Unpacking Micro Data Videos: Key Elements and Design Practices in Minute-Long Data Videos for Mobile Usage MHCI036
Open Access
- 9 September 2025
- journal article
- Published by Association for Computing Machinery (ACM) in Proceedings of the ACM on Human-Computer Interaction
- Vol. 9 (5) , 1-33
Abstract
Micro Data Videos (mDVs) are up to one-minute data-driven vertical video clips for mobile devices. Widely adopted on social media platforms, mDVs hold significant potential for disseminating information. Despite their growing prevalence, little is known about their components and how they are designed. Thus, two studies were conducted. Study 1 analyzed 40 mDVs and revealed their narrative components. Study 2 examined, through design sessions with design experts, how such components are assembled to craft storyboards for mDVs. The diverse narrative styles of mDVs render them flexible and suitable for multiple topics and purposes. Further, many include a “Linker" directing viewers to external online resources. Participants approached their design in a structural yet iterative manner with emphasis on setting up a “hook” in the opening seconds to capture attention. We summarize and share common design practices used in creating mDVs, an increasingly important medium in data storytelling.Keywords
Funding Information
- MITACS Inc. (F24-03761)
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