Data Selfies
A homework assignment turned into an annual personal project.
The name of this project seems to change for me every year, because my journey with data visualization keeps evolving. There’s a little bit of art + science + grit in each of these data selfies.
Stay in touch to see my 2022 selfie!
2017 Quantified Self
Tools used:
Google Forms, Google Sheets, and Illustrator
My professor for Infographics and Information Visualizations never would’ve guessed that her four week assignment would have inspired me to continue using my personal data to refine my data visualization skills for years to come.
While pursuing my master’s degree in Human Computer Interaction (HCI) I was assigned to track several data points on myself for 4 weeks. I collected 71 data points in a simple form that I filled out multiple times a day. I used this along with calendar data to create a picture of what 4 weeks in my life looked like.
2020 Year in Review
Tools Used:
Google Sheets, Garmin Connect, Goodreads, and Illustrator
By the end of 2020, I was looking for ways to inspire my personal creativity during such a low year. I decided to reflect on my year the best way I knew how to…with data.
Since I didn’t plan to do this at the beginning of the year, I had to leverage all the apps that are constantly collecting data on me, such as Garmin, Goodreads, and Google suite. I had a bit of fun with the end result incorporating the song Seasons of Love from Rent.
2021 Data Selfie
Tools used:
Google Sheets, Google Maps Timeline, Glide Apps, Goodreads, Garmin Connect, Google Data Studio, and Illustrator
After creating my 2020 Year in Review visualization, I decided to get much more serious about collecting data on myself. On a weekly basis I added information to a Google Sheet. I also regularly checked and updated data being collected in Google Maps Timeline, Goodreads, and Garmin Connect.
At the end of the year I brought much of this data into Google Data Studio to create preliminary charts and see trends before bringing it all into Illustrator to create a comprehensive overview of what I looked like in 2021.