100 Graphs About Taiwan
In addition to taking on paid work, Re-lab also enjoys transforming different types of “user-unfriendly” information—inaccessible or hard-to-decipher data—allowing citizens to rethink the relationship between people and information. Hence, the company set up Redesign Info Laboratory on Facebook in 2018, sharing various kinds of visualized information.
The lab discovered that the Directorate-General of Budget, Accounting and Statistics’ National Statistical Bulletin contained data on many social issues but these data were not attractively presented and were little known to the public. The late Swedish public health scholar Hans Rosling in his book Factfulness and his many TED Talks, such as “How not to be ignorant about the world,” used data to present the world as it actually is. This inspired Re-lab team member Wu Tsung Mao to reference how Taiwanese data has changed over time with regard to the issues listed in Rosling’s book, to identify areas in which Taiwan is progressing and areas where more attention is needed.
The Re-lab team subsequently collected 100 sets of Taiwan data, showing trends on various issues over the past 20 years, and published the information in a book entitled 100 Graphs About Taiwan.
The book’s graphic design uses a stark black and white contrast. The white first half of the volume represents 50 instances in which Taiwan is progressing, and the black second half represents 50 worrisome areas. However, Wu Tsung Mao cautions, “It’s not a simple case of things going well or badly.” The data presented in the book show only trends, and each issue has many aspects that merit discussion. Hence, the team has also written guides to each issue, calling readers’ attention to what lies behind the data.
For example, AIDS diagnoses have risen overall in the past 20 years but have trended downward in the last two years. However, the rising numbers don’t mean that more and more Taiwanese are contracting AIDS, but that the number of formerly uncounted sufferers has come to light as awareness of screening increases. When considering this issue, rather than merely worrying, readers can consider ways in which Taiwan can raise awareness of HIV screening, allowing those infected to receive treatment as soon as possible, thereby reducing the risk of infection and promoting a positive cycle.
100 Graphs About Taiwan shows data sets on various issues, revealing trends over the last 20 years.