regular input from the Ezra Team.

The result is a suite of static and interactive charts that are impactful, accessible and versatile for use across multiple touchpoints.

EZRA, a revolutionary global virtual coaching and learning provider, engaged Soak to provide a short-term data visualisation consultancy to evolve some elements of their brilliant customer insights portal.

EZRA_listing_3a4d5baa27.jpg

Visualising behaviour change

Featuring an illustrative future landscape, the tool uses a series of interactive pathways to show the interconnected nature of industry and day-to-day life.

Within the landscape, users will be able to access a wealth of targeted content and media to learn more about the importance of decarbonisation and its positive impact on our planet, economy and everyday lives.

IDRIC was launched in 2021 to accelerate solutions in industrial decarbonisation. It collaborates with 200 partners, including academic institutions, industry, community representatives and policymakers, to address urgent innovation needs - realising goals with impact and integrating knowledge across disciplines and sectors. 
IDRIC is hosted by Heriot-Watt University and initially funded by the government-backed UKRI Industrial Decarbonisation Challenge.

See more at:

<a href="https://idric.org/">idric.org</a>

<a href="https://www.hw.ac.uk/">hw.ac.uk</a>

<a href="https://www.ukri.org/what-we-do/browse-our-areas-of-investment-and-support/industrial-decarbonisation/">ukri.org</a>

We are delighted to be working with IDRIC (the Industrial Decarbonisation Research and Innovation Centre) on the design and development of an immersive visualisation that will allow users to explore what a green industrial future would look like.

IDRIC listing.png

Visualising a Green Industrial Future with IDRIC

The trepidation swirls around your stomach, a whole kaleidoscope of butterflies, fluttering around. But as soon as I entered the office, I knew I was in the right place (for me, not just that I got the location correct!)

Warm welcomes, smiles and introductions, cups of coffee and biscuits, presentations and training. I was shown my desk; my own space within Soak, my seat for creativity and fun. Opening the cover of my new notebook, the fresh untouched pages rang synonymous with the fresh opportunities that awaited me.

There were personal touches, a warm welcome message on my Slack from our co-founder Jake, and a personalised mug with my coffee order (oat milk, strong, 2 sugars if you’re wondering). 

The first part of my day detailed the history of Soak. From humble beginnings to being now a hallmark, award-winning digital design agency. 

I learned the ethos, visions and values, which are displayed every day by the Soak team.

My brain buzzing with new information, my mind taking it all in. 

By my second day, I’d been invited for a pub lunch and natter with two colleagues. From Jacob and Russell, I learned the inner workings of Soak, the types of music everyone likes (more on that later), the Soak socials, and the bright future. 

Music is a very important tool for the Soak world. Each day the speakers are warmed up, slowly with some throwback Britpop and by the afternoon, the caffeine buzz hits and so does the input of Nush with some drum and bass. 

I’m still trying to get Vengaboys in the mix somehow. 

The rest of the week allowed me to fill page upon page of scribble in my notebook, taking in as much information as I could retain. 

I was able to sit down with members of different departments; Technical, Creative, Client Services and Operations. 

I went on a journey through the creative process, seeing the magic happen. Learning about project kick-offs to project launches. Looking through the catalogue of amazing work Soak has produced, even the colourways excited me.

I began to see how the inside of the Soak machine worked. How everyone represents a different chord, but together, a harmonious tune is played. 

Throughout the week, I was introduced to different clients and added to a multitude of Slack channels, seeing live updates coming in. One Slack channel in particular caught my eye…I bore witness to the beauty of the Soak-Pets thread. Obviously adding in a picture of my British short-haired cat named Socks.

By the time Friday had rolled around, I was fully immersed, fully stuck in and a fully-fledged member of the Soak team, and I cannot wait for the opportunities ahead.

Buzzed into the building, armed with a takeaway coffee and excitement, I made my way up the stairs to the second floor. (I would later learn the lift was a far better option).

It’s always nerve-wracking, isn’t it? Starting a new job. Am I going to like it? Will I fit in? Will I be good at the job?!

