Data Visualisation & Storytelling in the Age of AI

About

Turn data into decisions. Learn how to communicate insights in the AI era.

This intensive two-week summer school provides students with the skills and confidence to transform complex data into clear, compelling visual stories that inform, persuade, and drive decision-making. The programme blends data literacy, visual design principles, storytelling frameworks, and artificial intelligence to help participants move beyond basic charts and dashboards. Students will learn how to design effective data visualisations, craft meaningful mnarratives, and responsibly leverage AI tools to accelerate analysis and storytelling. Through practical exercises and real-world datasets from retail, healthcare, and financial services, participants will progressively build towards an individual capstone project using a comprehensive coffee shop case study. No advanced technical background is required. The course is tool-agnostic and focuses on transferable thinking and design skills rather than software-specific instruction

Course leader

Felipe Rego is a leading AI, data science, analytics, and data visualization specialist. He develops analytics and data visualization solutions that help transform organizations of all sizes

Target group

The course combines:

● Short lectures introducing key concepts

● Guided hands-on exercises using real datasets

● Group discussions and visual critique sessions

● AI-supported exploration and experimentation

● Individual coaching and feedback

● A final capstone presentation

Students are encouraged to use tools throughout the program (e.g. spreadsheets, BI tools, design tools, sketches, etc), as well as approved AI systems, to complete exercises and projects.

This course is ideal if you are considering careers in:

● Consulting

● Business analytics

● Marketing

● Strategy

● Startups

● Management

Course aim

Acquired skills
Transform raw datasets into clear, meaningful charts and visuals
Choose the right visual format for different types of data and questions
Design professional-looking charts suitable for presentations and reports
Build data-driven stories that support decisions and recommendations
Use AI tools to explore data, improve visualisations, and test ideas
Critically assess AI-generated insights instead of blindly accepting them
Deliver a complete data storytelling project from problem definition to final presentation
You will leave with a complete data storytelling project for your portfolio

Schedule:
Day 1
The Language of Visual Communication ● History of visual communication and data ● Key definitions and concepts in data visualisation ● Examples of effective and ineffective visual encodings ● Visual critique and interpretation exercises

Day 2
Perception, Meaning, and Best Practices ● How humans perceive and interpret visual information ● Cognitive load and attention in data visuals ● Best practices for charts and dashboards ● Practical redesign exercises using a retail dataset

Day 3
Contextualising Data Storytelling Projects ● Defining problem statements, audiences, and objectives ● Frameworks for scoping data projects ● Translating business questions into analytical tasks ● Context-mapping workshop using a financial services case

Day 4
Design Fundamentals for Data Visualisation ● Layout, hierarchy, and visual structure ● Colour theory, accessibility, and contrast ● Simplifying complex data without losing meaning ● Hands-on design exercises using a healthcare dataset

Day 5
Tools, Workflows, and Introduction to AI ● Overview of data visualisation tools and platforms ● Comparing commercial, open-source, and AI-augmented tools ● Understanding where AI fits into modern data workflows ● Introductory AI-assisted insight and charting exercises

Day 6
AI for Data Analysis and Insight Discovery ● How large language models support analytical thinking ● Using AI to explore datasets and generate hypotheses ● Prompting versus context in analytical workflows ● Practical AI-assisted exploratory analysis exercises

Day 7
AI for Visual Design and Storytelling ● Using AI to critique and improve data visuals ● AI-supported narrative development ● Risks, limitations, and biases of AI-generated outputs ● Comparing human and AI storytelling approaches

Day 8
Building Narratives with Data ● Narrative structures and archetypes for data projects ● Creating flow, cadence, and emphasis in stories ● Designing for different stakeholder audiences ● Applying narrative techniques to real datasets

Day 9
Capstone Project Development ● Individual project work using a coffee shop chain dataset ● Applying visual design, storytelling, and AI techniques ● One-on-one coaching and iterative feedback ● Preparing the final presentation

Day 10
Capstone Presentations and Reflection ● Individual capstone presentations ● Peer and instructor feedback ● Measuring success in data visualisation projects ● Reflection, key takeaways, and next steps

Fee info

Early bird fee 900EUR until 31.12.2025