My Journey through Data Storytelling

I’ve always been fascinated by the power of data, although I’m definitely not a mathematical neither a scientific person. I always had kind of a weird relationship with numbers, especially with those boring endless grids of figures so perfectly structured into an excel sheet. They never clicked with me as I could not understand or make sense of them. Therefore, I just tended to classified them as not my friend till… the moment I realised and I could finally see the (hidden) value behind those columns of numbers thanks to images, charts and diagrams put together into a meaningful story presented in the form of an infographic (see image below, infographic designed by Francesco Franchi for IL Giornale). That was powerful, it was driving my interest because it was telling a story based on real facts and figures, actual math and numbers but with meaning. I got in love and my relationship with numbers changed completely.?

Here I am, now currently working as Service Designer & UX Strategist at IBM where data is at the core of the business, but not only this business. Data is everywhere around us and often we do not even realise it because it’s hidden and abstract, but as soon as we can make it visible through design it can drive powerful changes. As passionate about sustainability, my goal as designer is to bring data to life, make sense of it and deploy it in a way that can lead to sustainable transformations. For instance, at the moment I’m working on a project where we develop digital solutions allow mining companies to track, monitor and visualise their emissions data. By understanding data and translate that into insights those mining companies will be able to take better and more informed decisions to achieve their high ambitious Net Zero Goals. If they can see where the problems lie, they can know where and how to act, such as reducing costs and improving energy efficiency to decarbonise their operations and processes.?

Data Storytelling & Visualisation can, in fact, facilitate sustainable decision making processes and are catalyst for designing better customer experiences that will enable people to take the ‘right’ actions for better change.

Due to the complexity of the project I’m working on, I felt the need and urge to learn more about data and deep dive in understanding how I can better deal with it and with numbers in particular, how to read it, interpret it and reveal it through powerful visuals that tell a clear story I can apply on my daily job and help our clients. That’s why, over the last months I took part on the online Master Course on Information Design & Data Visualization given by (UAL) the University of Arts London. It was a pleasure and such a remarkable learning experience to enrich my current design skills and look more in depth how data can be used to create compelling (human-centred) storytellings.

Stories are irresistible to the human mind because they activate our imaginations and so we have no choice but to follow the mental movies created in our heads.

- Akash Karia

Information Design & Data Visualisation, what’s that about??

Data visualisation is a tool that we use to discover what the data is saying. Through visualisations, we reveal insights and separate findings—this is great for the purposes of a research process, but eventually we also have to connect the insights we find in the data to create an overarching narrative.

Information design is the foundation of data narratives: it uncovers the intricate connections that relate data to each other so to craft a story. For instance, these stories allow data analysts and other experts to feel more confident in their choices and more capable to solve their business challenges.?

Good data storytelling combines copy and data visualization to totally transform the way people consume data. Data visualization is particularly powerful because it actually targets the brain’s visual processing centre, allowing you to instantly process what you’re seeing. Through design elements like color, shape, and orientation, visualization helps us instantly “see” the story the data is telling us.

“If you cannot see, you cannot improve it because you don’t know where to focus.”

I see data as the beginning of a story and not the end, a starting point for questioning the world around us, instead of seeing it as a definitive answer to all our questions. However, data means nothing without a message.?

Experience Data Storytelling & Trans-disciplinary Design

As a UX Strategist my goal is to design and craft meaningful experiences for the user. In this regard, I believe our Data Visualisations and Storytelling should not limit to a (static) image or visual but stories can be told in many different ways, they can become a sensorial experience, embrace the space 360° and all our senses. We should make use of the media and mediums of our time, we can be creative in the way we use new technologies to communicate our message to the audience.

For instance, a growing number of artists are using data from self-tracking apps in their pieces, showing that creative work is as much a product of its technology as of its time. It’s unlikely Claude Monet would have been Claude Monet without the?portable paint tube, which allowed him to work outside and experiment with capturing natural light. Andy Warhol wouldn’t have been Andy Warhol without the?modern movie star?or the mass-produced Campbell’s soup can.

