Nugit Data Champions - Carrie Roy

Carrie is a senior UX designer, artist & features in TEDx talk “When Art & Data Collide.” Here’s why Carrie is one of our Data Inspirations.

You can watch Carrie's TEDx talk here

“We need to do more than read numbers, we need to experience them.”

When I think about designing the way we engage with data and information, numbers are symbols, they’re often times just on a paper. But what those numbers represent are not symbols. They’re not on a paper. They’re in our lives. They’re affecting us. They’re affecting the way that we make decisions. 

I like the idea of making that experience of the numbers as real and as close to life and as close to what inspires us as possible. A way that really inspires us to think about the real world impact of those numbers and that data. 

What are you passionate about?

I think you shouldn’t have to be a data scientist to make sense of data so I have a passion for democratising data, making it accessible to people.

What ignited this passion?

So, a few years ago my mother was diagnosed with diabetes, and I remember this moment of her at the kitchen island. She was looking at this handwritten list of blood glucose that she’d taken over the last few weeks and she was just frustrated. She said “I know I was doing well here, and I don’t know if I was doing well here. I can’t really make sense of this.” I thought it’d be really helpful for people like my mom who aren’t data scientists, who aren’t into spreadsheets, to be able to make sense of that information and to help improve the way that they are managing their condition. So, I think it’s really important to think carefully about ways that we can present information that’s accessible to everybody and help them make good decisions.

How do you think emerging technology will impact data storytelling?

I really like to think about the possibilities of emerging technology. Virtual reality, augmented reality and its impact on storytelling. It could present not just new stories, but new experiences and new landscapes and new ways of engaging with data and exploring it and interacting with it that we haven’t even begun to thiPostsnk about. So, I think the possibilities when it comes to virtual reality are really exciting.

Why should businesses adopt Data Storytelling?

I think when it comes to business there are a lot of individuals who have a really excellent grasp of data, but the reality is that not everybody thinks or engages with numbers or can understand them in that way. So, an opportunity to put those numbers and that information into a story, something that humans are historically really wired for, is a great opportunity to explain the value or the reasoning.

Watch the video: 10 Strategies to Change the World Through Data Storytelling

Learn more about Nugit's Data Storytelling Platform: What is Data Storytelling?

Tell us about your data downtime?

My favourite way to switch off is to get far away from a screen and just do woodworking. It’s really cathartic and that’s my go-to to get away from data.

If you could use your visual superpowers to persuade people to stop and consider one thing, what would it be?

Oh, that’s a really good one. So, when I think about the ultimate visualization tool that I could present to people, I think it might be something that allows them to see something from another person’s perspective. If you could think about a way of sharing really different perspectives with people who probably haven’t thought about that issue or that concern, that could be really transformative. 

“Make data accessible to everyone and help them make good decisions.”