The speaker discusses using data to identify opportunities and achieve goals. They worked in translation for 18 years and now focus on data and technology as Senior Director of an alumni association. The speaker notes that having data is not enough - the goal is to make sense of it and see how it can help achieve objectives like predicting patterns, improving recommendations, or finding high-value targets. They provide examples like modeling customer churn, increasing retail sales or brand loyalty. The speaker also discusses a case study where custom fantasy sports reports led to more buzz and engagement than competitors' basic content.

1. +
Designing for Data
@angelostzelepis
#LavaCon

2. +
About me

Spent 18 years in translation/localization

Focus on tools and processes, efficiency, usability

Senior Director of Data & Technology
Alumnae Association of Mount Holyoke College
@angelostzelepis #DesignData @Lavacon

3. +
So you have data…
Now you have to identify opportunity
“The future is not about
finding information, it’s about
making sense of it.”
-Nick Finck, yesterday
@angelostzelepis #DesignData @Lavacon

4. +
So you have the data…
Now you have to identify opportunity
@angelostzelepis #DesignData @Lavacon

5. +
What is your goal?
How will your data work for you?

Prediction/modeling



Churn modeling?


Giving clients better recommendations
 More retail sales (Amazon)
 Higher brand loyalty from subscribers (Netflix, OK Cupid)
Studying maintenance patterns (airlines, auto makers)
Predicting/preventing customer attrition (wireless providers)
Creating compelling high-engagement presentation of said data



Clicks/traffic/SEO (infographics)
Paid registrations
Creating trust
@angelostzelepis #DesignData @Lavacon

6. +
What is your goal?
How will your data work for you?

Identify high-quality targets for {your objective here}

Find big money donors

Identify new clients

Identify an existing client ripe for upselling/upgrading

Can you find answers to questions you didn’t know
you even had?

Can your data inform you about… your data?
@angelostzelepis #DesignData @Lavacon

7. +
Case Study: Creating Engagement
Going after an industry’s entrenched big gorilla
@angelostzelepis #DesignData @Lavacon

8. +
Case Study: Creating Engagement
Going after an industry’s entrenched big gorilla
But first, a happy coincidence…
@angelostzelepis #DesignData @Lavacon

9. +
Hunter Pence's 59 points were too much for Ataraxia
The experts predicted this would be a close game. The experts were wrong...big time. In the only blowout this
week, Hooking Foul crushed Ataraxia, winning 457.3 to 260.2. Besides the victory, Coach Teixeira can brag that he
posted the highest score in the league so far.
The win makes it four in a row for Hooking Foul, which gives them a 16 - 8 record. The loss drops Ataraxia's record
to 14 – 10.
Throughout Hooking Foul's winning streak, Hunter Pence has been coming up with big performances. This week
was no different. Pence was a one-man wrecking crew, dropping 59 points. That topped all but two right fielders
this season. His performance was also the best of any right fielder this week.
Hooking Foul also got the benefit of a 43.8 point performance from Kris Medlen. That was the 3rd most of any relief
pitcher this season.
There were plenty of chefs cooking up this week's loss for Ataraxia. They had thirteen underperformers, with Allen
Craig (zero points) being the worst. This is the 2nd time this year that he was the worst starter on his team. Adding
to their problems, one of Ataraxia's right fielders, Ben Zobrist, was the worst at his position this week.
@angelostzelepis #DesignData @Lavacon

10. +
Hunter Pence's 59 points were too much for Ataraxia
The experts predicted this would be a close game. The experts were wrong...big time. In the only blowout this
week, Hooking Foul crushed Ataraxia, winning 457.3 to 260.2. Besides the victory, Coach Teixeira can brag that he
posted the highest score in the league so far.
The win makes it four in a row for Hooking Foul, which gives them a 16 - 8 record. The loss drops Ataraxia's record
to 14 – 10.
Throughout Hooking Foul's winning streak, Hunter Pence has been coming up with big performances. This week
was no different. Pence was a one-man wrecking crew, dropping 59 points. That topped all but two right fielders
this season. His performance was also the best of any right fielder this week.
Hooking Foul also got the benefit of a 43.8 point performance from Kris Medlen. That was the 3rd most of any relief
pitcher this season.
There were plenty of chefs cooking up this week's loss for Ataraxia. They had thirteen underperformers, with Allen
Craig (zero points) being the worst. This is the 2nd time this year that he was the worst starter on his team. Adding
to their problems, one of Ataraxia's right fielders, Ben Zobrist, was the worst at his position this week.
@angelostzelepis #DesignData @Lavacon

