PlayData: Expressive Data Visualization Through Block-Based Programming

Abstract

In this work we present PlayData, a web-based tool designed for young learners to create diverse representational forms for data, taking advantage of the flexibility offered by programming tools. PlayData was designed as a modified version of Scratch 3.0, presenting new specialized blocks for importing, analyzing, and representing data, and a table functionality embedded into the environment. Our design was guided by the premise that the tool should not require extensive instruction to get started with and encourage users to tinker with their data, trying out many ideas iteratively. In this paper, we describe PlayData’s functionalities, and how they relate to the design principles that guided its development. We conclude by sharing lessons learned in pilot studies.