What the numbers tell usAnna Dahlström, Geeky 23 Oct 2012 - London

12,214

12,214 days

12,214 dayssince I was bornnot how we usually refer to our age

17 May 1979still relies on us converting it based on our own reference points

33 years 5 months 7 daysa precise reference & easy to understand

Numbers need contextwithout it they have very little meaning

Context is dependent on our understandingformats, measures & cultural references

348 milesdistance between my house & the Royal Dublin Society

visual references aid our understanding

348 miles

visual comparison helps even further

348 miles 374 miles

known measures provide instant reference points

560 km 602 km

Has to be the right contextor the numbers become misleading or hard to understand

Big dataeverybody is talking about it

Data scientist“The sexiest job of the 21st century”, Harvard Business Review

Eat & sleep datawhat to use & how it can be used

In decision making

trends & opportunities

Identify

Source: www.flickr.com/photos/jorgeq82/4732700819

where to start & what to focus on

Guide

Source: www.flickr.com/photos/dpstyles/3448453466

kpis - what, how & for how long

Measure

Source: www.flickr.com/photos/mr_t_in_dc/1394718838

how we did & what we need to do

Review

Source: www.flickr.com/photos/davedugdale/5099605109/in/photostream

In the design process

tell us something about our users

Analyse

Source: www.flickr.com/photos/vrypan/490057546/

why & what

Reference

Source: www.flickr.com/photos/vrypan/490057546/

design decisions & approaches

Validate

Source: www.flickr.com/photos/nomadic_lass/5598218199

As part of products

more understandable way

Communicate

Source: ivancash.com/Infographic-of-Infographics

creating awareness & reach

Educate

Source: www.slaveryfootprint.org/

reminders, awareness, notifications, warnings

Alert

Source: www.flickr.com/photos/teraminato/4716125623

influence online behaviour

Nudge

Source: screenshot hotels.com

offline decision making

Source: www.bbc.co.uk/news/science-environment-19571053

Influence

ratings & reviews, how many others, how many of my friends

Source: screenshot hotels.com

Reassure

other people who liked this also liked.... this is similar to...

Recommend

Source: www.flickr.com/photos/dcmetroblogger/6574651159

the cherry on the cake

Source: www.uniform.net

Delight

Big dataBig potentialit’s a gold mine

Understanding datawhat to use, how it can be used & how to actually use it

What decisions could we make if we had all the information we need

- Harvard Business Review

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@annadahlstrom | www.annadahlstrom.com

Thank you. Questions?