Bex - first week - listing.png

My first week at Soak: Soaked in opportunities

We have been working on an immersive data storytelling experience that will reveal layers of information and data, providing compelling insights and new perspectives on the story of the ‘unsinkable’ ship. 

This non-interactive, Titanic infographic commemorates the anniversary and provides a few sneak peeks into what’s to come.

Today marks the 112th anniversary of the sinking of the Titanic, which led to the deaths of over 1,500 people on 15th April 1912.

The story captivates us all, but how much do we really know about the ship, the tragic sinking and the people who set sail on that fateful maiden voyage 112 years ago?

Titanic - listing.png

Source: <a href="https://www.encyclopedia-titanica.org/">Encyclopedia Titanica</a>

The Titanic - A tragedy told through data

AI-powered accessibility tools are becoming increasingly prevalent and can help businesses and organisations in various ways, from automating accessibility testing to providing real-time accessibility feedback to developers and designers. 

For example, AI tools can instantly analyse a website&#39;s colour scheme and suggest alternative colour combinations if non-compliant. They can also test for compliance against Web Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG) by providing alternative text for images, ensuring correct colour contrast, accurate audio and video descriptions, and keyboard accessibility shortcuts.

During our research, we’ve found several interesting examples of how AI is being used commercially to improve complaint accessibility globally. Solutions like <a href="https://www.bemyeyes.com/">Be My Eyes</a> are working with <a href="https://openai.com/">Open AI</a> to develop tools that help businesses deliver more accessible customer experiences, reducing resolution time and cost by up to 60%. Similarly, AI-powered accessibility tools such as <a href="https://equally.ai/">Equally AI</a> and <a href="https://accessibe.com/accesswidget/artificial-intelligence">AccessiBe</a> are utilising machine learning algorithms to ensure that websites and applications are compliant and accessible.

Big players, including Microsoft and Google, are rolling out pay-per-use solutions such as <a href="https://cloud.google.com/vision?hl=en">Cloud Vision</a>, enabling developers to integrate vision detection features within applications, including image labelling, face and landmark detection, optical character recognition (OCR), and the tagging of explicit content.

A recent report by The World Bank identifies that people with disabilities represent about 15% of the world&#39;s population and have an estimated $8 trillion in annual disposable income. There is little doubt that businesses that exclude people with disabilities are not only risking reputational damage but are also missing out on a large and valuable market segment.

The Soak team has been actively testing some of these tools and is taking a holistic approach to effectively integrating AI into our accessibility strategy and broader product development. However, privacy and ethical considerations must be carefully considered when using AI, especially when solutions require access to a user&#39;s personal information to function correctly.

Early-stage technology development can be a little like the Wild West, but it&#39;s essential that these protocols are developed and tested with a wide range of users to perform without bias and successfully represent the needs of all user groups.

As this technology continues to proliferate, it&#39;s essential to keep up to speed with regulatory legislation such as the EU&#39;s Artificial Intelligence Act, which sets out rules for developing, modifying, and using AI-driven products, services, and systems. However, the EU clearly sees the potential of this technology and has recently launched a series of <a href="https://ec.europa.eu/commission/presscorner/detail/en/ip_24_383">AI innovation packages</a> to support AI startups and SMEs.

Moving forward, we expect to see more platforms and AI integrations into existing software packages that will help expedite and underpin the delivery of a wide range of digital services and solutions, making them more valuable and accessible to everyone.

As we all know, accessibility is crucial to modern web development. It ensures that websites and applications are usable by all individuals, including those with disabilities. 

However, creating accessible websites and applications can be challenging, and organisations often struggle to implement the appropriate levels of accessibility.

AI - Listing.png

AI and accessibility - a match made in heaven? 

The World Bank

The summit was in response to close engagements with governments across Sub-Saharan Africa on the need to highlight the vital role of human capital in economic growth. It was also the first Human Capital Summit at a Heads of States level in Africa. 

Sub-Saharan Africa entered the last decade with significant deficits in human capital (the knowledge, skills, and health that people accumulate over their lives). The region’s average Human Capital Index (HCI) was the lowest across all the world’s regions, with a significant proportion of African countries at the bottom of the HCI.

