Group project — interactive communication

Scott Spencer https://ssp3nc3r.github.io (Columbia University)https://sps.columbia.edu/faculty/scott-spencer
2021, November 30

Create a visual communication with interactive, data graphics that enable the chief marketing executive at your selected organization to explore data for insights into at least two nontrivial questions concerning your project in the context of his or her CMO responsibilities at the organization.

For guidance on the responsibilities of a marketing executive — and their general knowledge of data and data graphics — review Spencer (2021), §. 1.2.1.2 and the cited references Carr (2019) and Carr (2018).

And as with previous audiences, conduct online research (google searches, linkedin, …) to understand your new audience.

For interactivity, employ three or more techniques discussed in class: e.g., linking multiple graphics to interactions like hovering, clicking, filtering, selecting, dragging and scrolling. These interactions should be relevant to — and directly support — the CMO exploring data for insights, their limits, and context to your research questions.

Your communication can be organized either as a guided “dashboard” or as a scrollytelling-style document.

Recall the three laws of communincation from Doumont (2009).

Your narrative should 1) direct your audience to your exploratory purpose (using the best communication and visualization practices we’ve been developing in the course), 2) guide them in how they should explore using your interactive data graphics (using messages in titles, (sub)headers, labels, annotations, and other concise text), and explain why they should explore.

For this assignment, it will generally be best to create your interactive graphics in Tableau or R markdown and R plus available packages like we’ve discussed in class.

If you choose to use other interactive languages like Vega, Shiny, or D3.js directly, first consult with your professor to assess viability, given your time constraints.

This is an opportunity for you to gain experience combining all the techniques we’ve discussed this semester, and use interactive graphics to communicate with a third audience.

Your project will be assessed on the following:

One person in your group submit on courseworks the interactive communication, and in an appendix include group-member, self-assessment contribution scores as either a tableau packaged workbook or a standalone html file.

The appendix of self-assessment, contribution scores for each group member should be formatted as follows:


Each member of our group, as members of Columbia University adhering to its academic integrity and community standardsagrees that our individual contribution scores should be assigned as listed below:

Group number:
Member name Contribution Score (0 - 10 scale)
Last name, first name number, from below criteria
Last name, first name number, from below criteria
Last name, first name number, from below criteria
Last name, first name number, from below criteria
Last name, first name number, from below criteria

Self-assessment, contribution scores assessed on a 0-10 scale as follows:

10 I always: attend group meetings; actively contribute to group discussions and work to complete the assignment; listen attentively; ask and answer questions. And I ensure all fellow group members come to a solid understanding of the project material and concepts it applies.

8 I always: attend group meetings; actively contribute to group discussions and work to complete the assignment; listen attentively; ask and answer questions. But I don’t work towards ensuring a mastery of the project material by group members.

5 I sometimes: attend group meetings; actively contribute to group discussions and work to complete the assignment; listen attentively; ask and answer questions. But I don’t work towards ensuring a mastery of the project material by group members.

3 I contribute to group discussions and work in a limited way. I listen, but respond only when asked a question and don’t provide much collaboration.

0 I may sometimes attend group meetings, and I am somewhat attentive, but do not engage in collaboration with my group members.

If the group believes scoring falls between the above descriptions, score accordingly.


Of note, this proposal sets up your group’s work on upcoming interactive and multimodal communications, each for different audiences.

Carr, David J. 2018. “Data Is the New Oil: Dirty, Misunderstood, Polluting the World & Pulled from All the Wrong Places.” Medium | Redwhale.
———. 2019. “What Value Do You Create? Marketings 3 Types of Value.” Medium | Marketing.
Doumont, Jean-Luc. 2009. “Fundamentals.” In Trees, Maps, and Theorems. Effective Communication for Rational Minds. Principiæ.
Spencer, Scott. 2021. “Data in Wonderland.” https://ssp3nc3r.github.io/data_in_wonderland.

References