Engaging the community around this fighting game challenged me to rethink my approach to creating data visualizations
I’ve hit a roadblock in my dataviz creative process, so I set on a journey to learn how to draw. I embark on this new challenge motivated by my love of historical Chinese TV shows.
Looking at my past work
Interviewing RJ Andrews, Alli Torban, Matt Baker, and Ann K. Emery on how they started—and made—their careers in data visualization
How can the ordering experience be improved with data visualization?
I’ve been committing to a weekly production of Instagram carousels that feature data visualizations. The main reason was to keep flexing my design muscles and build expertise. I can’t get better at something unless I practice. I also wanted to reduce the hesitations I feel when I make something. I am a perfectionist and I have a hard time moving at a consistent pace. When I make something, I am always second-guessing myself and unsure if what I make will turn out alright. My weekly projects are ways for me to achieve multiple outcomes while building my skills and speed.
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I was planning a trip a couple months ago and struggled to plan it by myself. Trying to work within a budget, I did a lot of research on things to do, places to stay, and ways to get around. I had to consider many aspects planning this trip and it was very stressful:
- Where to stay
- Options for getting around (bus schedules, renting a car)
- Top places I should check out
- Proximity of destinations
- Checking for the best flight deals
- Where to eat
- Weather of the destination
- How much money I should budget
- How long I should go…
The Unzipped exhibit by Bjarke Ingels Group (BIG) visited Toronto in the fall of 2018. It was a very photogenic exhibit and the pavilion created mesmerizing curves with its rectangular blocks. It was certainly something that was instagrammable and a hot spot for photographers and influencers.
I visited in October and noticed this near the entrance of the pavilion:
There’s something exciting about receiving the IKEA catalogue in the mail. I would pick up the copy with the intention to just flip through the pages. I then catch myself sitting down and actually looking through it in more detail. Something about how IKEA narrates a new future is very compelling. I find their products to be very interesting because they are usually multi-functional. I remember helping my mom assemble a standing mirror that also acted as a rail which could hang clothes or towels. I was thinking how useful this piece of furniture was and how it hit the…
How I Started to Learn Chinese as a Second Generation Canadian
I grew up speaking Mandarin with my family and did so from a very young age. Over time, my capabilities in English surpassed Chinese as I spent most of my life reading, writing, and speaking in English. As I got older into my early adulthood, I was interested in developing my Chinese identity. Identity is a topic I think that is constantly being talked about in the discourse on immigration. It is constantly shifting and it doesn’t have a finite answer or shape for everyone. …
Commuting to work on public transportation is often very frustrating. It’s unpredictable, I am not in control, and it’s stressful when I could end up being late for work. I can say with certainty that people generally don’t find commuting enjoyable. I remember being amazed at the variance I observed in time it took for me to arrive to work. There were times when I arrived relatively on time, and other times where it was really off the mark. I spend a large part of my day commuting, and I started to wonder how I could express my frustration, in…
Jane Zhang
Data Visualization Designer. I provide a new perspective on how to see and understand the world. janezhang.ca
