Three questions for data-visualist Jan-Willem Tulp.

Following our meetup in May, we sat down with Jan-Willem in order to explore the intersection of storytelling and data-experience design?

Jan-Willem, what is the link between storytelling and data-experience design?

For me data experience design is creating a representation and possible interaction of a data set, specific to a particular situation, purpose, audience and context.

In some cases, no storytelling is involved, at least not explicitly, because I am only applying a visual analysis tool that allows a group of expert to gain insights from a specific dataset.

But in other cases, I determine which findings should be communicated and then my job is also to create design, based on data that communicates those findings. This process is, at its core, about making choices on all levels of design, engineering, data analysis, etc.

Some people talk about “communicating the story within the data” but I don’t know for certain if that’s true. More often I’m putting across an interpretation. This way, a data-visualization is rather about underscoring a story, based on date-driven insights, than having data telling the story by itself.

What fascinates you about data-visualisation?

What fascinates me most is that there can be a choice on so many levels. There is no ideal visualisation for a dataset. This means you are guided by the data on the one hand, but have almost infinite opportunities for design on the other.

A similar kind of tension can be found looking at the ‘constraints’ of a project objective, target group, timelines or budget. To come up with the best solution, working within these constraints, is an incredibly fun and addictive process.

What kind of storytelling techniques do you use?

There are several storytelling techniques for communicating data. A good example is the interactive slideshow, where you present a particular part of your story with a ‘slide’, with on each slide some limited interactivity to examine the data itself.