Designing Data Science - Conversation with Shruti Shetty

I met Shruti Shetty, Art Director at Adrenalin Media at conference in Sydney few months ago. Shruti kindly agreed to answer some of my questions in regards to Design and Data Science. Answers below.

Shruti Shetty - Art Director & Data Science enthusiast

Mauricio: Why your passion for Design and Data Science?

Shruti: Design has gone through quite a silent transformation over the years. The canvas, the technology, the aesthetics have all evolved significantly. Now more so than ever I think, design plays a very central role in tying all these changing features and packaging them for experience. Moving into the new age of the Data Economy, made me look and explore this new and next avenue that will impact design in the coming few years. This lead me to Data Science.

M: Data Science brings insights from analysing data sets. Design can then help present those insights on ways they are easily understood but also engaging and interactive. As a result, those new insights or findings from data sets can highly resonate with audiences...is that correct?

S: That's correct. Traditionally data analysis and handling has taken place in the development or mathematical sense of the world. With the help of design, we translate those complex models, from texts and numbers to patterns, which we can see and understand, and in context to a collateral situation or problem. As said, an image might be as powerful as thousand words.

M : Analysis of data is just one part of a story; in some cases investigative journalism, historical context, current market, political, economic and social dynamics have also a great influence on helping shape data into powerful insights. How do you see the future of Data Science with other disciplines and how Design can play a key role?

S: Patterns are everywhere. They are the very fabric of human behaviour, which has now translated to our online lives. With the power of technology and our need to be switched-on 24/7, we are contributing continuously to this massive data pool. This also means data is being continuously altered and influenced by all and/or more factors, than the ones mentioned above. Hence, before we even begin processing the dataset, we try to understand the circumstances in which the data has been collected. Sometimes this can help fill in the blanks, with the bigger picture. The purpose of data science is to help tell our story, with the events & features of our data. As the scene setting changes so does the climax of the story.
It can be quite hard to identify these influencers in the process of crunching numbers, and this is where visualisation comes into play, within the process itself. Visual tools also help determine the influencing features and charter an appropriate course for the story.We use tools like graphs, charts, plots etc. that display the workings of the data sets in a visual form. As mentioned before, design is a key interpretation of this story into a visual language, which everyone can understand.

M: How important is for Designers (who help Data Scientists) to be involved from the early stages of data analysis? so they can fully understand final insights and create solutions that matches what Data Science want to convey...

S: Designing or visualizing isn't an end mean or a final output stage. Many designers would agree, that design and creation is a journey and a process by itself. Such as data, design goes through it's own transformations, gradually. Hence for a desired optimised solution, collaboration between the two fields, is key. The key is to compliment and co-relate.

M: Is it the role of Designers to just help Data Science better visualise data insights? or the Design role goes far beyond that?... Can Design also help companies better collect data or help companies to find better ways to engage people to contribute to data? or even more, can design engage audiences to analyse data sets?

S: I began the studying data science, my intention was to implement this within our service pool, for our clients. The data we collect can help impact the strategy with which we can constantly improve our products or technology, given the patterns that our users or consumers display. Which in turn, gives them a better experience.

This evolution needs to be refuelled by new and more precise data, which can again be facilitated by design. In short, we use design to translate the given said data, and help grow and alter the data set, to maybe evolve into a new pattern. According to me, this agile approach would best suit this relationship, between data and design.

M: There might be plenty of data visualisation tools these days. What tools have you worked with and found them great to use?

S: Open source softwares such as R Project , and Python, provide a suite of visual tools to crunch and model the data, during the process. The output results can be visualised using a suite of other tools. There are a lot of javascript libraries out there, to help with this. For eg: My team has used, Raphael.js in the past, for a real-time RFID visualisation project. At the same time, there are many other public toolkits to help with this. The one I have found useful is the Tableau toolset.

The Method Case: The project uses digital practices and processes to blur the lines between photography, data visualization, textile design, and computer science.

M: Organisations with no access to Designers or Data Scientists have a big challenge when analysing and presenting insights from data? Any tips for them?

