Hi, I’m Annie! →
I’m a narrative-driven designer specialized in data visualization and branding.
I turn complex information into stories that are clear, engaging, and visually bold.
Hi, I’m Annie! →
I’m a narrative-driven designer specialized in data visualization and branding.
I turn complex information into stories that are clear, engaging, and visually bold.
Designing for Discovery:
Blooming Orchidaceaes
Smithsonian Institute Partnership
Guided by Daniel Sauter
This project became about reimagining how people discover and connect with orchids through data—turning fragmented records into an interface that sparks wonder.
THE CHALLENGE
1. Hard to Browse, Harder to Connect
✿ Search is structured around taxonomies that don’t feel human-friendly.
✿ Browsing requires jumping page by page with little sense of scale or connection.
2. Patterns Hidden in Plain Sight
✿ A Individual records don’t tell a story.
✿ Relationships—like fragrance and pollinators—emerge only when visualized across the dataset.
3. Online and Offline Don’t Talk
✿ Exhibitions invite close-up wonder but don’t link back to the metadata.
✿ The API holds rich potential, but without a human lens, it remains abstract.
DESIGN APPROACH
From Search
to Generous Interface
Instead of designing another search bar, I built a generous interface—a product that invites exploration through rich, browsable visuals. For audiences with little prior knowledge, discovery comes not from knowing what to ask, but from being surprised along the way. Did you know some orchids only release fragrance at night to lure nocturnal pollinators?
Others mimic the smell of rotting meat to attract flies. And some can grow taller than a person. By embedding these facts into the interface, the product becomes both an educational tool and a storytelling medium.Iteration I: Visualizing Bloom Time
✿ Visitors can filter by life form, hover to learn more, and add orchids to a personal “to see” list.
✿ On-exhibit tags connect digital data to real-world garden visits.
Iteration II: Visualizing Pollinator and Fragrance Relationship
✿ Data transformed from scattered notes (“sweet citrus at night”) into patterns that reveal why and when orchids release scent.
✿ Opens up storytelling: fragrance isn’t just “pretty”—it’s a survival strategy.
DESIGN DECISIONS
1. Dark theme + Orchid photography:
✿ Avoids visual clutter and lets the flowers shine.2. Exportable Collections:
✿ supports personal discovery and exhibit planning.3. Scalable Architecture
✿ Structured data parsing allows for expansion into other plant collections.
BTS: WORKING WITH THE SMITHSONIAN API
✿ Parsed complex, inconsistent records with Python.
✿ Normalized bloom times, fragrances, pollinator types, and inflorescence data into structured fields.
✿ Balanced automation with manual review for outliers (e.g., unit conversions, incomplete records).
This step wasn’t just technical—it was about transforming raw data into usable product inputs, shaping the foundation for a smooth user experience.
{
"bloom_time": "June to October" "pollination_syndrome": "Bee (male Euglossa)",
"fragrance": "Fragrant (strong). Sweet and fruity from afar, but spicy up close.",
"bloom_characteristics": "Erect inflorescence is 3-4.5 feet (89-140 cm) long 10-20 waxy, white flowers that open in succession. Flowers are 2\" (5 cm) across.",
}
{
"cleaned_bloom_months": [ 6, 7, 8, 9, 10 ],
"cleaned_peak_months": [ "Unknown" ],
"pollinator_types": "Euglossine Bees",
“fragrance_strength": "Strong",
"fragrance_types": "pleasant, sweet, fruity, spicy", "fragrance_notes": "fragrant, sweet, fruity, spicy", "fragrant_time": "day_and_night",
}