The Life Rooms: Data-driven support explained

Project background

We worked with the team at The Life Rooms to create this explainer animation about how they use data to assess the needs of the communities they work within, enabling them to provide better support to the people who need it most.

Key aims of the animation

The aim of the animation is to provide both reassurance and an easy-to-follow explanation of the work that The Life Rooms do, and the reasons why having access to their service user’s data is so important.

How can an animation offer reassurance?

Making sure the animation had a reassuring feel was of the utmost importance, as there can be a lot of fear surrounding the use of people’s data for research.

There are multiple ways to make an explainer animation feel more reassuring – one way that really stands out is the use of a regional accent. The sound of a recognisably local accent instantly brings comfort and relatability to an animation, prompting the audience to feel at ease and to believe and invest in the message the film is putting across.

In this animation, our voiceover’s Scouse accent fitted perfectly with the on-screen visuals depicting famous landmarks found in Merseyside, as well as all the different Life Rooms locations detailed in the script.

Accessibility for your audience

Considering your audience and assessing accessibility is also key when creating an animation that is to be viewed by the public.

During the scripting process, Dann worked alongside the team at The Life Rooms to make sure the finished script was easy-to-follow, used minimal amounts of ‘jargon’ and used plain English to ensure people with varying levels of familiarity with the process of data collection could, by the end of the animation, feel confident knowing what their data is being used for, and how it will be stored securely.

During the storyboarding process, artist Rosie worked to ensure the use of on-screen text was kept to a minimum, and when showing the Life Room’s website onscreen, our editors used the easy-read version of the Life Room’s data guidelines to ensure accessibility was considered throughout the whole creative process.