Grappling with Time

Grappling with time was an experimental data visualization project that I completed during one of the first graduate courses at MICA's Information Visualization Program. The goal of the assignment was to explore any aspect of a person’s life through a temporal visualization.

The project was both an exercise in data visualization and introspection

I decided to create a diagram that illustrated an entire week of personal activity. I grouped each activity into one of eight categories: Work and Meetings, Rest and Sleep, School and Assignments, Personal Time, Time with Spouse, Time with Children, Chores, and Social Activities. The project was both an exercise in data visualization and introspection. At one point during the week, I found my oldest daughter looking at a version of my printed diagram and saying: “Daddy, it's 7:00 PM, and according to your chart, you’re supposed to be spending time with us.” I considered being more specific about quantifying the type of activities that I was actually doing. However, I opted against it to be able to maintain some degree of privacy. I ultimately decided to stay with the eight original categories, which in my opinion do a good job at covering key aspects of my daily activity. It was an amazing experience to be able to experiment with data visualization while discovering aspects of my personal life for which I had no previous awareness.