YouTube FORM Summit
Discipline: DATA VISUALIZATION, DESIGN, DEVELOPMENT
Tools: Custom software, D3.js, SVG, HTML/CSS
FORM is an annual conference for YouTube employees working in UX. FORM 2022 was centered around the notion of UXers coming together to celebrate our community, elevate our people, and thrive off the energy of a shared purpose.
To embody that spirit, I designed a generative art system that algorithmically made unique artwork for each conference attendee, based on their contributions and role at YouTube. We printed the art on their name tags to spark conversations and connections throughout the conference.
Data
To create personalized visualizations for each attendee, we needed comprehensive and engaging data. Given a list of emails of all the people who registered to attend FORM, I built a python script that web scraped Google’s internal Team graph for their public metadata. We gathered details like names, job titles, pronouns, tenure, community contributions, desk locations, and skills.
Design
With the data in hand, we moved to design explorations. Using sample posters created by our visual designers as a reference, I abstracted primary visual elements to build our data visualization framework. Elements such as angles, lengths, thickness, patterns, and typography were used to represent various datapoints:
- Location: Inspired by luggage tags, abbreviations for office locations.
- Job Role: Metaphorical designs for roles like design, leadership, engineering, etc.
- Tenure: Overlapping bars inspired by Roman numerals, with horizontal bars for years and slashes for months.
- Reports: Slashes representing individual contributors and managers
Generative System
Using custom made software, I developed a generative system to create scalable SVGs for each name tag, ensuring they were print-ready. The visual system's simplicity, using primarily slashes, allowed us to efficiently render unique designs for each attendee.
The project resulted in over 400 unique name tags for the YouTube UX community. These data-driven designs promoted connections and conversations, aligning with FORM's theme of unity while celebrating individual contributions.
The visual identity effectively highlighted how we all come together to make YouTube what it is, demonstrating the power of collective effort and the beauty of individuality.
