Long-Term Care Worker Experience during the Pandemic: Explorations in Visual Storytelling

The Coronavirus Disease of 2019 (COVID-19) drastically impacted the nature of work within Ontario's long-term care (LTC) homes as regulatory bodies moved to protect LTC residents through protocols designed to reduce the risk of transmission. This research aims to reveal a view of these impacts from the perspective of employees working in LTC homes. The study utilized a work experience questionnaire and a series of semi-structured interviews to generate both quantitative and qualitative data to pair with existing recommendations within the sector. As a part of the research process, I combined perspectives and expertise from the discipline of journalism with design research practices to explore and reflect on the use of visual storytelling within the field of design. The result of this exploration in storytelling is a prototypical information architecture and visualization that attempts to combine quantitative and qualitative research data in an honest, engaging, and accessible way.