This semester is all about the creation of the “Mapping Nzulezo” project! I want to share some graphical descriptions of the project and concrete plans for completing this project. The illustrations below represent my wireframes for the project.  

Wireframe 1:

The above illustration depicts how the website’s home screen would look. I plan to have five tabs at the top of the website, a map of Western Africa at the center, and a “Historical Narrative” section on the left pane of the website. The “Historical Narrative” section will have five sub-divisions comprising different historical accounts of the major regions where the Nzulezo ancestors once lived—that is, the broader Middle Niger region, the people’s first major stop (i.e., the Gold Coast hinterland areas of Bighu, Bono, and Takyiman), their second major stop (Mankessim), third stop (Ahanta), and their destination point: Appolonia.

Wireframe 2:

The second wireframe dramatizes the user experience. When users hover the cursor over either the Western African map or the Historical Narrative section, the website will display the respective geographical region of interest and its associated historical account. For example, if a user points the cursor on the Middle Niger region on the map, that area will expand to show some topographical features and, at the same time, enlarge the historical narrative sub-section for that region. The same experience will apply to the other areas of the map and their respective Historical Narrative sub-sections. I plan to enrich the histories of the geographical areas with archival maps that better illustrate a seventeenth- and eighteenth-century experience through visualization.

This is how I plan to build the “Mapping Nzulezo” project. Because nothing is cast in stone, my audience should not be alarmed to see significant alterations to this plan as the creation process commences. I look forward to all those surprises, challenges, and fun!