I love speaking and writing about data, visualization, and technology. I co-host the Philadelphia Data Visualization Meetup where I curate interesting talks on the intersection of information visualization, data analytics, and design thinking.
In March 2024, I spoke to the annual Datawrapper conference on how to extend Datawrapper tooltips using Svelte, focusing on creating interactive charts with custom data displays. I dove into how to use Datawrapper's chart interaction events and Svelte's reactive programming model to send data from a Datawrapper chart to a Svelte application for displaying additional context. Check out the GitHub repository I mention in the video!
In March 2021, I moderated a panel discussion on Augmented Reality (AR) and Virtual Reality (VR) for the Delaware Data Innovation Lab Meetup. I gave a presentation on the experiments we conducted at The Lab and insights we had uncovered for data visualization in shared virtual space. I then brought in a panel of technologists and product leaders to share their perspectives on this growing domain which led to fruitful discussion!
In February 2020, I gave my first talk to the meetup I now co-host, the Philadelphia Data Visualization Meetup. I explored the evolution of Google Data Studio (now Looker Studio after the Google acquisition) and its potential for creating custom dashboards and community visualizations. The presentation covered the platform's history, ecosystem, and hands-on methods for building interactive, browser-based data experiences. Check out the full slide deck!
The Urban Institute data visualization team creates a wide array of visual products, including static charts for reports and briefs, interactive standalone graphs for the Urban Wire blog, and larger exploratory tools, all to make research findings more accessible for policymakers, researchers, community leaders, and other stakeholders.
I emphasize the value of showcasing unique and creative projects during the job application process to stand out to potential employers. By sharing personal projects that demonstrate problem-solving skills and technical proficiency, candidates can effectively illustrate their passion and capabilities in data analytics.
I discuss CompassRed's investment in the R Shiny application framework to enhance client presentations by transforming static outputs into interactive dashboards. I highlight various innovative Shiny skins developed by the community, which provide fresh and engaging designs, moving beyond the conventional layouts to improve user experience and functionality.
In this post, we explore an innovative approach to creating a custom click heatmap using Google Analytics, Google Tag Manager, and Google Data Studio. The article details the transition from traditional scatterplot visualizations to a more effective heatmap representation, enhancing insights into user engagement on websites.
We detail how CompassRed created a social listening report for a client, comparing their Facebook and Twitter engagement to that of competitors in the higher education sector. Utilizing Google Data Studio, the report features metrics like Engagements per 100k Followers to normalize comparisons, along with a modular card design that enhances the user experience and allows for easy customization.
I explore the integration of R Shiny with Google Analytics to create dynamic geographic visualizations, leveraging the powerful deck.gl framework and Mapbox. The article outlines the benefits of using R Shiny for custom data representations and provides a step-by-step guide for setting up a Google Cloud Project to facilitate Google Analytics data access and authentication.
I delve into the exciting world of Community Visualizations in Google Data Studio, which allows users to enhance their reports using custom JavaScript and CSS. The article shares insights from my journey of integrating the Highcharts JS library for animated visualizations, along with tips for navigating the transition from traditional dashboarding tools to JavaScript-based customization.
I share my exhilarating first experience at BarCamp Philly 2019, an unconference that fosters open participation and encourages attendees to host and vote on sessions. From insightful talks on data-driven communication and software development to creative parallels between Dungeons and Dragons and management, I reflect on the valuable lessons learned and the vibrant community atmosphere that makes BarCamp a unique and inspiring event.
I discuss how to enhance the business value of existing data by gathering publicly available information through web scraping, using examples from a Disney World competitor. I walk through two specific scraping techniques—extracting structured data from Wikipedia tables and parsing historical ticket pricing from article text—while also highlighting additional data sources and tools to consider for enriching your dataset.
I share my experience with the Makeover Monday data visualization exercise, where I analyzed tweets from the Emoji Mashup Bot, which creates unique emoji combinations. By leveraging emoji sentiment scores from a 2015 study, I explored the relationship between the sentiment of source emojis and the popularity of their mashups, ultimately revealing insights about how funny sentiment combinations may influence the number of favorites a tweet receives.