Empowering People with Data

Empowering People with DataUN Word Data Form1/17/2017

Rahul BhargavaResearch Scientist@rahulbot

1

Empowering People with Data

Rahul Bhargava

[email protected]@rahulbot

Tips and Tricks for Creative Data Literacy

Research ScientistCivic Media Group - MIT Media Lab

www.datatherapy.orgwww.databasic.io



2

Research Scientist

MIT Center for Civic Media

Civic Media Group, MIT Media Lab

Participants sketching a data story

Painting a data mural

About Me



3

This Workshop

1. Introduction2. A fun “data sculpture” activity3. Opportunities for engagement around data4. A “story sketching” activity5. Conclusion



4

Data is an asset…

improveoperations

spread themessage

bring peopletogether



5

…but is it empowering?

• Lack of transparency

• Extractive collection practices

• Technological complexity

• Control of impact

no awareness for subject

no agency for subject

no understanding for subject

no participation by subject

D’Ignazio, C., & Bhargava, R. (2015). Approaches to Building Big Data Literacy. In Bloomberg Data for Good Exchange 2015. New York, NY, USA.



6

How do we empower people with data?



7

Let’s Make Data Sculptures!

• Read your data handout

• Find a partner

• Grab some craft materials

• Make a sculpture that shows something you see in the data

Be creative - don’t just make a bar chart out of blocks!



8

Let’s Make Data Sculptures! you have 8 minutes



9

A Creative Approach toData Literacy



10

Data-dense, visually complex, representations of complex data-driven stories are held up as inspirations.

Visual ExplanationsEdward R. Tufte

Tableau Software

The Usual Guiding Lights



11

Low-tech, arts-based presentations of data-driven stories can be more appropriate for engaging and empowering many types of audiences.

A Chronological History of the United StatesElizabeth Peabody1856

A hand-made data visualization

A Richer Set of Inspirations



12

Opportunities for Engagement

Asking questions

Gathering data

Finding a story

Telling your story

Trying it out

brainstorminghypothesis forming

participatory collection

analysis

collaborative creation

evaluation



13

Charting crop production and rainfall trends over timePraxis India

#1 – Rural Data Analysis

Making a radar-cart on the floorPraxis India

Praxis India



14

Mobile data collection around the city@GoBoston2030 on Twitter

#2 – Participatory Analysis in GoBoston2030

Participatory analysis at an Imagine Boston community workshop@ImagineBoston on Twitter

Interaction Institute for Social Change



15

Participants sketching mural design ideas

#3 – A Data Mural in Brazil

Painting the mural

Rahul and Emily Bhargava, Secretary of Minas Gerais, Brazil

Bhargava, R., Kadouaki, R., Bhargava, E., Castro, G., & D’Ignazio, C. (2016). Data Murals: Using the Arts to Build Data Literacy. The Journal of Community Informatics, 12(3).



16

A Chronological History of the United StatesElizabeth Peabody - 1856

#4 – The Fabric of History

Elizabeth PeabodyLibrary of Congress

Elizabeth Peabody



17

Sketching a Story



18

DataBasic.ioA suite of tools and activities for learning to work with data



19

wordcounter.databasic.io



20

A word cloud of results

Word Counter Results

Downloadable lists of the most common word and phrases



21

Let’s Sketch a Story!

• Make a team of 3 or 4 people

• Visit wordcounter.databasic.io & pick a sample dataset

• Find a quick story to you think is interesting

• Grab paper, markers, and sketch out your story visually

you have 15 minutes

Be creative and have fun!



22

We Can Use Data To Empower



23

Fun > Sexy

Self-defined

Self-motivated

Substantive

Fake-able

Fun

✔

️ ✔

✔

❌

Sexy

?

❌

❌

✔



24

Opportunities for Engagement

Asking questions

Gathering data

Finding a story

Telling your story

Trying it out

brainstorminghypothesis forming

participatory collection

analysis

collaborative creation

evaluation

This builds cross-sector trust!



25

datatherapy.org

Quick summaries available

Still looking for funding to develop a toolkit

More Activities on datatherapy.org



26

Use Your Data Assets Wisely

improveoperations

spread themessage

bring peopletogether



27

Empowering People with Data

Rahul Bhargava

[email protected]@rahulbot

Tips and Tricks for Creative Data Literacy

Research ScientistCivic Media Group - MIT Media Lab

www.datatherapy.orgwww.databasic.io

Education

Empowering People with Data