Towards a framework for collaborative design of science visualisations in heritage contexts

Heritage sites are increasingly adopting information visualisations to communicate complex scientific knowledge, such as paleontological, archaeological, and ecological content, to diverse public audiences. Despite this trend, there remains a lack of structured guidance for collaborative design processes that involve scientists, designers, and educators, often leading to visualisations that prioritise either scientific accuracy or aesthetic appeal at the expense of audience comprehension. This paper addresses this gap by proposing a simplified co-design framework derived from semi-structured interviews with experts in palaeontology, museum education, and visual design. The framework outlines five key phases: goal articulation, stakeholder mapping, prototype visualisation, iterative user feedback and refinement, and public deployment. Emphasis is placed on cognitive accessibility, incorporating strategies such as scaffolding, visual metaphors, clear hierarchical structures, and multilingual support. By integrating participatory collaboration with audience-centred design principles, the proposed model provides a practical guide for heritage institutions seeking to optimise both comprehension and engagement in scientific visualisations.

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