University of York
Data vis / Digital design
London School of Economics
The State of the States
When Donald Trump became the 45th President of the United States, the world sought a deeper understanding of US politics, and the London School of Economics (LSE) wanted a platform to help them do exactly that.
LSE needed a data-driven portal that could serve an extraordinarily broad audience, from first-time observers of US politics through to seasoned researchers, journalists, and political commentators. With over 2,500 constantly changing data points spanning all fifty states, the platform also needed to be as manageable as it was ambitious.
Live, filtered, relevant policy information
Soak designed and developed State of the States around two distinct views: a map-based interface delivering an immediate snapshot of the US political landscape, and detailed state profiles containing facts, figures, media, and the latest policies and legislative updates.
By using a layered UI, we ensured the portal rewarded both casual visitors and specialists without either audience feeling underserved. Content is kept current via direct CMS updates or bulk upload, ensuring the platform reflects a political landscape that never stands still.
A successful result
State of the States quickly attracted a global audience and won a prestigious Guardian University Award for Innovation. The project was also longlisted for the Kantar Information is Beautiful Award.
The site has since become the standard model for data visualisation at LSE, applied across a wide range of geopolitical initiatives.
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