Art is as much a product of the technologies available to artists as it is of the sociopolitical time it was made in, and the current world is no exception (The Atlantic)

A great example I really like is the one from Miriam Quick with Stefanie Posavec, 'Air Transformed'. The artists asked herself: What if we could really see and feel the burden that air pollution places on our bodies?

She created two objects that make the user experiencing the physical burden of air pollution on their own bodies. The first, Seeing Air is a set of glasses comprises three pairs of lenses, each reflecting a different pollutant (see image above). The second one, ?Touching Air,?comprises three necklaces made of perspex segments of different textures reflecting the different data points collected about a pollution study (see image below).

This is just one of the million examples (the one inspired me most as passionate about sustainability), but there are many more you can take inspiration from. There aren't limits to creativity, it's just about understanding and have clear in mind the message you want to communicate and the action you want to trigger.

My Pieces of Art

As I’m grateful for what I learnt over the course I want to share with you few of the projects I did that I'm proud of.

1

For this assignment I had to create an Infographic for the GQ Magazine. First, I analysed the magazine and its audience to better understand what story would be more relevant to tell to them. After, I analysed and cleaned all the data got through an excel sheet. The data set was immense and it was all about environment and pollution. It took me quite some time to understand such complex numbers and formulas, but tools such as Infogram and Flourish helped me extract some data and visualise it quickly so that I could easily start looking for some interesting patterns or stories to tell.

Tip: Look for similarities, differences or consistent patterns. Check out the larger set of data and don’t miss out the trends! Find the outliers, look for inconsistencies and quirks in your data set.

Once I decided the message I wanted to communicate, I plotted my variables and I started sketching diagrams and charts, reflecting on the type of visualisation that could best reflect the message. Since I wanted to show a hierarchical comparisons and distribution I opted for a TreeMap that could highlight clearly what are the greatest emitter of CO2 in Belgium.

Then, I started thinking and working on colours and the style that could reflect the right tone of voice for the audience. Additionally, I had to look for some more data and numbers to make my point stronger (data that was not present in the sheet I got but was relevant to bring to life my story).

Only at the very end, I got to my laptop: I first created the chart with RawGraphs and then I opened it in Illustrator for the final edits, and I layout everything in Indesign, ready to be published on the Magazine.

2

A good story always has to have a conflict and a plot. These two elements are what make a good presentation into a roller coaster ride that keeps listeners/viewers at the edge of their seats, asking themselves: “What will happen next?”

In this other project I created an (ideally interactive) Data Storytelling and Infographic with a clear 'Call to Action' that trigger the user to be more sustainable and lead them to buy biodegradable coffee pods.

Action is the foundational key to all success (Pablo Picasso)

Data is what I believe will drive sustainable changes, therefore numbers are crucial, yet too often we see reports that include dense data that is dry and boring (at best) and difficult to interpret (at worst). So, as designer, how can I efficiently communicate data insights? Data storytelling is the key.?It can show what’s working and what’s not, inform your strategy, and reveal surprising truths. But to get the full picture, you need to dive into the data, extract those insights, and turn them into a proper story. As those companies need to know what’s not going well in their current processes and operations to decide what should change or be adjusted, visualised data points is what will help them derive meaningful insights and lead them toward better decision making. I will keep challenging the data and numbers I get at hand to be able to make sense and drive actions for (positive) change!

What else?

When going through data gathering and creating Data Storytelling we cannot forget to follow the Design Thinking process for Innovation and to wear our 'Human-Centered-Design-Approach-Hat' which will help us empathise with the user with no judgments and better understand their (hidden & deep) motivations of making decisions.

Last but not least, as designers we all have an ethical responsibility when doing our research and presenting it through data visualisation and storytelling we need to be aware of how our cultural lens can impact and influences our observations. Everyone interpret the world and make sense of it in a different way, but we need to recognise that and know our own assumptions toward the context, the audience and the situation we are looking at.

If you are interested to know more of what I learnt, or simply exchange ideas in regard: drop me a message and let's have a coffee chat :)

Credits

A huge thanks to the teacher of the course, Jola Piesakowska, for supporting my learning experience and for the great feedbacks she provided.