Contents
Goals
- To reflect on everyday habits, emotions, or actions by collecting “small data” and transforming it into a hand-drawn data story
- Learn how to collect and represent qualitative data
- Practice observation and reflective thinking
- Understand how data shapes identity and narrative
- Question performance culture and mainstream data practices
- Explore creativity as a form of self-expression through data
Background: Dear Data project
Dear Data was a year-long project initiated by designers Giorgia Lupi and Stefanie Posavec. From 2014 to 2015, they exchanged hand-drawn postcards each week. Each card visualised personal 'small data', such as how often they checked the time or took public transport, turning daily routines into creative data art. The project became a form of 'slow data' communication, with each story crossing the Atlantic by post. The complete collection is now part of the MoMA collection. This project demonstrates that data does not need to be large-scale or digital to be meaningful.
By observing small, everyday details, Dear Data invites reflection, emotional connection, and storytelling — a practice known as data humanism. It also challenges today’s performance-driven culture, where apps push us to optimize health or productivity. Instead, it encourages tracking what truly matters — feelings, relationships, and habits — even if they don’t fit into mainstream metrics. At its heart, Dear Data is both a tool for self-awareness and a way to connect with others through creativity and empathy.
Steps
1. Choose your topic
Ask participants: What small behavior or feeling do you want to observe this week? Some Ideas:
- Number of times you laugh
- Times you check your phone
- Number of hugs in day
- Moments you feel proud
- Doors you open
- Compliments received
- Music you listen to
Participants choose one topic, in particular meaningful or interesting for them.
2.Define categories
- How will you categorise the data? (e.g., by time of day, intensity, type of feeling…)
- Participants write down a simple “data key” (e.g., colors for emotions, shapes for times, lines for actions).
3. Collect data for 3-5 days (or simulated)
- If done as a real task: participants keep a mini journal for 2–5 days.
- If done in-session: simulate one day (e.g., ask them to imagine or recall yesterday).
4. Draw your data postcard
Participants visually represent their data on a postcard or paper using only hand-drawing — no digital tools. They can use coluors, shapes, patterns, symbols — encourage creativity.
Variations
- Pair up with a “data penpal” and exchange data postcards
- Create a collective data mural (combine visual stories in one poster)
- Add a short narrative on the back of the postcard: “What does this data say about me?”
Reflection
Optional sharing circle (or pairs):
- What surprised you while observing yourself?
- How did it feel to track this part of your life?
- What choices did you make in how to represent the data?
- Did you learn anything new about yourself?
Reference
The method has been developed inspired by the Dear Data project and the book “Ti spiego il dato” by Donata Columbro (2021)
