The Syrian refugee crisis is the worst humanitarian disaster of our generation, but after 6 years people are tuning out. The extent of the devastation caused to Syria and its people is hard for many people to comprehend – in terms of both its sheer scale and the complexity and proliferation of information.

Through Google’s search trends we understand what the world is searching for. The UNHCR has arguably the largest amount of data, stories and access to people and journalists in the world. A partnership around data and storytelling made sense.

We set out to break down bias and misunderstanding – to help people go beyond reading about the crisis to understanding and empathizing with it. The ultimate goal was to use our data to inspire people to take action – to share, join the UNHCR or, better yet, donate to those in need.

Searching for Syria was designed to make a complex and ubiquitous topic feel simple and human.

The human side of the crisis was brought to life using the same Google products people around the world use every day: Maps, Search, Trends and YouTube. These products were combined with data visualizations and real stories to show the world the human behind the label “refugee.”

To keep our audience engaged with such a complex subject, our creative teams worked closely with journalists who had an intimate knowledge of the crisis to write copy that was both accurate and compelling. The UX was based on the quick scrolling behavior of platforms such as Facebook and Instagram, making the experience feel familiar and easy to digest.

Built over 6 months, Searching for Syria worked seamlessly across multiple markets, devices and formats, ensuring that no matter how people read the content, their experience was seamless.