Portfolio
These select works illustrate how I translate complex research into clear, usable insights through interactives, infographics, dashboards and data hubs, virtual reality, and thought leadership.
Interactive Data Visualizations
🏆 Tracking Americans’ Opinions and the Media that Inform Them
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🏆 2017 Muse Creative Award.
This interactive data visualization, developed for the AP-NORC Center for Public Affairs Research and NORC’s digital report, explores how Americans’ political affiliations influence their news consumption habits and perceptions of media accuracy. Based on a 2017 survey of 2,036 U.S. adults, the project highlights partisan divides in trust and engagement with various media sources.
As the lead designer and developer, I was responsible for transforming complex survey data into an intuitive, interactive experience. I designed the user interface to allow users to filter and compare responses across political affiliations, ensuring clarity and accessibility. Additionally, I implemented responsive design principles to ensure the visualization was accessible across devices.
Data Visualization: D3.js for dynamic chart rendering
Web Development: HTML, CSS, JavaScript
🏆 What Occupations Do STEM Doctorates Pursue?
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🏆 2017 Muse Creative Award.
I led the design and development of the interactive experience, collaborating with the SDR team to identify the goals of the graphics and the target audience.
Data Visualization: D3.js for dynamic chart rendering
Web Development: HTML, CSS, JavaScript
https://www.norc.org/research/data-visualization/tracking-the-careers-of-stem-doctorates.html
30 Years of Americans’ Spending Priorities Ranked
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An interactive visualization based on the General Social Survey (GSS), illustrating how Americans’ views on government spending have evolved across various categories over three decades. Users can explore trends in areas such as education, healthcare, and defense.
I led the design and development of the interactive experience, collaborating with the GSS team to identify key spending categories and trends. I ensured the visualization was both informative and user-friendly, facilitating an engaging exploration of long-term public opinion data.
Data Visualization & Development: D3.js, JavaScript
Hosting & Deployment: AEM
https://www.norc.org/research/data-visualization/30-years-of-americans-spending-priorities.html
Infographics & Visual Reports
Data Visualization across the Survey Lifecycle
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A flow-chart style infographic that illustrates how data visualization can enhance every stage of survey research at NORC, from data cleaning and processing to budgeting, modeling, and presentation. The poster presents each stage with examples of how visualizations can improve understanding and decision-making. Originally presented at the American Association for Public Opinion Research (AAPOR) 2017 annual meeting.
I conceptualized and designed the poster from scratch, collaborating with Ed Mulrow to highlight opportunities for data visualization throughout the research lifecycle. I created the layout and visuals in PowerPoint, making complex processes accessible and engaging for a professional audience.
Design & Visualization: PowerPoint
Collaboration: Internal consultation with survey research teams
Supporting Transitions in Migrant and Seasonal Head Start
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An infographic data report that presents finds from from the 2017 Migrant and Seasonal Head Start Study dataset. Migrant and Seasonal Head Start (MSHS) programs uniquely support the frequent transitions, including the transition to kindergarten, that children in migrant and
seasonal families may experience. Lessons learned from how MSHS programs support
transitions may have implications for MSHS and other federally funded early care and education (ECE) programs.
I analyzed the data and designed and built the visual report in collaboration with the client and project team.
Design & Visualization: PowerPoint, client branding
https://acf.gov/opre/report/supporting-transitions-migrant-and-seasonal-head-start
Funding Sources and TTA: Do Head Start Grant Recipients Access Different TTA…?
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The Office of Head Start (OHS) provides training and technical assistance (TTA) to its grant recipients through National TTA Centers, Regional TTA Specialists, and their online Early Childhood Learning and Knowledge Center (ECLKC). In 2018, OHS and OPRE jointly conducted the Survey of Head Start Grantees on Training and Technical Assistance to understand how grant recipients select TTA, what TTA grant recipients receive, and how TTA informs practice change at the grant recipient level. This brief summarizes findings from this survey of HS directors, managers, and coordinators examining how grantees’ access to TTA differed depending on grant recipients’ funding sources.
I collaborated with the client on the content of the report. I designed the report and created all the charts and graphics.
Data Visualization: Power Point
Dashboards & Data Hubs
⭐️ Medicare Current Beneficiary Survey Interactives
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⭐️ 2021 APDU award winner.
The MCBS Interactives platform offers interactive dashboards that present statistically accurate, weighted estimates from the Medicare Current Beneficiary Survey (MCBS). These dashboards cover various topics, including financial well-being, health status, insurance coverage, and the impact of COVID-19 on Medicare beneficiaries.