S: Ideally, gathering of that knowledge and datasets would be the first step, moving into this direction. Maintaining records and collecting them in a consistent and efficient manner. I guess with any given field, you need to have access to expertise on that subject matter. If you don't have those skill sets in-house, you would seek those services elsewhere. Traditionally, companies have been gathering the knowledge for the datasets, but haven't been able to implement it's full potential, back into their businesses. For businesses that want to explore this area, there are plenty of options out there. There are independent Data Science organisations who can then collaborate and partner with other agencies, to help make use of their data. But at the same time, companies like ours - Adrenalin Media, are upscaling their skill sets to include this as part of their services, even for Small / Medium sized companies to big scale corporations.

M: Do you favour tools that automate the discoveries of regularities in data? meaning less work for data crunching and possibly just more work for finding compelling ways to present those discovered regularities?

S: I have learnt the hard way, there is no easy formula to help clean up datasets. Again, softwares like R and Python are quite versatile and can handle this process quite well. Personally I like the Google Refine programme, as it has some really nifty features such as a log of all the changes you have made to the dataset, which helps reverse back any mistakes you might have made.

M: As cloud services become more popular and affordable, companies now have the opportunity to collect massive amount of data. However the reality is most of that data gets untapped and/or un-used? Apart from using Data Scientists to help companies find better ways to achieve their key objectives/goals by effective analysis and presentation of Data turned into insights; is there anything else companies should be using their data for?

S: My answer would be similar to the above.

M: There is a lot of talk about how to use big data on organisations and companies but what about individuals, citizens using data for everyday life activities or local community based activities? Any examples or insights on this front?

S: Definitely! Why should all the big companies have all the fun? Sites like vizify.com help visualize your personal data into a cluster of visual graphics, aggregating all your stories online, from LinkedIn, Facebook, Twitter etc. Companies and services alike, have realised the power of visualization and there are a lot of them out there empowering us to take charge of our own data footprints to chart and describe the journey, in a visual form. It also helps keep things fun and interesting for the users.

M: Powerful visualisation of data is key but what about user interaction with data. Any user data driven projects and at what point can interactivity be a nuance for users to fully engage with stories and insights?

S: Interaction is such a powerful engaging tool. Data science wouldn't exist without user interaction. It's the basis of the records that we use. At the same time, the benefits of our insights are then used to display that information for the user to 'interact' with, in terms of engaging with and modifying a visual art piece or using a said service or product. The User interaction is central to the validation of the predictions that we as Data Scientists make. And design can then present this case for the user to accept or reject. In either cases, that would be fed back into the cycle, for the whole process to flow again. It's such a powerful concept, if one thinks about it.

M: What are possibly the top three projects you believe have implemented great design for their data driven projects?

S: Design can be assessed aesthetically or functionally. A good design follows a balance of both. Amazon, Netflix are a few of the companies that continuously update their design based on the data and user patterns that they record. While they aren't aesthetically prominent, they are studied to be one of the most effective use of Information Architectures. Similarly, you see startups such as Triptease, Evr.st etc. who hire data scientists, terming them as 'Growth Hackers' to bust and crunch the numbers and deliver visually stunning outputs for their users. The recurring themes with all these projects is the agile collaborative way that the data and the design teams work together to keep their services and their presence fresh and valuable.

Triptease - For finding lust worthy destinations curated by users 

 About Shruti Shetty ( Twitter - LinkedIn)

Shruti has a design background and been working in the digital space for the past 8 years now.  After graduating from BillyBlue College in Sydney, with a degree in Communication Design, over the years she has specialised in User Experience and Information Architecture. In her current role as Art Director at Adrenalin Media in Sydney, her team produce online solutions, ranging from websites, campaigns to integrating new technologies into their services for eg: RFID.

Infographic explaining Big Data, made by James West and published by New Scientist. It starts with the most fundamental concept which drives big data 3 Vs of Big Data and then moves on to talk about trends, features and challenges of Big Data.

NEXT

• Need Design support for your data sets? Call eDigital on +61481 367 711
• Check Mauricio Escobar Mármol LinkedIn profile.
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User Experience Design Class @ General Assembly Oct 22th 2013

User experience talk by senior UX Consultant, Karen Callaghan @ General Assembly Tuesday 22th October 2013.