11. +
Hunter Pence's 59 points were too much for Ataraxia
The experts predicted this would be a close game. The experts were wrong...big time. In the only blowout this
week, Hooking Foul crushed Ataraxia, winning 457.3 to 260.2. Besides the victory, Coach Teixeira can brag that he
posted the highest score in the league so far.
The win makes it four in a row for Hooking Foul, which gives them a 16 - 8 record. The loss drops Ataraxia's record
to 14 – 10.
Throughout Hooking Foul's winning streak, Hunter Pence has been coming up with big performances. This week
was no different. Pence was a one-man wrecking crew, dropping 59 points. That topped all but two right fielders
this season. His performance was also the best of any right fielder this week.
Hooking Foul also got the benefit of a 43.8 point performance from Kris Medlen. That was the 3rd most of any relief
pitcher this season.
There were plenty of chefs cooking up this week's loss for Ataraxia. They had thirteen underperformers, with Allen
Craig (zero points) being the worst. This is the 2nd time this year that he was the worst starter on his team. Adding
to their problems, one of Ataraxia's right fielders, Ben Zobrist, was the worst at his position this week.
@angelostzelepis #DesignData @Lavacon

12. +
Hunter Pence's 59 points were too much for Ataraxia
The experts predicted this would be a close game. The experts were wrong...big time. In the only blowout this
week, Hooking Foul crushed Ataraxia, winning 457.3 to 260.2. Besides the victory, Coach Teixeira can brag that he
posted the highest score in the league so far.
The win makes it four in a row for Hooking Foul, which gives them a 16 - 8 record. The loss drops Ataraxia's record
to 14 – 10.
Throughout Hooking Foul's winning streak, Hunter Pence has been coming up with big performances. This week
was no different. Pence was a one-man wrecking crew, dropping 59 points. That topped all but two right fielders
this season. His performance was also the best of any right fielder this week.
Hooking Foul also got the benefit of a 43.8 point performance from Kris Medlen. That was the 3rd most of any relief
pitcher this season.
There were plenty of chefs cooking up this week's loss for Ataraxia. They had thirteen underperformers, with Allen
Craig (zero points) being the worst. This is the 2nd time this year that he was the worst starter on his team. Adding
to their problems, one of Ataraxia's right fielders, Ben Zobrist, was the worst at his position this week.
@angelostzelepis #DesignData @Lavacon

13. +
Hunter Pence's 59 points were too much for Ataraxia
The experts predicted this would be a close game. The experts were wrong...big time. In the only blowout this
week, Hooking Foul crushed Ataraxia, winning 457.3 to 260.2. Besides the victory, Coach Teixeira can brag that he
posted the highest score in the league so far.
The win makes it four in a row for Hooking Foul, which gives them a 16 - 8 record. The loss drops Ataraxia's record
to 14 – 10.
Throughout Hooking Foul's winning streak, Hunter Pence has been coming up with big performances. This week
was no different. Pence was a one-man wrecking crew, dropping 59 points. That topped all but two right fielders
this season. His performance was also the best of any right fielder this week.
Hooking Foul also got the benefit of a 43.8 point performance from Kris Medlen. That was the 3rd most of any relief
pitcher this season.
There were plenty of chefs cooking up this week's loss for Ataraxia. They had thirteen underperformers, with Allen
Craig (zero points) being the worst. This is the 2nd time this year that he was the worst starter on his team. Adding
to their problems, one of Ataraxia's right fielders, Ben Zobrist, was the worst at his position this week.
@angelostzelepis #DesignData @Lavacon

14. +
Hunter Pence's 59 points were too much for Ataraxia
The experts predicted this would be a close game. The experts were wrong...big time. In the only blowout this
week, Hooking Foul crushed Ataraxia, winning 457.3 to 260.2. Besides the victory, Coach Teixeira can brag
that he posted the highest score in the league so far.
The win makes it four in a row for Hooking Foul, which gives them a 16 - 8 record. The loss drops Ataraxia's record
to 14 – 10.
Throughout Hooking Foul's winning streak, Hunter Pence has been coming up with big performances. This week
was no different. Pence was a one-man wrecking crew, dropping 59 points. That topped all but two right fielders
this season. His performance was also the best of any right fielder this week.
Hooking Foul also got the benefit of a 43.8 point performance from Kris Medlen. That was the 3rd most of any relief
pitcher this season.
There were plenty of chefs cooking up this week's loss for Ataraxia. They had thirteen underperformers, with Allen
Craig (zero points) being the worst. This is the 2nd time this year that he was the worst starter on his team. Adding
to their problems, one of Ataraxia's right fielders, Ben Zobrist, was the worst at his position this week.
@angelostzelepis #DesignData @Lavacon

