Data Visualization and Information Design Specialist

Role Summary

The Data Visualization & Information Design Specialist is responsible for transforming complex data into clear, engaging, and meaningful digital experiences across the Data.Dubai platform. The role combines data visualization, information design, user experience, and digital storytelling to help users understand Dubai's data through intuitive, interactive, and accessible visual experiences.

Working closely with data engineers, statisticians, product owners, UX designers, and business stakeholders, the specialist designs visual narratives that make official statistics and administrative data easy to explore, understand, and use.

Unlike a traditional dashboard developer, this role focuses on communicating insights rather than simply presenting data.

Key Responsibilities

Information Design & Data Storytelling

• Design customer-centric data experiences that communicate insights through visual storytelling.
• Transform complex statistical and administrative datasets into intuitive visual narratives.
• Define the most effective way to communicate information using charts, maps, infographics, dashboards, and interactive experiences.
• Develop information architecture and content hierarchy for data-driven digital products.
• Simplify complex concepts into engaging visual experiences suitable for both technical and non-technical audiences.
• Produce storyboards and wireframes for new visualization experiences.

Data Visualization

• Design and develop interactive visualizations for Data.Dubai.
• Create statistical charts, dashboards, scorecards, maps, heatmaps, and population pyramids.
• Design real-time and near real-time data visualizations.
• Develop reusable visualization components.
• Ensure consistency across all visualizations published on the platform.
• Improve visualization performance and responsiveness.

User Experience (UX)

• Design intuitive user journeys for data exploration.
• Ensure visualizations are easy to understand and interact with.
• Apply human-centered design principles to improve user engagement.
• Optimize experiences across desktop, tablet, and mobile devices.
• Conduct usability reviews and recommend improvements.
• Ensure compliance with WCAG accessibility standards.

Geographic & Spatial Visualization

• Design interactive maps and geographic visualizations.
• Produce choropleth maps, density maps, and spatial analytics.
• Integrate GIS layers into dashboards and interactive experiences.
• Visualize demographic and geographic indicators across Dubai.

Digital Design Standards

• Develop and maintain visualization design standards.
• Define chart selection guidelines and visualization best practices.
• Maintain color palettes, typography, icons, and reusable design components.
• Create visualization templates and UI patterns.
• Ensure consistency with the Data.Dubai design system.

Product Collaboration

• Collaborate with Product Managers to define visualization requirements.
• Work with statisticians to ensure accurate interpretation of official statistics.
• Coordinate with data engineers to integrate APIs and datasets.
• Partner with UX/UI designers to deliver seamless digital experiences.
• Participate in product discovery, prototyping, and usability testing.

Innovation

• Evaluate emerging visualization technologies and design trends.
• Explore AI-assisted visualization and insight generation.
• Prototype new ways of presenting official statistics.
• Recommend innovative approaches to improve user engagement.
• Stay current with industry best practices in information design and data storytelling.

Required Technical Skills

Data Visualization

• Power BI
• Tableau
• D3.js
• Apache ECharts
• Highcharts
• Plotly

Front-End

• HTML5
• CSS3
• JavaScript
• SVG
• Responsive Web Design

Design

• Figma
• Adobe Illustrator
• Adobe XD (preferred)

GIS

• ArcGIS
• Mapbox
• Leaflet
• OpenLayers

Data

• SQL
• REST APIs
• JSON
• CSV
• Understanding of statistical data structures

Professional Knowledge

The successful candidate should demonstrate knowledge of:

• Information Design
• Data Storytelling
• Data Visualization Principles
• Dashboard Design
• Human-Centered Design
• UX/UI Best Practices
• Official Statistics
• Data Governance
• Accessibility Standards (WCAG)
• Digital Design Systems
• Geographic Information Systems (GIS)

Education

Bachelor's degree in one of the following:

• Information Design
• Graphic Design
• Interaction Design
• User Experience Design
• Computer Science
• Information Systems
• Data Science
• Statistics
• Geographic Information Systems (GIS)
• Or a related discipline.

A Master's degree is considered an advantage.

Experience

• 5–8 years of experience in data visualization, information design, UX, or digital analytics.
• Experience designing customer-facing dashboards and interactive digital experiences.
• Experience working with statistical or analytical data.
• Experience developing visualization standards and reusable design components.
• Experience working with multidisciplinary teams in agile environments. Government or Smart City experience is highly desirable.

Skills: Data Visualization , Information Design , UX/UI Design