USGS Water Cycle Diagram

2020-2021, United States Geological Survey

Lead Designer, Illustrator

In the news

USGS DIrector, David Applegate

“This updated water cycle diagram will set a new international standard for how we visualize and communicate water’s complex journey on Earth.
“It will inform our next generation of scientists, natural resource managers and policymakers.”

USGS.gov
Forbes

“It was clear to me that the water cycle most K-12 students were learning was not representative of what actually happens with humans around.
“The coupling of human and natural systems is inevitable and requires that we teach it that way.”

Read on Forbes.com
Eos

“The change reflects the latest 20 years of research uncovering humanity’s central role in the cycle and how to communicate it visually.
“This is a great improvement and an important step towards a more comprehensive depiction of the global water cycle”

Read on Eos.org
Wave Podcast

“Overall, the update gives a more comprehensive view of how water travels around our planet and allows students to learn more about Earth.”

List on the Wave Podcast

The client

In 2021, I was a Data Visualization Specialist for the United States Geological Survey.

I worked in the Water division with a team at the Vizlab who decided that it was about time that we updated the old diagram that had been around for more that 30 years.

Over the course of a year, I led a team of scientists, usability experts, and policymakers through the process of officially redesigning the diagram.

The goal was to update this iconic diagram for the modern era.

Problems

The old USGS water cycle diagram is a widely recognized visualization explaining earth's water movement.

There were a lot of pain points, roughly in three categories.

Scientific Challenges (Twitter)

Usability Challenges (Twitter)

Aesthetic Challenges (Twitter)

Design Principles

This was an exciting opportunity in overhauling an iconic illustration from a major government agency, so I made sure that we would get it right and not publish something that was only halfway done.

Some design principles that I held throughout the process were:

Use color strategically to highlight water - Color is a pre-attentive attrivute draws visual focus to the key element (water!) rather than landscape.
Represent proportional volumes - The physical space allotted to each water "pool" and “flux” visually communicates relative real-world volumes.
Emphasize interconnectedness - Numerous small cycles shown to reinforce the interconnected nature of Earth's water movement.
Allow space for guidance - Adequate room for descriptive labels and text so students can self-guide through the poster.
Maintain visual interest - An appealing, engaging illustration that captivates prolonged attention.
Prioritize understandability - Complex scientific principles distilled down to a comprehensible 5th grade reading level.
Prepare for accessibility and digital interaction - while this diagram is published as a static poster, I made sure that all elements in the diagram were drawn as vectors that were grouped and labelled clearly so that it could be screenreader- and web-ready.
Seek feedback early - Collaboration with USGS experts ensured accuracy and relevance.

Supporting Material

Releasing a diagram means nothing without an outreach campaign.

We made a lot of materials to publicize the release across educator platforms, official government releases, and social media.

Key Takeaways

Early expert collaboration ensures accuracy and relevance. Their guidance was crucial for design decisions on how to best represent complex systems.
Complexity need not be oversimplified or scary! Simplifying scientific complexity for broader comprehension without losing core accuracy is a delicate balancing act. Subtle visual cues like size, color and space can speak volumes.
Even well-established and iconic diagrams can benefit from periodic updates to incorporate new perspectives, data, and insights.