Datavis in motion: pitfalls and possibilities

This blog has been hibernating for far too long. I have promised myself many times to revive it, but there always were other and more urgent things to do: preparing workshops, teaching classes, reading theses, and, last but not least, changing jobs. But today a very nice e-mail from a Norwegian student told me that there are actually some people out there who look forward to new posts and that really is the best incentive you can wish for. So no more excuses, time to get interactive again!

Plenty to write about for sure. Interactive infographics are in the spotlight more then ever, data visualization really is in motion. That is exactly the name of a seminar I have organized together with Eugène Tjoa and Statistics Netherlands. On February 3th we will discuss the pitfalls and possibilities of interactive data visualizations. Among the speakers are Jerry Vermanen, who created a platform for Dutch data journalists, Thomas Clever, one of the founders of design bureau CLEVER°FRANKE, and freelance information visualizer Jan Willem Tulp.

No datavis conference without a datavis challenge. We provided three sets of data (about changes in the dwelling stock, consumer confidence and agriculture) and asked participants to use one or more of these sets to create an interactive visualization for a general public. We explicitly also invited designers with little experience.

The submission deadline closed last week so you can no longer participate. But you can take a look at the submissions. It’s fascinating to see how different designers, with different tools and techniques have created complete different interactives based on the same data. The jury has already made up its mind but feel free to share your thoughts. Which design do you like best? And, most important to me, what do you think about the use of interactivity?