Tangible Cognisance: Mapping Connection through the Anxiety of the Analog

How do we "know" someone we have never met? In 2020, as a batch of Information Design students separated by a global pandemic, we turned to the Indian Postal Service to bridge the digital divide. Tangible Cognisance was a project born out of the isolation of COVID-19, where classmates exchanged handwritten postcards to build "abstract portraits" of one another through the raw textures of handwriting and sketches.

This talk explores the intersection of data physicalization and human emotion. We will dive into the "Anxiety of the Analog"—the 132-day wait for a postcard, the grit of postal workers, and the mapping of these temporal journeys onto custom-designed postal stamps.

But the story doesn't end there. During this session, we will turn the Vizchitra audience into a living laboratory. Participants will be invited to participate in a collective data experiment: writing postcards to fellow attendees to capture their conference learnings. By tracking these cards as they travel across the country post-event, we will create a new, asynchronous visualization of the Vizchitra community—proving that in an age of instant pings, the beauty of "delayed data" still holds the power to connect us.

What were the intentions, inquiries, and aspirations of this project?

The project began with a fundamental question: Can data foster physical warmth? In a year of Zoom fatigue, we sought to move beyond pixels to something tactile. Our goals were:

1. To humanize data by using handwriting and drawing as qualitative metrics.
2. To visualize the "untrackable"—the uncertainty and impatience inherent in analog communication.

What are the key findings and learnings?

1. The Weight of the Physical: We discovered that a postcard carries more "data" than an email—the pressure of the pen and the wear and tear of travel tell a story of effort and intent.
2. Visualizing Absence: We learned that "missing data" (the postcards that never arrived) is as significant as the data we collect. It represents the fragility of human connection.
3. The Temporal Stamp: By mapping timelines onto the visual language of stamps, we transformed a mundane administrative tool into a vessel for personal identity.

How will this session engage the Vizchitra community? This session moves beyond a "show and tell." I will provide attendees with:

1. The Prompt: 3 postcards per person to capture reflections on Vizchitra.
2. The Network: A system to exchange addresses with "data strangers" in the room.
3. The Long-Tail Visualization: I will present a plan to collect the "delivery data" from these cards over the following months, which will be designed into a collective "Vizchitra 2025 Stamp" to be shared back with the community.

Key Takeaways for Attendees:

1. Thinking Beyond the Screen: Strategies for using physicalization to create emotional resonance in data storytelling.
2. Community Building: Understanding how shared data experiments can extend the life of a conference and strengthen professional bonds through nostalgia and surprise.
3. May be, Lifelong Penpals