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Roots & Migrants: a user-centered design of an interactive mapping platform for teaching and learning historical population dynamics in the U.S
Journal article   Peer reviewed

Roots & Migrants: a user-centered design of an interactive mapping platform for teaching and learning historical population dynamics in the U.S

Chiamaka Nwajiaku, Caglar Koylu and Jinyi Cai
Cartography and geographic information science
10/01/2026
DOI: 10.1080/15230406.2026.2729303

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Abstract

Interactive maps offer a powerful way to represent spatiotemporal processes such as population change by linking events across space and time but designing them for education requires balancing exploration with curriculum goals, addressing challenges of interpretation arising from uneven data coverage, and accommodating constraints such as limited instructional time and map literacy. Because many existing tools are not built around classroom workflows, they may fail to sustain inquiry or support effective instruction. This article shows how a user-centered design (UCD) approach can improve educational mapping through the collaborative development of Roots & Migrants, a web-based map platform for teaching and learning about U.S. historical population dynamics. We implemented UCD through two participatory workshops with high school teachers and students, using feedback to iteratively design the system, and co-develop classroom lesson activities, drawing on collaborative geovisualization to support spatial knowledge construction. The study identifies cartographic representation and interaction strategies that support spatiotemporal inquiry for novice map users. It also shows how interface and content design can help students interpret population maps as partial historical records shaped by uneven data coverage. Findings further suggest that students benefit from opportunities for open exploration rather than strictly linear storytelling when exploration anchored to specific inquiry tasks and classroom workflows. We argue that educational interactive maps should be designed as instructional systems grounded in classroom practice, pedagogical goals, and data limitations, with implications beyond history education.
 User-centered design storytelling interactive cartography spatiotemporal inquiry collaborative geovisualization educational cartography

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