Get your objectives right, map your user journey, involved your content strategist and test!, test! test!

Write something worth reading or do something worth writing about

Websites and blogs that no-one visits and cares about should read this!

This could be the best advice to websites and blogs that no-one visits or cares about: 

"If you would not be forgotten as soon as you are dead, either write something worth reading or do things worth writing". 
Benjamin F.

NEXT

• Need to A WRITER for your website, google rankings or social media strategy? Call Mauricio - Digital Marketing Specialist, SEO & Social Media Specialist on +61481 367 711
• Check Mauricio Escobar Mármol LinkedIn profile.
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Key Intakes from Pozible Crowdfunding workshop Sep 2013

HOLA!
I am back! writing my weekly article ( been busy with our successful launch of the new LEA Latinoamericanos Empresarios Australia business and entrepreneurs network last night in Sydney, Australia.

As promised last week, please find below all the fantastic learnings and tips I grabbed from the Pozible Crowdfunding Workshop on Tuesday 3rd September 2013 in Sydney.

This crowd funding workshop was super valuable, specially now that eDigital has been engaged to help Vibrating Planet crowd funding campaign to be launched on the 27th of September 2013 at our Vibrating Planet launching party (All invited if you are in Sydney).

Pozible Crowdfunding Workshop September 2013 - Ambassador Suzie Nguyen speaking to the audience

KEY TAKEAWAYS FROM POZIBLE CROWDFUNDING WORKSHOP

Why people use crowdfunding

• You can build an audience at low cost.
• It allows to pre-sale your new products that are created as part of your project.
• Unlimited potential to raise as much as your project can attracts.
• It is fun! you will be very excited when successfully funding your project.

Tips for project and rewards participation

• Involve people in your crowd funding project. The more they can participate and be part of it, the more they will be interested to support your project.
• The above translates in creating "Intimate levels" of engagement that are unique to the project and rewards. Examples can be exclusive lunch/dinner rewards with project creators, donors to be part of the group that designs or selects the logo, supporters material (photos, stories) to be part of the project creative outcome, etc.
• Quirkiness works - Be creative with your rewards structure. People love authenticity. It was mentioned a project where someone was raising to spend on a night out...then the the project raised $500 as the project rewards were so quirky and different.
• Financial rewards are not allow in Pozible. You cannot give away money, shares, etc as part of a reward.
• Top rewards can be companies that act as sponsors of that reward. Keep that in mind when negotiating sponsor opportunities. Sponsors like that as it gives them a level of certainty that they will invest to projects that are just successful.

Tips for funding target

• Target the absolute minimum budget that is critical to get your project over the line, specially for first timers and project creators that might not have a strong or solid fan base.
• You should budget for the creation, management and delivery of rewards as part of your funding.
• Transparency is key! Supporters should be able to know exactly how you are going to invest/spend the raised money into the project. Provide exact details.

Tips for Marketing your project

• Most of traffic comes from Project creators social media graph: Facebook and twitter accounting for the majority of traffic.
• Contact every donor and say "Thank you" and remind them to invite their friends and family to donate.
• Link from your project Youtube videos to your Pozible campaign via 'Annotation" feature on Youtube.
• Once launched, you need to test your campaign and ensure payments are going through.
• Decide on your voice and tone. Be consistent. Some might decide to NOT ask for donations. Instead, They INVITE people to be part of their project; to participate with in the project by contributing via crowdfunding website and get a fantastic reward from project creators.
• You need extra Collaborators: you need to find more people who can contribute to your project and hence talk about and promote your crowdfunding campaign!
• We need to mapout key Influencers and reach them: People like to follow what influencers do! Is there any respected industry leader who could endorse your project? Can you ask other popular artist to donate and do a little story with them on why they supported you? You need to get endorsements from any popular industry leaders and promote their support to your project via social media.
• Flyers needed! When you meet new people during your crowdfunding campaign, a flyer needs to be given to them so  they can participate on your campaign. People do not necessarily remember web addresses. Give them an amazing flyer that they cannot resist following up when they get back home.
• You need to map out our activities calendar! To keep people engaged via Social Media and as a way to remind them to donate, you need to plan and promote all your project daily activities during the the campaign period! You need to action this from the very beginning! Activities can be:

- Concerts and gigs you will offer.

