There is power in data. Data can tell important stories, from which politicians are corrupt to which corporations are breaking the law. However, like any good story its power is dependent on being compelling to audiences — being a page-turner.
Take a look at the table above that I got from Google Images through a quick search. I have not read the article or book that this table came from, I don't know the author(s), and I don't know the subject area (but it appears to be either political science or economics). Despite that, I (as a quantitative political scientist) can tell you a lot from this table: what factors the creator cared about and what he or she didn't, what they was trying to find out, what factors were important and what wasn't, and much more. Simply put, to people with a certain data skill-set, this table — with no other information — tells a clear story. However, alone the table's story won't have an impact. Why? Because it isn't compelling.
While I believe that everyone should have at least some basic training in data science (and that is all you would need to read the table above), the reality is that now and in the foreseeable future that is a pipe-dream. The majority of people, particularly those in positions of power, can not read the story that the table above is presenting. To them, it is neither accessible nor interesting.
In contrast, take this image below. The image contains no real data, it is all made up at random. It has no story to tell, no lessons to teach us. However, every person reading this post can understand this image and tell us what is happening. More importantly, with its beautiful layout and sharp visuals it is actually interesting; you want to look at it. This is the power of good design.
Why am I telling you this? Because the simple fact is that if both the table and image were placed on the desks of policymakers, journalists, business leaders, and politicians, it would undoubtedly be the image that interested them — that enticed them to examine it and kept their attention all the way through. The image's ability to be compelling means that at the end of the day, it is going have a much stronger chance of having a real impact.
At Ushahidi, data is our bread and butter. However, we also believe in the importance of great design. We have amazing
designers and we invest a lot of time and energy into making visually stunning products. This attention to esthetics isn't some vain impulse. It is because we know the ability of good design to make products and the data they produce compelling and, ultimately, matter.
Photo credit
There is power in data. Data can tell important stories, from which politicians are corrupt to which corporations are breaking the law. However, like any good story its power is dependent on being compelling to audiences — being a page-turner.
Take a look at the table above that I got from Google Images through a quick search. I have not read the article or book that this table came from, I don't know the author(s), and I don't know the subject area (but it appears to be either political science or economics). Despite that, I (as a quantitative political scientist) can tell you a lot from this table: what factors the creator cared about and what he or she didn't, what they was trying to find out, what factors were important and what wasn't, and much more. Simply put, to people with a certain data skill-set, this table — with no other information — tells a clear story. However, alone the table's story won't have an impact. Why? Because it isn't compelling.
While I believe that everyone should have at least some basic training in data science (and that is all you would need to read the table above), the reality is that now and in the foreseeable future that is a pipe-dream. The majority of people, particularly those in positions of power, can not read the story that the table above is presenting. To them, it is neither accessible nor interesting.
In contrast, take this image below. The image contains no real data, it is all made up at random. It has no story to tell, no lessons to teach us. However, every person reading this post can understand this image and tell us what is happening. More importantly, with its beautiful layout and sharp visuals it is actually interesting; you want to look at it. This is the power of good design.
Why am I telling you this? Because the simple fact is that if both the table and image were placed on the desks of policymakers, journalists, business leaders, and politicians, it would undoubtedly be the image that interested them — that enticed them to examine it and kept their attention all the way through. The image's ability to be compelling means that at the end of the day, it is going have a much stronger chance of having a real impact.
At Ushahidi, data is our bread and butter. However, we also believe in the importance of great design. We have amazing designers and we invest a lot of time and energy into making visually stunning products. This attention to esthetics isn't some vain impulse. It is because we know the ability of good design to make products and the data they produce compelling and, ultimately, matter.
Photo credit