While I have enjoyed all the creative projects that have dropped in my lap over the last 13 years, the special niche I find myself in is more information design, specifically, analytic design. Huh? Have you ever stared blankly at a spreadsheet full of numbers and wondered what you could do with that information? Do you know how to find the story in the numbers? If you know the story, can you tell it in a compelling way where others will understand it too?

Communicating information, particularly business intelligence, requires knowledge and expertise in information design, data visualization, business analytics and strategy. I have highlighted a few projects below that help clarify my skills and experience:

IRIS: MCG's online data and information system

When I started in Institutional Research in 1997, my number one responsibility was to get MCG's main facts out on the web as soon as they became available. We developed IRIS to not just be a PDF of tables, but HTML data displays, excel spreadsheets for download, and trending charts on several key indicators. While I designed the current site myself, our office has grown and I now lead the design team for this site, which is currently undergoing a very necessary facelift. The new site will go live in Fall 2009, and it will feature flash graphics, a chart download gallery, maps, profiles, briefs and much more. We want to disseminate MCG key statistics through as many information channels as possible.

Factsheets, Briefs, One-Pagers...

Whatever you call them, they are a big part of my experience over the years.  I have created information briefs that usually answer a question or tell a story about the good work of the Medical College of Georgia. These fact sheets act more like infographics in the way they incorporate different data visualizations, usually a map of Georgia showing a distribution of people or services, and other general data points to envision an issue through the data surrounding it. 

MCG President's website redesign

I designed a prototype for a new web presence for the president of MCG.  I thought it turned out great, and now that we are getting a new president very soon, I will be able to think about this again and finally get a new site up and running.  I am sure once a new president (subject) comes along, I will revamp this entirely. I based the design of this prototype on the philosophy and personality of the current president, I only wish he could have benefited from the updated site. 

Scope: Pocket Guide to MCG

I am also responsible for publishing MCG's facts and figures in an annual publication entitled Scope, a mini fact book that contains basic statistics on MCG's populations and academic programs. This 40-page publication is filled with tables and graphs displaying the key data and information that summarizes enrollment, faculty and staff data, and financial information.  

Dashboards

A dashboard is defined by Stephen Few, author of Information Dashboard Design, as "a visual display of the most important information needed to achieve one or more objectives; consolidated and arranged on a single screen so the information can be monitored at a glance."  I started seriously working in dashboard design and business intelligence about three years ago when our president at MCG declared that he wanted "the data I want at the moment I want to see it." It is amazing that in just a few short years, I have learned so much about something I never even knew existed. Providing the most important information to our leaders has proven challenging, but has taught me so much about how to pinpoint the key indicators that drive an organization. 

Design for local businesses

And now for the lighter fare, I have helped many friends and acquaintances who are opening businesses and need a website, logo, menu, wine list and other various communications pieces. I have also designed graphics for t-shirts, cd covers, posters, flyers and similar marketing tools for promotional purposes. Basically whatever they need, I figure out how to make it happen. Some of the folks I have helped include The Bee's Knees, Open Door Preschool, La Dolce Vita Salon and Spa, The Soul Bar, Sky City, Blue Sky Kitchen, Nacho Mama's, Sacred Space Yoga Studio, Stillwater Tap Room and Pastel Art Cafe.