Data Visualization + Physicalization
3 ECTS | Project for Master Students

Turn data into visual and physical experiences using analog media and digital tools. What does data look and feel like before it becomes a chart?

This course approaches data from a designerly perspective. We will collect, explore, interpret, and transform data through a series of hands-on experiments: moving freely between drawing, material, and code.

Working in teams of two, students will engage with provided datasets as well as log and visualize their own data. Inspired by projects such as Dear Data https://www.dear-data.com/theproject, we will explore how everyday observations and personal data can become the starting point for compelling visual narratives.

We will experiment with pencil and watercolor, clay and wire, translating abstract information into drawings, objects, and physical structures. From there, we will make our first steps into computational data visualization with Python, exploring how digital tools can extend and transform ideas developed by hand.

This is not an introduction to statistical software such as R or SPSS—there are other courses for that. Instead, we ask how designers can make data visible, tangible, understandable, and experiential.

No prior knowledge of data visualization or programming is required.

Dates
Kick-Off: Thursday, 22.10.2026 13:00–17:00, Room 3328
Weekly classes: Thursdays, biweekly, 13:00–17:00, Room 3328
Final Presentation: Thursday, 28.01.2027 13:00–17:00, Room 3328

Registration
CampusTUM