I wrote a book!

Data visualization is the art and science of making information visible. On paper and in our imaginations, it’s a language of shapes and colors that hold our best ideas and most important questions. As we find ourselves swimming in data of all kinds, visualization can help us to understand, express, and explore the richness of the world around us. So I wrote a book about it!


Data Visualization for People of All Ages invites everyone to the table to share the joy of one of today’s most necessary skills. Packed with practical examples and exercises to help you connect the dots, this book will teach you how to create and understand data visualizations on your own—all without writing a single line of code or getting tangled up in software. Perfect for home or classroom use, this friendly companion gives people of all ages everything they need to start visualizing with confidence.

Check back soon for preorders!

Hi there, I'm Nancy 👋🏼

I'm a data visualization designer and educator based in Seattle, WA with experience in research, education, and tech. Currently, I work at the exciting healthcare tech startup, Trilliant Health. In past lives I was a Data Visualization Developer at Microsoft, an Information Visualization instructor to Masters' and undergraduate students at the University of Washington, and a medical researcher at UW and Vanderbilt University. My formal training is in Statistics from the University of California, Berkeley.

My design methodology prioritizes preserving your voice in engaging, illuminating visualizations. Your work can and should have the presence it deserves. As of Summer 2023 my studio hours are currently on hold, but I'm always happy to chat about your project and talk about future collaborations.

...Interesting!

This is a space I created to corral my experiments and concepts that haven't found a home elsewhere. Not everything you'll find in these little vingnettes makes perfect sense, is totally done, or follows traditional design and visualization canon— and that's exactly the point. If we don't try things out, we'll never know what works!

Selected Writings

• An Incomplete Guide to Accessible Data Visualization
  Practical tips for doing even a little bit better.
• Break your bar chart habbit
  Deconstructing visualization design using the Grammar of Graphics
• The Color Theory of Nail Polish Names
  A rose by any other name is Grenadine Cascade?
• Technical Writing for Data Scientists
  A four-part formula for radically adequate technical writing
• Data Visualization “Therapy”
  Because sometimes you just need to talk it out

More articles can be found on my Medium page here.