Ideas In Context blog — Mary Aviles

The Art of Asking: How Inquiry Skills Bridge Qualitative Research and AI Innovation

The Art of Asking: How Inquiry Skills Bridge Qualitative Research and AI Innovation

In today's rapidly evolving AI landscape, your most valuable asset might be hiding in plain sight. This post explores how interdisciplinary thinking—the ability to connect concepts across different domains—provides professionals with a distinctive edge when working with artificial intelligence.

Career, Interdisciplinary, Qualitative ResearchMary AvilesFebruary 28, 2025keyword, AI, unstructured data

Considering the Impact of Generosity on a Life('s Work)

Considering the Impact of Generosity on a Life('s Work)

Career, Organizational Culture, RelationshipsMary AvilesJune 28, 2023loose ties, generosity, work people

Information Empowerment: A Reciprocal Data Literacy Case Study, Part 3

Information Empowerment: A Reciprocal Data Literacy Case Study, Part 3

Actionable Insights, Co-creation, Context, Data Visualization, Interdisciplinary, Qualitative Research, Stakeholder ExperienceMary AvilesAugust 9, 2022community engagement, information empowerment, data fluency, data literacy, user experience, research, UX research

Nightingale Magazine, Issue 1 Retro: What We Learned

Nightingale Magazine, Issue 1 Retro: What We Learned

Data Visualization, PublishingMary AvilesJune 21, 2022print magazine, Nightingale, Nightingale Magazine, retro, lessons learned

REVIEW: Mindworks – The Science of Thinking

REVIEW: Mindworks – The Science of Thinking

Actionable Insights, Applied Research, Qualitative Research, Quantitative ResearchMary AvilesFebruary 23, 2022place-making, community engagement, market research, behavioral economics, nudges

REVIEW: Detroit in 50 Maps by Alex B. Hill

REVIEW: Detroit in 50 Maps by Alex B. Hill

Actionable Insights, Co-creation, Context, Data Visualization, Qualitative ResearchMary AvilesJanuary 25, 2022Detroit in 50 Maps, book review, community engagement, maps

Curiouser and Curiouser: Crafting Questions and Attending to the Answers

Curiouser and Curiouser: Crafting Questions and Attending to the Answers

Career, Applied Research, Actionable Insights, Interdisciplinary, Qualitative Research, SynthesisMary AvilesDecember 7, 2021skill development, questioning techniques

Information Empowerment Bridges Expertise to Amplify Impact, Part 2

Information Empowerment Bridges Expertise to Amplify Impact, Part 2

Stakeholder Experience, Relationships, Organizational Culture, Interdisciplinary, Data Visualization, Co-creation, Actionable InsightsMary AvilesOctober 21, 2021information empowerment, convergence, design thinking, data fluency

Information Empowerment is a Universal Theory for Data Design, Part 1

Information Empowerment is a Universal Theory for Data Design, Part 1

Actionable Insights, Co-creation, Data Visualization, Interdisciplinary, Organizational Culture, Relationships, Stakeholder ExperienceMary AvilesSeptember 15, 2021information empowerment, data fluency

100,000 Folds: The Stabilizing Power of Community

100,000 Folds: The Stabilizing Power of Community

Actionable Insights, Co-creation, Data Visualization, RelationshipsMary AvilesApril 8, 2021ecosystem, network, network weaver, community-based, place-making, asset mapping

Drawing Out ‘Data Sketches’

Drawing Out ‘Data Sketches’

Career, Co-creation, Data Visualization, ExhibitionMary AvilesDecember 2, 2020book review, Shirley Wu, Nadieh Bremer, Nightingale, Data Visualization Society

Generating Data Action

Generating Data Action

Actionable Insights, Data Visualization, InterdisciplinaryMary AvilesNovember 16, 2020Sarah Williams, Digital Matatus, civic infrastructure, civic tech, book review, interview

A Guided Virtual Tour of ‘Data Visualization and the Modern Imagination’

A Guided Virtual Tour of ‘Data Visualization and the Modern Imagination’

Exhibition, Interpretation, