Designing Trust and Discoverability in a Complex Information Space
UX/Product Design Case Study
Research • Product Strategy • UX/UI Design • Information Architecture • Front-End Development
Attention Atlas is an interactive research platform that explores historical UFO/UAP events alongside major world events, congressional hearings, media releases, conflicts, elections, scientific discoveries, and cultural moments occurring at the same time.
The project began with a simple question: when significant UFO-related stories emerge, what else is happening in the world? Rather than building a site that promotes a particular narrative, I focused on creating a tool that helps users investigate historical timing relationships through transparent data, clear sourcing, and thoughtful interaction design.
One of the primary challenges was organizing a large and often overwhelming collection of information into a structure that feels approachable and easy to explore. To address this, I designed an information architecture that categorizes events by type, geography, time period, source quality, and relationship to other events. Interactive timelines, filtering tools, contextual links, and narrative deep-dives help users move from broad historical patterns to specific moments without becoming overwhelmed by the volume of content.
Establishing credibility was equally important. Because users often arrive with strong opinions or varying levels of skepticism, I designed systems for source verification, claim labeling, confidence indicators, and evidence-based storytelling. Every design decision was guided by the principle that correlation does not imply causation, helping users explore information without steering them toward predetermined conclusions.
The result is a scalable research experience containing more than 280 historical events, 300+ sources, interactive visualizations, and contextual exploration tools that encourage critical thinking and independent analysis. By combining strong information architecture with transparent sourcing, the platform transforms a complex and often fragmented subject into an experience that is easier to navigate, understand, and evaluate.
Key takeaway: This project reinforced that trust and discoverability are closely connected. Beyond the visual design and interactions, the most important work was creating systems that help users understand the quality, context, and limitations of the information they are viewing while making large amounts of historical data feel manageable and meaningful.
Live Project: detroit3d.com/Attention-Atlas