I met Dr Jo Bates from the University of Sheffield during a ‘Data and Society’ module as part of my Data Science MSc. I enjoyed her course because it made us think about data ethics in our society. After completing my course, she approached us to create a visual summary based on her research.
This blog post focuses on the step-by-step process of producing a visual summary for Dr Jo Bates, Dr Yu-Wei Lin and Dr Paula Goodale titled ‘Data Journeys’.

Step 1: Introductory Call & Research Consultation

The first step in producing the visual summary was a 1-hour meeting with Jo. We discussed what aspects of the research paper she wanted to highlight, the audience and intended use of the summary.

What?

Jo was clear that she wanted to visually communicate a methodology and not research findings. She referred to this as the ‘Data Journeys Methodology’. This methodology would show managers how to map data flows in their organisation and identify potential points of friction. The methodology would get people thinking about the different factors influencing data movements.

Who?

The audience for this summary was data managers within public sector organisations.

Why?

Jo had three reasons for creating the visual summary. First, to generate initial visibility for this method within public sector organisations. Second, to offer different ways to think about data movement problems in public sector organisations. Third, to enable data managers to consider the cultural aspects that affect data flows. As a result, data managers would consider the big picture of a data journey, taking into account wider social issues and policy developments.

Where?

The visual summary is useful for print (i.e. disseminated at events) and online (i.e. in publications and on social media).

Step 2: Summary of the Research

The underpinning research paper is ‘Data journeys: Capturing the socio-material constitution of data objects and flows‘ – published in the ‘Big Data and Society’ journal. The authors are Jo Bates, Yu-Wei Lin and Paula Goodale. This was the starting point for us to understand the research and the methodology.
The team also produced a website for the project titled ‘The Life of Data’ which illustrated how this methodology was used to map the UK’s weather and climate data infrastructure.
The team wanted to create a short, and easy to use visual summary, so the text we pulled out for it came to roughly 500 words. The text went through 2 rounds of client feedback until we achieved the form below.

Step 3: Design of the Research Summary

During our initial session, the designer was inspired by the ‘exploration and curiosity’ theme of this project. We represented the data manager as a woman and offered a neutral colour scheme.
The first draft of the design was this:

Positives:
– Good colour scheme and layout
– Good layout and flow of content
Improvements:
– Edit and shorten the text for Step 4 on the second page
– Rethink the icon for Step 4 needed to illustrate ‘understanding, conversations’
– Lose the pith helmet and give her a different coloured (non-safari) top.
– Make the character look more hopeful about her decision-making in the final step
– Make a few text edits took place to improve the flow
As a result of this client feedback, we made a few changes…

Step 4: Visual Elements and Delivery

The team was happy with these changes and approved of the final design. The final file was prepared for print and web upload. We advised that printing take place on a matte and thick paper.
In addition, we saved the individual steps of the methodology suitable for insert into blogs and social media posts.

The final result is a 2-page visual summary that speaks directly to the methodology developed by the research team.

The visual summary significantly enhances our ability to communicate with non-academic audiences, share the key ideas behind the Data Journeys methodology, showcase work going on at the School, and make people aware of opportunities for collaboration. We’ve used the visual summary to create postcards for distribution at various events, and we’ve also used it in a piece in a national publication aimed at information professionals. Everyone has commented on how well produced the visualisation is. 
We’re thrilled with how this research summary turned out and we loved working with Jo and her team. We would love to hear your thoughts on it, too!

What do you think of this visual summary for Dr Jo Bates from the University of Sheffield? See the portfolio page on the Data Journeys project!