Data Visualisation

About

Today, everyone needs to have an understanding of data and its impact. Data visualisation enables us to process information faster, work more efficiently, and increase productivity. Data visualisation, visual communication, and storytelling are powerful tools for businesses, making information more accessible and impactful.

Combine Creativity with Analytical Thinking

This course provides a unique blend of analytical and creative skills, allowing students to transform complex data into compelling visual stories. Using effective visuals like hierarchies, graphs, charts, lists, maps, and timelines, these techniques help convey complex information clearly and efficiently.

This course especially benefits programmers interested in upskilling, designers who want to integrate data-driven design into their portfolio, and business professionals who want to learn how to turn data into easily understandable designs for better decision-making and presentations.

Course leader

Tomi Kauppinen, Ph.D., leads Aalto Online Learning at Aalto University and the expert group on Creative and Collaborative Learning Environments at Unite! European University alliance. He holds a habilitation (2014) in geoinformatics and consecutively Privatdozent (2015) from University of Münster, Germany, and a title of docent (2014) and a Ph.D. (2010) in media technology from Aalto University, Finland. Tomi Kauppinen is the co-author of Design Education Across Disciplines: Transformative Learning Experiences for the 21st Century (Palgrave, 2023). He has actively facilitated trainings and taught Data Visualization, design thinking, visual storytelling and AI in international settings, and led related projects. His areas of expertise include Cognitive Systems, Information visualisation, Information design, Ubiquitous Computing, and Online learning.

Target group

This course does not require previous experience in data analytics or data visualisation. It is well suited for people from different fields and can accommodate people with various perspectives on the topic, e.g., programmers, designers and business professionals.

Applicants to this course must have completed a high school or vocational degree or equivalent by the time the course starts. However, you do not have to be a degree student at a university to participate in our courses.

Additionally, all summer school course students must be 18 years or older, as it is the legal age in Finland.

Course aim

In this course, students will learn how to:

- Recognise the basics on how to visualise data in interactive and explorative ways and how to improve information usability for creating visualisations with web technologies based on data
- Understand the requirements for data and data descriptions for various visualisation and application scenarios, ranging from data journalism to business scenarios, and from research to art and design
- Create information visualisations based on data and enhance your presentation, communication and organisational skills
- Learn how to handle spatial, temporal and thematic data in creative ways
- Interact and collaborate with other students by sharing knowledge and ideas through workshops, presentations and demo sessions

Fee info