Beautiful Data

Personal Data Collection

Personal data collection is somewhat different from scientific data gathering. Personal data collection is usually less formal and does not happen in a laboratory under controlled conditions. People collect data in the real world where there can be interruptions, bad network connectivity, or limited access to a computer. Users are not necessarily data experts, so when something goes wrong (as it inevitably will), they might not know how to adjust. Therefore, we have to make data collection as simple as possible for the user. It should be unobtrusive, intuitive, and easy to access so that it is more likely that data collection becomes a part of the daily routine.

Working Data Collection into Routine

This is one of the main reasons I chose Twitter as YFD's data proxy from phone or computer to the database. Twitter allows users to post tweets via several outlets. The ability to post tweets via mobile phone lets users log data from anywhere their phones can send SMS messages, which means they can document something as it happens and do not have to wait until they have access to a computer. A person will most likely forget if she has to wait. Accessibility is key.

One could accomplish something similar with email instead of Twitter since most mobile phones let people send SMS to an email address, and this was in fact the original implementation of YFD. However, we go back to data collection as a natural part of daily routine. Millions of people already use Twitter ...