The animation, ahead of the keynote speaker, was played at the start of the final day and uses a narrative centred around three core themes: Economic Growth, Resilient Systems and Social Cohesion. 

Data visualisation and storytelling are used throughout the sequence to emphasise and clarify important facts and figures that would resonate with the audience of Heads of State, Leaders, and Policymakers. In a first of its kind data-based and policy integrated storytelling, the innovative approach was very well received by online and in-person viewers.

The World Bank asked us to produce a data-driven animation for The Africa Human Capital Heads of State Summit held in Dar es Salaam, Tanzania, on the 25th - 26th of July 2023.

World-bank-listing1 (2).png

The financial burden of such events is enormous, but despite this threat, many people and businesses remain uninsured, leaving them vulnerable when a natural catastrophe strikes.

Swiss RE asked us to develop an interactive data tool illustrating the protection gap and losses from various natural disasters across five continents and twelve countries.

The interface centres around a stylised (mapbox) 3D globe. Clicking on regions and countries reveals the protection gap and total economic losses over the last ten years with the option to deep-dive into more in-depth analysis.

The fully integrated tool is a perfect example of how information can be more accessible, understandable and interesting using interactive data visualisation and information design.

Catastrophes such as hurricanes, earthquakes, floods and winter storms have become more intense and frequent, threatening people and economies worldwide.

swiss-re-listing-1.png

World Wide Fund for Nature

The new toolkit underpins an extensive report that provides the first synthesis and assessment of the gendered dynamics within the global illegal wildlife trade (IWT). It looks at gender-informed research, field evidence and concepts relating to poaching, trafficking and consumption of wildlife products, and international governance and policy.

A suite of structured, multilingual lessons packed with multi-media content, interactive scenarios and knowledge tests enables practitioners to bring gender analysis into their programmes and policies systematically and to combat illegal wildlife trade.

The campaign website gives users an overview of the program and provides a natural gateway into the new digital toolkit.

We have been working with The World Wide Fund for Nature (WWF) to design and develop a new eLearning toolkit to educate policymakers, practitioners and academics about gender dynamics within the illegal wildlife trade.

WWF-listing.png

The design, technical and maintenance considerations for the project were several fold.

From a design perspective there was very little direction provided beyond needing to establish a data visualisation style that complimented the Triple-I branding and brand assets. We needed to identify appropriate styles to display the sets of time series data into a meaningful layout, enabling comparison within relevant data groups.

From a technical perspective we had to develop the dashboard as a standalone portable JS based application so it could be provided as a code bundle and embedded into Triple-I’s existing infrastructure with minimal effort.

Soak has recently been working with the eminently trusted Insurance Information Institute (iii.org) to design and develop a dynamic Economics dashboard.

Triple-I’s Insurance Economics Dashboard provides data-driven insight into the performance of the insurance industry, looking at historical trends and the key economic drivers for current and upcoming years. Soak worked with senior Triple-I stakeholders and economists to visualise and bring to life the data in a compelling and engaging way.

iii-listing.png

Queen Mary University of London

The programme looks to raise awareness by:

<ul><li>Focusing on the big questions that affect us all: the sustainability of the planet, our digital future, people’s health and wellbeing, communication, creativity and culture</li><li>Delivering real-world impact: Through investment in the research and industrial ecosystem on and around our campuses, our global outlook and a passion for partnership</li><li>Harnessing the power of collaboration, partnership and our uniquely diverse and inclusive community with students and staff from more than 170 countries around the world</li></ul>

To support the research, we’ve designed and developed a data tool that allows users to explore the global impact of Queen Mary’s research.

The tool uses a map-based UI, allowing users to navigate several highway-specific case studies and the impact locations using a single, fluid interface.

Additional case studies can be added/managed using the underlying CMS, and the tool has been seamlessly integrated into the Queen Mary website.

Queen Mary’s U is a leading, research-intensive university. Their Research Highways programme brings this ethos to life perfectly. Combining expertise across disciplines, designed to tackle some of society’s biggest challenges, grasp new opportunities and transform lives across the globe.