15. +
Hunter Pence's 59 points were too much for Ataraxia
The experts predicted this would be a close game. The experts were wrong...big time. In the only blowout this
week, Hooking Foul crushed Ataraxia, winning 457.3 to 260.2. Besides the victory, Coach Teixeira can brag that he
posted the highest score in the league so far.
The win makes it four in a row for Hooking Foul, which gives them a 16 - 8 record. The loss drops Ataraxia's record
to 14 – 10.
Throughout Hooking Foul's winning streak, Hunter Pence has been coming up with big performances. This week
was no different. Pence was a one-man wrecking crew, dropping 59 points. That topped all but two right fielders
this season. His performance was also the best of any right fielder this week.
Hooking Foul also got the benefit of a 43.8 point performance from Kris Medlen. That was the 3rd most of any relief
pitcher this season.
There were plenty of chefs cooking up this week's loss for Ataraxia. They had thirteen underperformers, with Allen
Craig (zero points) being the worst. This is the 2nd time this year that he was the worst starter on his team. Adding
to their problems, one of Ataraxia's right fielders, Ben Zobrist, was the worst at his position this week.
@angelostzelepis #DesignData @Lavacon

16. +
Hunter Pence's 59 points were too much for Ataraxia
The experts predicted this would be a close game. The experts were wrong...big time. In the only blowout this
week, Hooking Foul crushed Ataraxia, winning 457.3 to 260.2. Besides the victory, Coach Teixeira can brag that he
posted the highest score in the league so far.
The win makes it four in a row for Hooking Foul, which gives them a 16 - 8 record. The loss drops Ataraxia's
record to 14 – 10.
Throughout Hooking Foul's winning streak, Hunter Pence has been coming up with big performances. This week
was no different. Pence was a one-man wrecking crew, dropping 59 points. That topped all but two right fielders
this season. His performance was also the best of any right fielder this week.
Hooking Foul also got the benefit of a 43.8 point performance from Kris Medlen. That was the 3rd most of any relief
pitcher this season.
There were plenty of chefs cooking up this week's loss for Ataraxia. They had thirteen underperformers, with Allen
Craig (zero points) being the worst. This is the 2nd time this year that he was the worst starter on his team. Adding
to their problems, one of Ataraxia's right fielders, Ben Zobrist, was the worst at his position this week.
@angelostzelepis #DesignData @Lavacon

17. +
Hunter Pence's 59 points were too much for Ataraxia
The experts predicted this would be a close game. The experts were wrong...big time. In the only blowout this
week, Hooking Foul crushed Ataraxia, winning 457.3 to 260.2. Besides the victory, Coach Teixeira can brag that he
posted the highest score in the league so far.
The win makes it four in a row for Hooking Foul, which gives them a 16 - 8 record. The loss drops Ataraxia's record
to 14 – 10.
Throughout Hooking Foul's winning streak, Hunter Pence has been coming up with big performances. This
week was no different. Pence was a one-man wrecking crew, dropping 59 points. That topped all but two right
fielders this season. His performance was also the best of any right fielder this week.
Hooking Foul also got the benefit of a 43.8 point performance from Kris Medlen. That was the 3rd most of any relief
pitcher this season.
There were plenty of chefs cooking up this week's loss for Ataraxia. They had thirteen underperformers, with Allen
Craig (zero points) being the worst. This is the 2nd time this year that he was the worst starter on his team. Adding
to their problems, one of Ataraxia's right fielders, Ben Zobrist, was the worst at his position this week.
@angelostzelepis #DesignData @Lavacon

18. +
And the alternative…
@angelostzelepis #DesignData @Lavacon

19. +
Silly. But effective.