- Collaborators you meet and start working with you.

- Confirmed places you will visit as part of your project and people who will be hosting you.

- Influencers you have met and endorse you project.

- Crowdfunding updates, money raised so far.

- Confirm sponsors

- Other collaborations and stories.

• You need visuals! use photos and videos, and plenty of visual clues that our project is going to be successful!

Setting up your Crowdfunding campaign

• Video describing the project is absolutely essential for improving the chances of success. Make it less than 3 minutes long.
• Video and project description MUST be authentic, genuine, transparent and honest.
• Tone of voice is extremely important. Ensure you get it right. seek for advice from professional communications specialist or watch other successful funded projects.

Last but not least

• Read Pozible handbook, Project Guidelines and FAQ's.
• Pozible might be able to help you find sponsors for social projects. Contact Pozible team.

Examples of successful Pozible crowd funding projects

• Mr Black - $10.000 target successfully raised!
• The two chair project - $3,000 target successfully raised!
• Ton of Wool - $33.000 target successfully raised!
• Check below Amanda Palmer - The art of asking video - very inspirational video.

NEXT

• Need to Crowdfund but do not have the time to project manage it? Call Mauricio - Digital Marketing Specialist, SEO & Social Media Specialist on +61481 367 711
• Check Mauricio Escobar Mármol LinkedIn profile.
• Follow us on Facebook, Tumblr, Twitter or Google+

Pozible Crowdfunding Workshop Sep 2013 - Founder Rick Chen speaking to the audience

Global Mobile App market to triple in just less than 3 years!

Mauricio Escobar Marmol from eDigital @ Mobile Monday Sydney 2nd Sep 2013

As global mobile app market is to triple in just less than 3 years time; I wanted to have a refresher tonight at Mobile Monday Sydney. Key takeaways to follow suit this week.

NEXT

• Follow Mobile Monday Sydney on Facebook.
• Call Mauricio - Digital Marketing Specialist & on +61481 367 711
• Check Mauricio Escobar Mármol LinkedIn profile.
• Follow us on Facebook, Tumblr, Twitter or Google+

Find out the benefits of Agile Methodology from a Scrum Master

Last month, I assisted Illawara Digital Conference where I attended and learn from some keynote speakers including Daniel Young from Ebay Australia and some others.

I also got in touch with Justin Urbanski who works as a Scrum Master using "Agile" Methodology for new product development. Justin kindly shares his view about Agile Methodology in Australia and its benefits below. 

Mauricio: Why are you so passionate about "Agile" Methodology?

Justin: On the train ride to the 2009 Agile Australia conference in Sydney I was reading "Agile Estimation and Planning" by Mike Cohn. On the train ride back I was writing my speech to management on why we need to go Agile. The conference is not the sole reason I am so passionate. When I first started reading about Agile it just made sense to me. In a way it was sort of how I liked to work anyway.

Justin Urbanski - Scrum Master - Australia

M: What does "Agile Methodology" mean and what are its key benefits compared with other project development methodologies?

J: Agile is an umbrella of methodologies. A team should choose which methodology is right for them. Agile differs from the traditional Waterfall method in that it promotes iterative development and self organising teams. Instead of doing 6 month software releases, in Scrum (one of the methodologies) we have 2 week sprints. At the end of each sprint the product is potentially shippable. Everyone can then inspect where the product is at, how the market is going, what the customers want and adapt every sprint. That's the difference and one of the key benefits. 

In Scrum cross functional teams work through tasks. The teams are also self organising. I used to be a project manager and assign tasks to individuals to ensure that the project completed on time. I don't have to do that anymore. The teams simply pick off the highest priority tasks and work on it within a sprint. The team members decide who works on what. It's hard to explain but because the teams are working in short sprints and they continually inspect and adapt and eventually they become high performing. The teams talk about how they can get better and better both technically and organisationally. Its not a manager telling individuals how to improve, its a team understanding how they can go faster. That's the benefit.

