How Data and Design Can Work Together

http://www.hugeinc.com/ideas/perspective/how-data-and-design-can-work-together

Principles on designing data-centric user interfaces:

• Use multiple sources of data
  Use both big and thick data to understand the ‘what’ and ‘why’ of user behaviour.
  Big data is made up of large machine-generated quantitative data sets eg. site analytics, shopping history, social media activity, website click maps.
  Thick data is qualitative data, eg. insights from user interviews and focus groups, and quantitative data, eg. online surveys
• Think of data as a storytelling device.
  Need to craft a compelling narrative to help users find relevant patterns and trends. Storytelling is important to steer users through large amounts of information. Content should be prioritized and support the underlying narrative.
• Know your user’s abilities.
  Establish the right level of complexity for your target audience. Even within a specific user segment, users will have different levels of analytical skills and experience and will process and engage with information in a different way. The interface should be flexible enough to accommodate everyone, from first-timers to power users.
• Trust your user’s abilities.
   Don’t shy away from presenting dense information because you worry that users won’t understand it. As long as the information presented is valuable, useful, and conducive to aid the user’s understanding of the information presented, they will be willing to engage with complexity. The right amount of control and support can encourage users to explore more advanced ways of interacting with the data.
• Establish clear paths to discovery.
  Define how users should engage with the information presented.

1. Overview.
   Providing an overview of the entire information set can be very helpful. It allows users to see the bigger picture and find patterns and outliers in the data.
2. Zoom.
   Once users identify interesting clusters of information, they need to ability to focus in on these areas and examine them more closely.
3. Filter.
   Filtering out uninteresting items is an important part of the discovery process. Give users the ability to reduce a large data set by ruling out things they do not want.
4. Details on demand.
   When users have honed in on a particular item of interest, they will want to examine it in full detail.
5. Relate.
   The data presented is more meaningful when users are able to view relationships and compare information.

• Minimize UI distractions
  Every element on the screen should help users complete their tasks. Allowing users to click, drag, and swipe content objects can provide a more tangible and immediate way to interact.
• Make data social and relatable.
  Data can help uses feel connected to a large community by providing information on how other users engage with the platform. Interfaces should deliver a more fulfilling experience ny using data as a social connector.
• Make the future your priority.
   There are many data sources that allow us to predict what a user’s next move may be. Data should be treated as a living, breathing element within any user interface with the goal of optimizing the user interface and streamlining user experience.