Making Motion Data Blueprints

A Motion Data Blueprint is an experience (a .zip with index.html) that reads rows of data from Interartive.

1. Declare a data slot and what it is (interartive.json)

{ "slots": [ { "id": "data", "type": "data", "label": "Your data",
    "fields": ["date", "value", "series"], "hint": "One row per date…" } ],
  "blueprint": { "tier": "kinetic", "data": ["time", "comparison"], "live": true } }

tier is precision, kinetic or bespoke; data lists the kinds of data it is made for; live says it updates while people watch.

2. Read the rows

Interartive.data('data', function (rows, meta) {
  if (!rows) return showSample();   // no data given: show your sample
  draw(rows, meta.fields);          // called again when live data changes
});

Rows are objects, one per row; numbers arrive as numbers. Never fetch data yourself: blueprints run sealed, and Interartive reads data addresses for you (keeping people's keys safe).

3. Design for insight

• Find columns by likely names and by type, so people don't have to rename theirs.
• Show your sample until data arrives, and label it as a sample.
• Let people read exact values (a tooltip, a Show the numbers table).
• Animate change, not decoration: when live rows arrive, move to the new values.
• Respect reduced motion; work with touch, mouse and keys.

4. Choose how people use it

Licensed (you receive 80% of every license) or free with any Motion Data plan (for exposure). Interartive reviews every blueprint before it is listed.