Agile Methodology Cycle

M: You are a Scrum Master. What are the benefits of having a scrum master in a project development team?

J: Yes I am a Scrum Master. A Scrum Master serves the team. The Scrum Master does everything he or she can to help the team and make them as productive as possible. Like a coach on a football team, the Scrum Master should observe the team and help them adapt.

Scrum Master Position within a Product Development team

M: Is there anything on "Agile Methodology' that we could use for digital marketing processes, ie: managing social media, improving Search campaigns, producing content, etc?

J: I don't see why not. You just need to determine which methodology would be best for your team. For example Kanban may be the way to go. It helps teams prioritise and limit work in progress. 

In Scrum you have a Product Owner. Their responsibility is to control the budget and vision. So they set what things should be worked on first to achieve greater return on investment. I don't see why you could not do that in the digital marketing space.

Kanban Methodology simplified 

M: For entrepreneurs, is there any risk of taking/using "Agile methodologies" in their product development processes?

J: No, and I believe it would be beneficial because you continually inspect and adapt. A great book to read is "Thelean startup" by Eric Ries. 

M: What are your top two project development management tools you would suggest for teams to track Agile projects (Jira?, others)

J: I am very familiar with Jira and it works well. I would suggest the Atlassian suite which includes Greenhopper and Confluence. Because they are both Atlassian products they integrate easily. Greenhopper is the Agile part and helps teams organise and plan sprints. Confluence is Atlassian's wiki. I love it because it enables teams to collaborate and document quickly.

Jira Dashboard - Example

M: Is there any specific products/services or even industries that tend to be better fit for 'Agile methodologies" why?

J: Agile is targeted for the software industry and I believe suits the development of any software product. Web based products tend to be the best fit because when you inspect and adapt each sprint there is something to show. Plus web based products tend to be more volatile and also easier to release each sprint.


M: What are Australian companies implementing best practises Agile metholodogies?
J: In Australia there are too many companies to list who is doing best practise. The thing is that every company is different. If you have the right people and the right coaches then hopefully those people are getting the most out of their Agile journey.


M: Is there anything Agile teams should avoid when using Agile Methodology?
J: Firstly avoid ScrumBut. If you do not Scrum properly then you will not get the most out of your teams. Secondly be patient. Your Agile transition is a journey. It takes years to get it right.  

M: Can someone use Agile methodology for everyday activities? how?

J: Yes there are people using it in schools and I have even used it at home. At home I setup a Kanban wall to help organise our family activities.

M: How we do compare with America on the adoption of Agile methodologies and what companies in Australian are taking the lead?

J: I don't know the stats or about America but Agile in Australia is thriving. In 2009 there was the first Agile Australia conference. We now have 5 or more Agile conferences per year in Australia. The leading companies are Thoughtwoks, SMS MT, Suncorp, and Atlassian just to name a few.

M: Where people can learn more about what you do? please send us your website, blog, twitter, etc.

J: The best way is to just contact me via email for any questions your readers may have. 

M: Anything cool or funny that you have experienced by working with Agile teams?

J: The coolest thing is watching a Scrum team grow into a high performing one. That's what I love about Agile. Its about the soft skills just as much as the technical skills. The soft skills allow teams to build the rapport that enables them to produce remarkable software.

NEXT

• If you are a Scrum Master or Agile expert who would like to contribute to this article please let me know. Mauricio. Call Mauricio - Digital Marketing Specialist & on +61481 367 711
• Check Mauricio Escobar Mármol LinkedIn profile.
• Follow us on Facebook, Tumblr, Twitter or Google+

SEO Consultant Sydney - SEO in Action - Test article 1

SEO Consultant Sydney - SEO in Action - Test article 1

"SEO Consultant Sydney" search term for a Sydney SEO consultant might be an important search term the average person might think an SEO expert should rank for.

