[community] storytelling with data- Book

Thu Jun 30 14:50:13 UTC 2016

good excerpt Caren

I also focused on storytelling in my MRP, as a technique for discovery and
self-advocacy in accessibility, but I also have a background in
'data-driven' market research.

Since we are quoting ourselves (!)... "For designers it [storytelling] is
invaluable to crystallize the ‘whole person’ – their goals and feelings,
their memories and self-identity – rather than narrowing our attention too
early to their interactions with interfaces or functions of products." (and
it is easier/cheaper than enthnography)

When researchers working with quant analysis and/or data talk about
storytelling, they are usually trying to achieve some degree of
'personification' in order to integrate or synthesize isolated variables. I
agree that this usually fails because it captures generalizations (norms)
but disguises them as human agents (not the researcher's bias).

However, I want to challenge the idea that all quantitative and data-driven
analysis leads to the same exclusionary, norming result. The 'outliers' in
a normal distribution market, the long tails as they are often
(incorrectly) referred to, are not typically ignored by data-driven
research; identifying these tails is often the whole purpose of consumer or
public opinion research, and good researchers follow-up by using deep-dive
observational, projective or other qualitative methods to learn about them.
The final step in this process (in commmercial, consumer research I m ean)
is to go BACK to a quant analysis to 'normalize the tail', i.e. identify
generalizable features or variables of that 'tail' population.

This is a process that  goes on constantly and we know it as 'niche'
marketing or 'mass customization'. We never used to have wider shoes for
wider feet, or electric bicycles, or tiny 'smart' cars, or dog-walking
services - all of these were unmet needs in tail markets that someone
figured out how to normalize. There is a whole discourse about inclusive
marketing now, recognizing the power of this approach.

The problem for  inclusive design is that this process only goes as far as
the profit motive, modified by cultural biases. Many, many, needs remain
unmet in traditional markets (not to mention through public services) and a
big role for inclusive design to go further than any other discipline into
the realm of the 'statistically irrelevant'. We also have a duty to
critique the false promises of 'big data' that systematically reproduce
social exclusion when mis-used in policy and strategy.

But let's not dichotomize 'good' qualitative approaches to 'bad'
quantitative ones - there ARE resources in traditional research that we
should all be familiar with - just two of my personal interests:

   1. the use of clustering and factoring (exploratory factor analysis) to
   bring stories together in meaningful ways
   2. the possibility of a 'pattern language' in accessibility challenges,
   that could replace the highly-normed concept of a 'standard'
   3. Either/both of these and other such quant techniques can be a way to
   re-present findings in a participatory or co-design process - they need not
   lead to a radical split between researcher-designer, and 'subject' or 'user.

Hope you are all well and ready for a wonderful summer!
john

On Thu, Jun 30, 2016 at 10:13 AM, Caren Watkins <carenwatkins at gmail.com>
wrote:

> Interesting books on information visualization:
>
> Isabel Meirelles (prof at OCADU)
> http://isabelmeirelles.com/book-design-for-information/
>
> David McCandless
> http://www.informationisbeautiful.net/2009/the-visual-miscellaneum/
>
>
>
> On Thu, Jun 30, 2016 at 10:08 AM, Caren Watkins <carenwatkins at gmail.com>
> wrote:
>
>> Part of my experience is around Information graphics which strives to
>> explain information while Data visualization tends to be more of an
>> exploration of information.
>>
>> In context of inclusive design and the principle that
>> "one-size-fits-one", data visualization can be an antithesis.
>>
>> Here's an excerpt from my MRP that explains that idea:
>> "research that is grounded in data driven ‘factual’ results tends toward
>> groupings and generalizations, void of emotion and individuality. And
>> further, “dominant research methods have never worked for outliers.”
>> Because each child is a spectrum of strengths, it is virtually impossible
>> to find a “representative sample” for “external validity” (Treviranus,
>> 2014)."
>>
>> On Thu, Jun 30, 2016 at 9:12 AM, John W (personal) <
>> pickupwillis at gmail.com> wrote:
>>
>>> there is a new(ish) course on Lynda.com on this topic:
>>>
>>>
>>> https://www.lynda.com/Excel-tutorials/Data-Visualization-Storytelling-Essentials/435230-2.html?srchtrk=index:1%0Alinktypeid:2%0Aq:data%2Bvisualization%2Bstorytelling%0Apage:1%0As:relevance%0Asa:true%0Aproducttypeid:2
>>>
>>> also the Cdn market research association (MRIA) had this as its main them
>>> e for its 2015 conference, so you might search around their site for
>>> recent
>>> papers (www.mria-arim.ca)
>>>
>>> On Thu, Jun 30, 2016 at 8:52 AM, Mohsen Mahjoobnia <
>>> mm14kl at student.ocadu.ca>
>>> wrote:
>>>
>>> > This might be of interest! and would appreciate any other suggestions
>>> on
>>> > the topic.
>>> > storytelling with data <http://www.storytellingwithdata.com/book><
>>> > http://www.storytellingwithdata.com/book/>
>>> >
>>> > Cheers
>>> >
>>> > Mohsen M
>>> >
>>> >
>>> > --
>>> >
>>> > *Mohsen M*, Accessible Home consultant
>>> >
>>> > MDes, Inclusive Design, 2016 @OCADU
>>> > <http://www.ocadu.ca/academics/graduate-studies/inclusive-design.htm>
>>> >
>>> > *Cell:*+1-647-460-7009
>>> >
>>> > *ProClusive.com*|Email: moisenm at gmail.com
>>> |*ca.linkedin*.com/in/moisenm/
>>> > <http://ca.linkedin.com/in/moisenm/>
>>> >
>>> >
>>> > *RE**/**MAX* *Ultimate* *Realty Inc., Brokerage*
>>> >
>>> > 1739 Bayview Ave..| Toronto, ON M6J 1X7  Tel: 416.487.5131
>>> > <http://tel:416.487.5131/> Fax: 416.487.1750 <http://tel:416.487.1750
>>> />
>>> >
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>>> >
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>>>
>>>
>>> --
>>> *John D. Willis | *
>>> *CMRP, MDes *Inclusive design, strategy and research
>>> Toronto CANADA
>>>
>>> Web: www.jdwillis.ca
>>> LinkedIn: https://ca.linkedin.com/in/tojohnw
>>> Twitter: @TOjohnw
>>> Skype: johnwillis416
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>>
>>
>>
>> --
>> *CAREN WATKINS*
>> *MDes, Inclusive Design*
>> creative director | design speaker | post secondary educator
>> publication design | branding | events | print & digital
>>
>> *416-520-1275 <416-520-1275>*
>>
>> WEBSITE <http://www.watkinscommunicationanddesign.com/>
>> carenwatkins at gmail.com
>> @ThisIsCaren <https://twitter.com/ThisIsCaren>
>>
>
>
>
> --
> *CAREN WATKINS*
> *MDes, Inclusive Design*
> creative director | design speaker | post secondary educator
> publication design | branding | events | print & digital
>
> *416-520-1275 <416-520-1275>*
>
> WEBSITE <http://www.watkinscommunicationanddesign.com/>
> carenwatkins at gmail.com
> @ThisIsCaren <https://twitter.com/ThisIsCaren>
>

-- 
*John D. Willis | *
*CMRP, MDes *Inclusive design, strategy and research
Toronto CANADA

Web: www.jdwillis.ca
LinkedIn: https://ca.linkedin.com/in/tojohnw
Twitter: @TOjohnw
Skype: johnwillis416