10/4/2019
Remembering Kelly Martin
This previous Monday we misplaced a gorgeous soul when Kelly Martin handed away. She had been battling most cancers for a very long time and this previous Monday she handed away in her residence. For many who are new to the Tableau group or the broader knowledge visualization group in the previous couple of years, chances are you’ll not have had the chance to satisfy her. As we speak, we stand on the shoulders of giants, and I feel it is essential to acknowledge the leaders which have come earlier than us. For me, Kelly was a kind of folks.
Let’s begin with the apparent. She was very expert at Tableau. Kelly was a four-time Tableau Zen Grasp. She was chosen in 2013 within the second 12 months of the Zen Grasp program (there have been twenty Zen Masters on the time) and this choice continued by means of 2016/2017. I had the dignity of standing on the stage together with her for just a few of these years.
In 2013, Kelly competed within the Tableau Iron Viz Competitors, successful one of many feeder competitions earlier that 12 months together with her viz on Sport of Thrones.
Past her mad Tableau abilities, she had an instinctive sense of design. Kelly’s « When planes and animals collide », also referred to as her « Fowl Strikes » viz, is by far my favourite Tableau visualization. Word, this was created in Tableau Model 8 when floating tiles had been first launched. In honor of Kelly, it was the Tableau Viz of the Day this previous Tuesday. Her visualization is iconic. For numerous years it was utilized by Tableau of their advertising and marketing campaigns. It sparked a design motion in the neighborhood, exhibiting what was attainable on the Tableau canvas. Take a detailed have a look at the design of her viz. What do you discover about it?
I’d describe her work in two phrases, « easy » and « elegant ». There may be nothing complicated about this visualization. It is a scatter plot and a map. There may be little or no shade. There are just a few key numbers to point out what’s essential and the filtering could be very easy. But, this visualization captured the eye of the group (the unique has been seen on Tableau Public 167,289 instances as of at the moment).
This can be a nice instance of her type. Simply final week in my knowledge visualization class, when speaking particularly about affect and good design in knowledge visualization, I discussed Kelly and confirmed just a few of her visualizations. Right here is one other instance of her work that I all the time present in my courses.
Once more, it is superbly designed, however easy in kind.
Pondering again, I feel I first met Kelly in individual on the 2014 Tableau convention. I had messaged together with her numerous instances previous to that, as she had supplied her recommendation on making ready for the Iron Viz. At TC14 she was featured on the large display through the Keynote presentation by the founder, after which CEO of Tableau, Christian Chabot. Two days later, I distinctly bear in mind her sitting within the viewers watching me on stage within the 2014 IronViz competitors and considering to myself, « she was competing final 12 months, and now she’s watching me viz! ».
In 2015, Kelly got here to Cincinnati to current on the 2015 Analytics Summit hosted by the College of Cincinnati Heart for Enterprise Analytics. Her presentation was spectacular. Try her session description. This description alone is sage recommendation:
« For a lot too lengthy, enterprise dashboards appear to have been designed to purposely abuse and confuse their customers. The latest explosion of ‘lovely’ net knowledge visualizations has the pendulum swinging extensively within the different route…superbly designed, however not essentially informative or helpful for enterprise. Our job as dashboard builders is to create a cohesive and correct info message that may stand alone in a room with out us there to interpret. On this session we’ll discover how you can apply significant design to dashboards in a means that successfully communicates the information, highlights the insights and likewise supplies sufficient magnificence to attract the person in. »
What an ideal description and her presentation was simply as charming as her visualizations. I’ve fond recollections of that day, speaking with Kelly all through the day, after which having fun with a stunning dinner that night collectively together with Ryan Sleeper and Stephen Few.
All through 2015, I used to be in common contact with Kelly. Steve Wexler had reached out to Kelly and me about writing a e-book collectively. We launched into this journey collectively and I bear in mind having lengthy conversations with Kelly and Steve concerning the e-book over a number of months. We mentioned knowledge visualization, dashboard design, we started outlining the e-book, and we even started some preliminary dashboard creation. Just a few months in, Kelly had a contract with a really huge consumer in her consulting follow and he or she finally bowed out from the e-book venture (and we then coerced Andy Cotgreave into becoming a member of us).
Later that 12 months, I noticed Kelly once more on the 2015 Tableau Convention. On the finish of the convention there was a Zen Summit the place we met with the Tableau improvement staff and executives. This was my second convention and my first 12 months as a Zen Grasp. I used to be requested to current alongside Kelly on the Zen Summit on dashboard formatting, and so Kelly and I offered collectively. We mentioned what we cherished and what we hoped to have in the way forward for dashboard design. By the way, lots of the issues we requested for that evening are actually in-built Tableau, equivalent to extra formatting choices and a few design-to-grid performance.
At that very same convention (TC15), I collaborated with Anya A’Hearn and Allan Walker on a presentation referred to as « Minority Report in Tableau ». As a part of that presentation, I wished to characteristic Kelly’s Fowl Strike Viz, to which she responded, « I’d be honored ». So I created a model of her Fowl Strikes viz that could possibly be managed with voice instructions by means of the Tableau JavaScript API. Her response to all of this was « Terrific!! Superb work Jeffrey! » Kelly was all the time encouraging and supportive. I bear in mind her sending me a word once I was chosen as a Tableau Ambassador and a Tableau Zen Grasp. I bear in mind she could not attend my shows at TC15, however she despatched me a word after the shows asking about them, in her personal Kelly-stlye, « Incidentally- by no means acquired an opportunity to ask … How superior had been you? » That was Kelly, she genuinely cared.
I’ve fond recollections of our time collectively and people hours of conversations about knowledge visualization. Her design type will endlessly be an affect on and inspiration for my work.
To shut, I need to write a public thanks to her expensive buddy Bridget Cogley, who was alongside Kelly for a really lengthy journey. Yesterday, Bridget posted this beautiful piece speaking about that journey. Thanks Bridget for the care and friendship you offered to Kelly.
As well as, Kelly wrote her last blog post (with Bridget’s assist) and I’d encourage you to learn it.
Relaxation in peace Kelly.
Jeff
