{"id":18240,"date":"2020-06-09T11:02:13","date_gmt":"2020-06-09T15:02:13","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/studentwork.prattsi.org\/infovis\/?p=18240"},"modified":"2020-06-23T11:24:52","modified_gmt":"2020-06-23T15:24:52","slug":"conquering-color","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/studentwork.prattsi.org\/infovis\/labs\/conquering-color\/","title":{"rendered":"CONQUERING COLOR"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

Timeline.JS Lab Report by Kyle Palermo, June 9, 2020. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"\"
Theodoor van Thulden, “The Discovery of Purple.” (Wikimedia Commons)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Background<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n

This timeline attempts to place humanity\u2019s use of color in the context of a technological struggle. Color has been part of the entire human existence but only for the last several hundred years have we been able to meaningfully exploit it; for most of our history we have largely had to take it as-is from nature, notwithstanding some limited adventures in chemical synthesis. Today we can reproduce color freely and cheaply on and off screen but this historical framework provides a useful conceptual background. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Process Documentation<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Timeline.js is a tool that allows non-developers to create interactive timelines simply by populating a Google Sheets template. Supporting maps, images, video, and other media, in addition to multiple levels of text and information, Timeline.js provides a reasonably immersive experience with minimal time investment by the author (besides whatever time is spent developing\/sourcing the content). The platform displays events as a slideshow that moves along a horizontal timeline, which stretches and shrinks depending on the date range of the timeline. Authors can get fairly granular with the dates, include title slides and eras, and tweak some pre-populated variables including a limited selection of font pairs, the base map for Google Maps displays, start slides, zoom level, iframe width percentage and height, jump links, and a couple of other low-impact factors. Those with development chops can get under the hood and more fully exploit the platform though the documentation warns that it\u2019s fairly complex. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"\"
Timeline.js example timeline (timeline.knightlab.com).<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Before creating my own timeline I reviewed examples provided in the documentation, including the \u201cDecline of IRS Nonprofit Regulation\u201d by the Center for Public Integrity,\u201d Knight Lab\u2019s in-house \u201cWomen in Computing\u201d example, and their timeline on \u201cRevolutionary User Interfaces.\u201d I would separate two distinct applications for Timeline.js: as a way of navigating addenda within an experience (example 1) and as standalone experience (examples 2 and 3).<\/p>\n\n\n\n