ConfPad

Whether it be running transformations on large data sets or producing sentient software, our job as developers is to build solutions to complex problems. We’re used to interfacing with software and even building tools for our fellow developers who are too. In this talk, we’ll explore building a tool for solving a complex problem faced by non-developers. We’ll talk about what it takes to replace the data visualization toolchain (R, custom scripts, D3.js, etc.) with a single tool that affords the same flexibility and expressiveness of software in an intuitive way for non-developers and how user experience considerations can impact all the way down to basic software architecture assumptions. This exploration will be supplemented with my own discoveries and moments of insight in building that tool that can be applied to building any tool and possibly to any piece of software at all.