Fast Company runs a short piece on Scott Wattenberg, who tries to turn data into meaningful images. Prior to IBM, he created the Market Map at SmartMoney.com. I’ve been learning to use a new reporting tool at work, and it’s reminding me that data is nothing if it’s not (a) easy to understand and (b) responsive to trial-and-error. That last bit means that you need speedy answers to your questions. If you ask a question and it takes a long time to get an answer, then the next time you’ll hesitate to ask a new question, and potentially draw a new connection. If the system/application/interface is responsive, then experimentation is rewarded, and further usage of the tool is no longer a chore, but a process of discovery. That’s when data is fun. Really. Which brings me back to this essay… I love seeing experiments in this space.