Date: Tuesday 9 and Wednesday 10 March

Timings: 9.30am - 12.30pm both days

Overview
The workshop will cover practical approaches to presenting data to drive decisions and actions.  This will include different data types (eg. surveys, performance, demographics, hiring pipelines, skills and capacity) and contexts (eg. slide decks, printed reports, interactive dashboards).

The training will be delivered over two mornings through Zoom, and is not a webinar – the content is interactive, and attendees will be expected to participate. Each session will be a mix of tuition using slides, discussion, and hands-on exercises. 

Content

Session 1: Principles of information design
• The key elements of successful data communication.
• Industry best practice, and discussion of good (and bad) examples.
• A simple framework for identifying the Audience, Story and Action.

Session 2: Data in context
• How to balance function and aesthetic appeal in visualisations.
• Identifying the right chart, graph, infographic or other visual style.
• Framing the data and providing contextual information.

Session 3: Designing for the human brain
• Design and layout principles, and creating hierarchies of information.
• Using colours to highlight key points and communicate meaning.
• The principle of ‘self-sufficiency’, and removing clutter.

Session 4: Navigation and narrative
• Tailoring visualisations for different types of communications.
• Managing larger data sets and structuring longer reports.
• Thinking in layers to create interactive data stories and dashboards.

Technical Information
• Attendees will need to download a free version of Zoom in advance of the session (available for Mac or Windows).
• You will need to join the training from a laptop or desktop computer in a quiet place, where you can activate your microphone to join discussions.
• Headphones are recommended as they cut out background noise when listening to the presentation and discussions.
• There will be a technical check at the start of the day before the content starts, to ensure that everyone is connected ok. Any further technical issues will need to be fixed during the breaks.

Presenter
Alan Rutter is the founder of Fire Plus Algebra, and a specialist in data visualisation. He has worked as a journalist, digital consultant, product owner and trainer. He runs workshops for startup-focused learning organisations General Assembly and Jolt, and delivers in-house training for public sector clients including the Home Office, the Department for Education, the Biotechnology and Biological Sciences Research Council, the Health Foundation, the Arts Council, and numerous universities and academic organisations. He previously worked with Guardian Masterclasses on curating and delivering new course strands, including developing and teaching their B2B data visualisation courses. He oversaw the iPad edition launches of Wired, GQ, Vanity Fair and Vogue in the UK, and has worked with Condé Nast International as product owner on a bespoke digital asset management system for their 11 global markets. Previously he was Online Editor at Time Out, having also worked as Acting Deputy Editor and Features Editor on the magazine.

Please note, in order to book a place on this event you will need a UHR website user account.  If you do not yet have an account you have 2 choices:

1. If you would like a full website account, please contact your HR Director who needs to authorise the request by emailing admin@uhr.ac.uk.
2. If you just wish to book on this event, then please visit the quick registration page where you can set up an account just for booking events.