From Napkins to Reality: How a World Bank Visualization Comes to Life
A relaxed evening pulling back the curtain on how digital stories are built: the messy sketches, the pivots, the near-failures, and the moments when something finally clicks.
What you can expect:
- The full arc of several visualization projects: the start, “rollercoaster”, and end.
- Sketches, early drafts, and plenty of failed mockups no one ever sees. This is the ice beneath the iceberg.
- Unique, unexpected challenges that different similar-looking visualizations bring.
- Laughs, interesting stories, and a few embarrassing failures along the way.
- A look at the tools behind the scenes.
- A few exploratory projects shared exclusively with attendees.
Our past cafe talks have been a safe, cozy space to unwind, learn something new, and have some great conversations. Expect a bit of wonder, some laughs, and amusement!
About The Speaker
With more than a decade of experience in developing data visualizations that have been referenced in media outlets like the New York Times, CBC, and NPR, Eugene has most recently been working with the World Bank, Imagine Canada, and Code for Canada on visualizations and other technical projects. After completing his MSc in Computer Science in 2023 with a published thesis on AI in games, Eugene actively utilizes AI through his work, keeping up with practical AI applications while teaching sessions and running workshops on AI and data visualization across Canada. He also built a collaborative generative AI platform that uses different AI models in 2024.
A co-founder and current board member of the Canadian Open Data Society, Eugene also volunteers as a member of Canada’s Multi-Stakeholder Forum on Open Government.
Some examples of his work include This is YEG, The Opportunity Atlas, and recently used AI to create much of the Canadian Open Data Directory.