Buzz



A lot of chatter on the internet about CBS and Yahoo’s custom game
reports
And by comparison, other sites’ now seemingly boring content
Engagement

Excellent opportunity for sharing text, trash talk, general discussion

Even on a private league, where I can’t share a useful link with the
public, I can grab a screen-shot

Even outsiders were reacting
@angelostzelepis #DesignData @Lavacon

20. +
Case Study: Creating Engagement
Going after an industry’s entrenched leader

US News & World Report has huge mindshare
for its college rankings


The vast majority of its data is publicly available


Even if their methodology is contested, it results in publicity, traffic,
and even greater mindshare
IPEDs is one source
So what are we waiting for?
@angelostzelepis #DesignData @Lavacon

21. +
Begin with a snapshot.
Create an immediate impression
@angelostzelepis #DesignData @Lavacon

22. +
Begin with a snapshot.
Create an immediate impression
@angelostzelepis #DesignData @Lavacon

23. +
Money? Tell me more!
@angelostzelepis #DesignData @Lavacon

24. +
Money? Tell me more!
@angelostzelepis #DesignData @Lavacon

25. +
Money? Tell me more!
@angelostzelepis #DesignData @Lavacon

26. +
Will I get out of here alive?
@angelostzelepis #DesignData @Lavacon

27. +
So how do you stack up?
Wait. What?
@angelostzelepis #DesignData @Lavacon

28. +
Meaningless Data
@angelostzelepis #DesignData @Lavacon

29. +
Meaningless Data
@angelostzelepis #DesignData @Lavacon

30. +
Meaningless Data
This can’t affect the
colleges’ “score” can it?
@angelostzelepis #DesignData @Lavacon

31. +
Lessons learned. Daily.

Be agile. Try everything. A/B test it.

Don’t fall in love with your idea. Almost everyone saw a pet
project axed. But at least the idea was tried.

Determine a strategy for dealing with dirty data.


Ignore? Interpolate? Hide? Own up to it?
Create a business advantage.

Is it your analysis and modeling?
Do you have the best data scientists?

Is it your original insight?
Did you notice something someone else didn’t?
@angelostzelepis #DesignData @Lavacon

32. +
Case Study: Data for reporting
@angelostzelepis #DesignData @Lavacon

33. +
Look, a chart!
Alumnae by Foreign Region
South America, 71
Africa, 109
North America, 209
Asia, 835
Europe, 1179
Australia/Oceania, 69
Carribbean
Region, 45
Central America, 33
@angelostzelepis #DesignData @Lavacon

34. Look, an ugly chart!
Count of Alumnae by State
6500
6250
6000
5750
5500
5250
5000
4750
4500
4250
4000
3750
3500
3250
3000
2750
2500
2250
2000
1750
1500
1250
1000
750
500
250
0
AK
AL
AR
AZ
CA
CO
CT
DC
DE
FL
GA
HI
IA
ID
IL
IN
KS
KY
LA
MA
MD
ME
MI
MN
MO
MS
MT
NC
ND
NE
NH
NJ
NM
NV
NY
OH
OK
OR
PA
RI
SC
SD
TN
TX
UT
VA
VT
WA
WI
WV
WY
AA
AE
AP
GU
PR
VI
+
@angelostzelepis #DesignData @Lavacon

35. +
Now this actually says something
@angelostzelepis #DesignData @Lavacon

36. +
@angelostzelepis #DesignData @Lavacon

37. +
What is your goal?
How will your data work for you?

Identify high-quality targets for {your objective here}

Find big money donors

Identify new clients

Identify an existing client ripe for upselling/upgrading

Can you find answers to questions you didn’t know
you even had?

Can your data inform you about… your data?
@angelostzelepis #DesignData @Lavacon

38. +
What did the data tell me?

Just one example: our international addresses need work.
Add1
Add2
Add3
City, State Zip
is of course not a universal model
@angelostzelepis #DesignData @Lavacon

39. +
Tools

Excel 2013 (or 2010 with some extra downloads) has extremely
power analysis tools:
Power Pivot
Power Query
Power Map

R (http://www.r-project.org/)

Custom databases
@angelostzelepis #DesignData @Lavacon

40. +
Resources

http://www.freebase.com/

http://nces.ed.gov/ipeds/

Data.gov

http://datamob.org/

http://www.infochimps.com/datasets

http://www.reddit.com/r/datasets/

https://opendata.socrata.com/

http://www.trustlet.org/wiki/Repositories_of_datasets
@angelostzelepis #DesignData @Lavacon

41. +
Thank you

agtzelepis@gmail.com

www.linkedin.com/in/angelostzelepis/

@angelostzelepis
@angelostzelepis #DesignData @Lavacon