As the project lead, I was responsible for designing the user experience and data interaction flow. I collaborated closely with IT to determine the best approach for hosting the R Shiny application within the organization’s web infrastructure. Additionally, I coordinated with statistics teams to ensure accurate data representation and with communications teams to align the tool’s messaging with the organization’s objectives.
Data Visualization & Development: R Shiny, D3.js
Project Management: Jira
Deployment: AWS, internal web infrastructure
Entrepreneurship in the Population Interactive Dashboard
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An interactive Tableau dashboard visualizing data from the Entrepreneurship in the Population (EPOP) survey. The dashboard enables users to explore entrepreneurial activities across various demographics and geographies, providing insights into self-employment, business ownership, and related experiences. Hosted on the EPOP website, it serves as a user-friendly tool for researchers and the public to access and analyze EPOP data.
I designed and developed the platform and interactive visualizations in Tableau, collaborating closely with the project team and client to ensure the data story was accurately represented and effectively communicated. I worked with IT to use Tableau Public’s public server for hosting and embedding the dashboard into the AWS-hosted website, ensuring seamless integration and accessibility.
Data Visualization & Development: Tableau
Project Management: Jira
Hosting & Deployment: Tableau Public, AWS
Commercial Club of Chicago Public Safety DataHub
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An interactive platform that visualizes crime trends, criminal justice system performance, and community safety perceptions across Chicago neighborhoods. Developed through a collaboration between NORC and the Civic Committee of the Commercial Club of Chicago, the DataHub serves as a non-partisan resource for residents and policymakers.
I led the design and development of data visualizations, ensuring they aligned with the overall user experience and storytelling objectives. I collaborated closely with the client to meet design expectations and managed the data integration and quality control processes for the interactive features. Because NORC had not previously integrated a D3 tool set into AEM, I worked closely with developers and IT to troubleshoot and implement the solution successfully.
Development & Visualization: JavaScript, D3.js
Project Management: Jira
Hosting & Deployment: AEM
National Education and Attainment Survey (NEAS)
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An interactive platform developed to visualize the educational and training trajectories of U.S. adults, focusing on postsecondary credentials and their impact on employment outcomes. The platform includes tools for analyzing educational pathways, comparing outcomes across demographic groups, and examining certificate attainment. It was created using R Shiny and D3.js.
I designed the platform and the “Trajectories” interactive tool, setting the foundation for the user experience and data visualization approach. I managed the development team, encouraging innovation and collaboration. Team members proposed additional features, which were reviewed collectively and integrated as new tabs on the platform.
Development & Visualization: R Shiny, D3.js
Collaboration & Project Management: Jira
Hosting & Deployment: AWS
Thought Leadership
Ask the Right Questions to Make the Right Data Visualization
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Does data visualization have an equity problem?
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Virtual Reality Experiment: Income and Housing in America
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This immersive virtual reality (VR) video allows users to experience differences in U.S. house sizes by region and demographics. Utilizing data from the U.S. Census Bureau and the 2015 Residential Energy Consumption Survey, the project visually demonstrates how income levels and regional factors influence housing sizes across the country. Viewers can engage with the content using a VR headset, desktop pan controls, or mobile devices, providing an interactive and educational experience.
I conceived the idea and secured internal funding to bring it to fruition. I designed the entire concept, focusing on creating an engaging user experience that effectively communicates complex data through VR technology. I identified and collaborated with a vendor specializing in VR production, overseeing the development process to ensure alignment with project goals. Additionally, I coordinated with internal teams, including data analysts and communications, to integrate accurate data and ensure the final product met organizational standards.
Data Sources: U.S. Census Bureau, 2015 Residential Energy Consumption
Survey VR Development: Collaborated with external VR production vendor, Chicago’s Cubicle Ninjas
Presenting Uncertainty in Graphical Format: Different Types of Plots
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Creating an Interactive Visualization …From Start to Finished Product
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Innovative Graphics for NCES Online Graphics
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Data Art: Measuring Happiness
DC Office Reception Area Art Wall
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NORC leadership wanted to showcase our data visualization skills with an abstract art piece presented in the new DC office reception area. I developed the artistic vision for this piece, considering all of NORC data, projects, and history.
I performed data analysis on data from the General Social Survey and conceptualized the wall design as a type of heat map. I worked with the communications team and build vendor to ensure the design and concept met NORC data and visualization standards.
Concept:
Each block represents a response.
Each cluster represents a level of happiness response.
Each stain represents a level of health response.
Orange indicates very happy responses.
Depth reflects the height of the heat map and was slightly adjusted for visual emphasis.
The visualization shows the global proportions of responses to the following questions:
1. Taken all together, how would you say things are these days.
2. Would you say that you are very happy, pretty happy, or not too happy?
3. Would you say your own health, in general, is excellent, good, fair, or poor?
