Data Literacy

→ Educational tools and resources for people who want to start working with data

  • 🛣️ Sector: Education, Data
  • 🧭 Team/Client:ODD Studio
  • 📆 Timeline: 9 months
  • ⛑️ Role: Research, Writing, Graphic Design, Branding, Communications, UI
  • ⚒️ Tools: Miro, Figma, Notion, Slack

💬 Introduction

Originally a toolbox to help communities share ideas through physical data visualizations, di.lo is a data literacy workshop.
My role in this project was to transform the original concept into a viable product.

It was difficult to define the product since we targeted an international audience. However, through extensive research and user testing, I was able to develop a workshop that took participants from data to decision making in 2 hours.

💡Concept
A toolbox to share ideas through data visualization

🎯Goal
Transform the original concept into a viable product

⚠️ Considerations
Product definition, international audience, small team with limited resources

✅ Solution
A workshop to teach people how to start using data

🔎 Research

The first step was a series of exploratory interviews with professionals who work with data.

The conversations revealed interest in educational materials for data literacy, however, selling them would be difficult without direct connections to the education industry. Thanks to this insight we avoided creating materials for a specific school curriculum during the testing stage.

Also, throughout the whole design process, I collected references on data literacy, gamification, marketing and psychology to create a detailed resource catalog for the team.

📢 Exploratory Interviews
Teacher, Bank Analyst, Researcher, Government Worker, Entrepreneur

📚 60+ Resource Catalog
Books, Articles, Reports, Papers, Videos

• Data literacy
• Gamification
• Marketing + Psychology

🔑 Key Learning
A good educational resource for “data beginners”

📝 Testing

I conducted 10 physical tests using simple, low-cost, stationery materials. The tests included: a game for friends to learn about each other, tracking your progress on a hike, and a football-data activity kit for children. The focus was qualitative user research through observation, interviews and participatory design.

The feedback confirmed that implementing gamification techniques improved the overall user experience. Participants loved sharing their viewpoints so I incorporated opinion-based questions into the tests.

We also noted that users needed an incentive to learn. So, instead of forcing educational content into a game, the first prototype became a digital workshop that through “games” teached basic data concepts.

📑 10 Physical Tests
Low-cost stationery materials


📣 Qualitative Research
Interviews, Observation, Participatory design

🔑 Key Learning
Gamification techniques improved user experience but people

need an incentive to learn

🪂 First Prototype
A game to learn how to make decisions with data by:

1. Sorting data
2. Evaluating data
3. Visualizing data
4. Applying data

🎏 Design Highlight

I wanted to start the workshop with an interactive tutorial that would engage users, set rules and define expectations.

So I planned an activity where participants had to answer
“What’s your favorite show?”. They would input their responses by choosing a color based on the show’s language, write the name of the series on it and finally place it on a graph according to the show’s genre. At the end we discussed the results and decide what type of TV series we could all watch together.

Through this activity, I created a friendly workshop environment, where participants gained confidence in their abilities, and practiced using the tool and materials provided.

✈️ Prototype

To refine the prototype and narrow down our target audience I focused on qualitative research. I identified a need in the market: a simple, interactive course designed for people who will need to work with data. For example high school or college students and professionals wanting to improve their CV.

The workshop was first developed in english as an online prototype that used miro boards to mimic moving physical objects. The workshop was then tested in a physical context creating a simple prototype.

The next step was marketing the workshop. I expanded the brand sketches into a style guide for all materials, including the UI for the workshop activities. We also created an instragam account focused on data literacy and prepared a slide deck to present the project to potential clients.

Finally, to promote the workshop, we set up and Evenbrite account to legitimize transactions with our clients and we promoted the course through social media.

📣 Qualitative Research
Competitive Analysis, User Personas, Field Tests, Observation and Surveys

📊 5 Workshop Tests
4 online and 1 physical 
4 PTBR + 1 ENUS

☎️ Marketing Strategy
Social Media Campaign
B2C + B2B

🎭 Feedback

Feedback

After each workshop we sent out a survey to our participants.
We received a good response rate and good results with most participants saying they enjoyed the workshop. One quote from the participants of the physical workshop stated: “I enjoyed all the steps, it was great not to be seated all the time and interact with people”.

The team also received specific insights on what we could improve. For example participants who had not used miro before found it difficult to use the tool. To tackle this, I created a short video tutorial which was then sent to participants as part of their welcome package.

🌟Results

I was successful in turning di.lo into a viable product.
The team and I developed throughly tested prototype with a finalized brand and materials in 3 languages.

  • An online workshop with a fun, easy to follow framework.

  • A demo version of the physical workshop.

  • Brand materials in English, Spanish and Portuguese. Including: presentations, interactive activities, digital collaterals and website design.

  • Resource catalog that documented components, materials and development process.

  • Social media account for data literacy in Portuguese
    instagram.com/dilo_with_data

🎯 Deliverables
Workshop + Framework
Brand + Materials
Social media + Marketing strategy
Resource catalog

Wrap up
Personal lessons

This project was amazing. I grew a lot as a designer and as a team leader. I placed special care in the project’s documentation since the team worked asynchronously in different time zones and in languages. Most of all I loved interacting with people to improve the project. I also experience how rewarding creating educational content can be. Seeing people’s faces light up when they understand a new concept was very special and I am looking forward to people benefiting from our work.