Learning by Doing: Interactive Futures
Learning by Doing was an international research project that explored how communities, policymakers and researchers can work together to imagine and create sustainable futures. Bringing together partners from Latin America, Africa and Europe, the project investigated pathways towards the Good Life in the context of climate change, social justice and environmental sustainability.
Symbola collaborated on the project's communication strategy by developing visual narratives and interactive tools that translated complex research into engaging public resources. Alongside an original graphic novel, the team helped create an interactive web application that allows users to explore alternative futures based on the research findings.
Rather than presenting a single vision of the future, the application invites users to navigate different scenarios developed through participatory workshops conducted in Mexico, the Dominican Republic and across Latin America. Visitors can move between present conditions, possible futures and the decisions that connect them, discovering how everyday actions, public policies and community initiatives shape long-term outcomes.
You can explore the interactive Learning by Doing Visions platform here: https://www.learningbydoingproject.org/visions/city-present.
The application allows users to navigate between present-day conditions, alternative future scenarios and the policy and community actions that connect them. Developed from participatory research conducted in Mexico, the Dominican Republic and across Latin America, the platform combines storytelling, illustration and interactive design to make complex sustainability research accessible to a wider audience. Rather than simply presenting research findings, the experience encourages users to actively explore how individual choices, collective action and public policy can shape more sustainable and equitable futures.
The app transforms academic research into an accessible storytelling experience, combining illustration, narrative design and interactive exploration. By placing users inside the decision-making process, it encourages reflection on sustainability, resilience and collective action while making complex systems easier to understand.
The project exemplifies Symbola's approach to research communication: using visual storytelling, comics and interactive media to make evidence-based research accessible beyond academia. It demonstrates how digital narratives can foster public engagement, support education and encourage meaningful conversations about climate change, sustainable development and the futures we choose to build together.