Design With Data
AT PIVOT DATA STUDIO, I TRANSFORM YOUR COMPLEX DATA INTO EFFECTIVE DATA INTERFACES.
- Cydney Nielsen
MY WORK
WHAT I DO
I help my clients communicate, interpret, and take action on their data by designing effective data interfaces. My strength is in figuring out what to build. I love a challenging problem and can navigate ambiguity to transform the messy and complex into the interpretable.
DEFINE
the problem
I listen to users. I work with them to understand their analytical goals, pain points, and technical requirements. I then capture these in a design brief that aligns the team and informs the design.
WRANGLE
the data
Data is at the heart of a data interface. It's critical to understand its properties and limitations. Datasets need wrangling into an appropriate form and I collaborate with your data science team or work independently to understand and prepare your data.
DESIGN
the prototypes
Data will always surprise you and differ from your imagined ideal. I work hands-on with data to iteratively prototype visualizations in code in addition to using sketches and wireframes to explore solutions.
DEPLOY
the solution
Depending on the scope, I can build the final product or collaborate with your engineering and data science teams to deploy the data interface into a production environment.
communicate
the methods
I can help you distill the key elements of the solution and its outcomes into written or presentation form. I'm also experienced in running workshops on core visualization principles and practices.
ABOUT ME
My name is Cydney Nielsen. I'm a scientist, designer, and founder of Pivot Data Studio. I design and build data interfaces. My work spans several disciplines including data science, engineering, and design and I thrive when collaborating at their intersections.
2023-present
PIVOT DATA STUDIO
Founder + Director
I founded Pivot to follow my passion for data visualization and focus my full attention on tackling challenging data communication problems with clients.
2008-2018
2018-2022
MICROSOFT
Designer + Data Scientist
My love for making products led me to Microsoft where I worked on products such as Dynamics 365 Guides for HoloLens and contributed across the whole product cycle from pre-release to global deployment.
BC CANCER
Research Associate
During my 10 years at BC Cancer, I grew from a postdoctoral fellow to a data visualization leader guiding a team of software developers. Throughout I helped translate complex genomics data into effective interfaces for scientific discovery.
2003-2008
MIT
PhD, Computational Biology
My roots are in science. My PhD instilled in me a rigorous approach to data analysis that's invaluable to my practice today. I'm fascinated by biology, enjoy reading scientific literature, and love tackling challenging problems in this domain.
