Data Design Language
A consistent, expressive and accessible design vocabulary for the presentation of health data at WHO.
The WHO Data Design Language provides building blocks and techniques for creating rich information experiences for everyone.
WHO has worked with some of the world's leading experts in data visualization to build a fit-for-purpose design language, ensuring that a user's experience of our data presentation is as informative, equitable, accessible and delightful as possible.
Designed not as a rule set, but rather a toolbox, the Data Design Language includes a chart library, design guidelines, colour and typographic style specifications with usability guidance for internationalization (i18n) and accessibility (a11y), all reflecting our data design principles.
The Data Design Language is a living system, designed to evolve over time. Its initial architecture and approach was defined by a round of domain experts, designers and system architects to provide a lasting foundation for WHO data communications. The design process was informed by extensive user consultations and research, as well as consultations with leading experts from involved fields. Currently in working BETA version 0.9.2, the Data Design Language documentation will migrate to data.who.int at Version 1.0.0 following the further onboarding of data products to the website.
Elements
Design vocabulary
The DDL provides teams with standardised colour palettes, for nominal data categories, sequential, diverging and dimension specific data. The controlled colour schemes ensure that chart colours are colourblind-safe, nameable, equally salient or perceptually uniform for the specific data context and with sufficient background contrast for different consumption contexts. Likewise, the DDL provides a fixed set of font sizes, styles, and specing parameters to assure high functionality and design consistency across channels and tools.
Chart library
As a reference implementation, the WHO Chart library comprises versatile and flexible core charts for a wide range of purposes and channels, as well as more specialised, custom charts for specific use cases, such as metadata visualisation. The charts create a uniform, instantly recognisable design language for the world's health data. By design, they can easily be combined, embedded and exported.
Interaction and customization
Charts can be customised and connected in a variety of ways. At the time of creation, both "filter" (what parts of the data are shown in the chart) as well as "focus" parameters (which data points are highlighted or labelled by default) are defined by the authors. By providing a consistent and explicit user interface design vocabulary for the action of inspection and selection, as well as a standardised component architecture, we enable powerful combinations of connected charts, while guaranteeing a consistent, simple and intuitive user experience.
Accessibility
By design, the charts and their contents aim to be accessible to everyone. Key methods include an appropriately chosen design vocabulary and inclusive approaches to chart design, as well as support for assistive devices and alternative modes of access.
Internationalization
Charts are built around the WHO style guide for global health communications and also respect local formatting, charting, and colour conventions.
Objective
Enabling rich data experiences for everyone goes beyond just providing better looking charts — by establishing a coherent, expressive and inclusive data design language, considering the interplay of text with graphical content and taking a variety of user needs, capabilities and communication channels into account.
For WHO content creators, the system provides an easy to use toolbox, tailored to WHO publishing needs. For global audiences, the approach enables consistent, clear and transparent access to public health data from a trusted source.
About data.who.int
An accessible, trusted and actionable source for the full breadth of the world's health data.