However there is more to it than just ranking for the term you think your business should rank for. In this specific example, the term "SEO Consultant Sydney" is:
a)  not a "high volume" term (just 90 searches last month in Australia - According to Google Adwords keyword tool)
b) it is just one of other key relevant terms an SEO consultant might want to rank for.
b) Possibly might not generate as many conversions (phone ringing asking for Sydney SEO packages).

This SEO Consultant Sydney article is one of some others SEO test articles I am planning to publish in my Blogspot website (Google owned Blogging platform) to establish whether Google Australia will rank this article for "SEO Consultant Sydney" searches on Google Australia.

Would this optimised SEO Consultant Sydney blogspot page be enough to be ranked on Google Australia for "Sydney Consultant Sydney" search phrase? ANSWER: We do not know (YET). As with any SEO project; we need to test, test and test.

With so many changes with latest Google Panda update and latest Back Links updates from Google; as ranking positions rely more and more on quality content and not just buying links pointing to your optimised pages.

Not just "SEO Consultant Sydney" term!

Our business (as yours) cannot rely on just one term to get traffic. Generally a planned SEO content strategy that publishes "meat" that Google would love to eat is key!.

For this testing exercise then how do I ensure I am creating enough meat? 
In the next days I will also publish pages that optimise for the terms:

• SEO Packages Sydney
• SEO Agency Sydney
• SEO Consultant Salary
• SEO Job Description
• SEO consultant philippines

I will start internal linking between these pages too. At the moment there is no linking as the pages have not been created.

How did I come up with the above terms?

As this is a BASIC TEST to check whether this Blogspot page can actually gain great Search Engine Ranking Positions (SERP's)  for the term "SEO consultant Sydney" a BASIC keyword research using free tools ( tools you can also use) was used to come up with the above terms we will be creating pages for. 

Basic keyword research.
Step 1: I looked into Google Adwords keyword tool and find relevant terms.

"SEO Consultant Sydney" relevant, related terms - Google Adwords keyword tool

Step two: I used what Google Instant is already telling me is popular.

"SEO Consultant Sydney" - Using Google Instant Search Insights

So, who is ranking for the search term "SEO Consultant Sydney" by the 7th August 2013?

"Sydney SEO Consultant" results - Firs Page - 7th August 2013 - Google Australia

As seen above, none of those ranked sites are Blogspot sites!

Is that because anyone is optimizing for the term "SEO consultant Sydney" using Blogger/Blogspot platform? 

According to Google there are 3,120 Blogspot pages that have the term "SEO consultant Sydney" in them so it is not going to be an easy fight as some of those blogs have better page rank and page history than my new Blogspot blog.

"SEO consultant Sydney" results  - Only Blogspot pages

But is it really worth the effort trying to rank a blogspot page for the term "SEO Consultant Sydney"?

According to Google Adwords keyword tool, "SEO Consultant Sydney" term had 90 searches last month ( July 2013). That might be quite a few searches if you sum up the volume for the other 5 searches we are optimizing for and get around a 2% conversion I am looking at a gain of 5-6 clients which I will be very happy with. Then if I convert these 5-6 clients into long term client who engage me for other website SEO packages, SEO consulting or training; eDigital products that are worth on average a couple of thousand dollars, it might then be worth the effort!.

In summary, how to SEO a website for great Google organic (free) rankings requires an experienced Sydney SEO Consultant, a solid SEO Content Strategy and some testing time.

Next:

• Call Mauricio - SEO Consultant Sydney on +61481 367 711
• Check Mauricio Escobar Mármol LinkedIn profile.
• Follow us on Facebook, Tumblr, Twitter or Google+

About Mauricio

Mauricio Escobar Mármol (BBsMn & MCom) is eDigital Sydney SEO Consultant, Social and Digital Media Specialist. Mauricio posses over 10 years experience helping companies to earn new customers and prolong customer lifetime value by effective execution of structured Digital Marketing strategies and executions. Mauricio worked as Digital Marketing Manager for some of Australia's most visited websites. Mauricio expertise focuses on Website Optimisation, Social Media, SEO/Networks Acquisition Strategies (SEO, SEM, Affiliates, Display) and vendor reviews.