In this study I describe an open-source toolkit for the visualization of small data. Three main areas are discussed in the paper: artifacts, data and people. Today, communication is supported by numerous interactive artifacts. The omnipresence of interactive artifacts increased the production and the storage of data. The huge collections of data produced, mainly online, are defined “Big Data”. Opposed to this, a more recent concept has appeared: the “Small Data”. Small Data are roughly defined as “everything that can be processed in Excel”. In order to reach at a more operative definition it is appropriate to define the characteristics of the Small Data as distributed, detailed, decelerated and democratic. These characteristics make Small Data look more understandable, manageable and in the end useful for common people. It is a common interest to understand which data can be useful for people, which are recorded, and who is using them and for what purpose. Designers should work more on enabling platform to help people transforming data into knowledge. A toolkit proposal could be useful to highlight some priorities that designers should consider for a better involvement of the people.
Savasta, D. (2013). Small Data Visualization Toolkit. 2CO COmmunicating COmplexity 2013 Conference Proceedings.
DOI: 10.4458/1662