A quick overview of two techniques from design thinking that can help us better tailor data visualizations to the needs of our audiences. Personas can be used to identify illustrative audience members who represent large groups within our target audience, and journey maps help us understand how an audience receives, interprets, and acts on information. The illustrative example presented here is rooted in a real world experience, but is not an actual persona and journey used in that work.

1. Designing DataVisualizations
with Empathy
Amanda Makulec, MPH
Visual Analytics Advisor | John Snow Inc.

2. Let’s take a trip
to Zimbabwe.

3. Where a local organization uses
community scorecards to capture
quarterly data on health services
in 18 communities.

4. The team aggregates
and analyzes the data.

5. They needed to identify
who can use the data
and how that person
wants to have the data
presented and shared.

6. empathy
“walking in someone
else’s shoes”

7. Design thinking gives us tools to cultivate empathy.
Graphic: Hasso Plattner Institute of Design Stanford University

8. Credit to ThinkPlace Foundation, from the Innovations for Maternal,
Newborn & Child Health Initiative’s Care Community Hub
Personas Journey
Maps
Today, we’ll walk through a rapid overview of two design thinking
techniques you can use in data visualization design.

9. personas
design toolbox #1

10. Personas help us move beyond
job titles
stakeholder groups
organization names
and focus on the human side of
your audience.

11. Each persona represents a significant portion of
people in the real world and enables the designer to
focus on a manageable and memorable cast of
characters, instead of focusing on thousands of
individuals.”
“A persona is depicted as a specific
person but is not a real individual;
rather, it is synthesized from
observations of many people.
From:
https://www.smashingmagazine.com/2014/08
/a-closer-look-at-personas-part-1/

12. Identify your
stakeholder group(s).

13. District Health Executive Team
for example

14. Capture data on your
stakeholder group.

15. Analytical ability
Job function
Education
Programmatic knowledge
Access to tools
Motivations to use data
Pain points
Interests
Where they access information
Champion or opposition

16. Talking directly to members of your
audience gives you the greatest insight
into their wants, needs, and pain points.

17. If you’ve worked with this stakeholder
group before, you can also brainstorm
based on experience.

18. Identify 2-3 different
“personas” within each
stakeholder group.

19. District Health Executive Team
The Technocrat The Politician
segmented to

20. Name your personas &
give them stories.

21. District Health Executive Team
Rachel
The Technocrat
Pascal
The Politician
segmented to

23. Credit toThinkPlace Foundation, from the Innovations for Maternal, Newborn & Child Health
Initiative’s Care Community Hub

24. Identify common
characteristics and
differences

25. Wants
stories
Wants
numbers
Motivated
by passion
Motivated
by money
Act based
on feelings
Act based
on data
Resilient
problem solver
Frustrated
bureaucrat
Champion for
your issue
Oppose your
issue

26. Wants
stories
Wants
numbers
Motivated
by passion
Motivated
by money
Act based
on feelings
Act based
on data
Resilient
problem solver
Frustrated
bureaucrat
Champion for
your issue
Oppose your
issue
Rachel
the Technocrat
Pascal
the Politician

27. journey
map
design toolbox #2

28. Creating a journey map is an excellent way to
systematically think about the steps or milestones
of a process, and can be used in developing
empathy and in communicating about your work.1
You can use the steps on the journey map to
identify pain points for your data user that can be
transformed into opportunities for you in sharing
your data.
1 Definition from https://dschool-old.stanford.edu/groups/k12/wiki/d8073/Journey_Map.html

29. Pick a persona.

30. Map out the various (ideal)
steps that person takes
in making a decision.

31. Pascal
The Politician
Community
scorecard data is
collected in
Pascal’s district
Pascal takes action
with the district
supply chain team
to identify root
causes of the issue
Analysis shows
4 clinics in
Pascal’s district
have stockouts
of condoms
Pascal is
unaware of the
stockouts
NGO meets
with Pascal in
his office to
share the data
Pascal shares the
issue with the
District Health
Executive Team
The DHE checks the
logistics information
system and sees the
stockouts were not
reported

32. I am aware…
I think about my options…
I decide…
I seek…
I receive…
I share…
Use a set of
prompts if you’re
having trouble
mapping out steps

35. Identify the pain points
along that journey.

36. Pascal
The Politician
Community
scorecard data is
collected in
Pascal’s district
Pascal takes action
with the district
supply chain team
to identify root
causes of the issue
Analysis shows
4 clinics in
Pascal’s district
have stockouts
of condoms
Pascal is
unaware of the
stockouts
NGO meets
with Pascal in
his office to
share the data
Pascal shares the
issue with the
District Health
Executive Team
The DHE checks the
logistics information
system and sees the
stockouts were not
reported
Pascal has limited
time and needs
something short he
can easily share
with other DHE
members
The DHE may see
no stockouts in
their system and
doubt the accuracy
of the community
data

37. Identify how you will
address each pain point.

38. Pascal
The Politician
Community
scorecard data is
collected in
Pascal’s district
Pascal takes action
with the district
supply chain team
to identify root
causes of the issue
Analysis shows
4 clinics in
Pascal’s district
have stockouts
of condoms
Pascal is
unaware of the
stockouts
NGO meets
with Pascal in
his office to
share the data
Pascal shares the
issue with the
District Health
Executive Team
The DHE checks the
logistics information
system and sees the
stockouts were not
reported
Pascal has limited
time and needs
something short he
can easily share
with other DHE
members
The DHE may see
no stockouts in
their system and
doubt the accuracy
of the community
data
NGO creates a
one page brief
summarizing the
data and recs
NGO adds a spot
check of stock-
on-hand to the
scorecard
process

39. Works well…
 In a workshop setting to
brainstorm audience needs
 In coaching teams on ways
to explore their audience.
 To focus on primary
audience needs when
mapping a dissemination
plan with multiple
deliverables
 In designing dashboards and
other interactive
visualization tools

40. Favorite Resources for Diving in on Design Thinking
• Stanford d. School Bootcamp Bootleg
dschool.stanford.edu/resources
• IDEO Design Kit
ideo.com/post/design-kit

41. Amanda Buenz Makulec
amanda_makulec@jsi.com
@abmakulec
Follow
@jsihealth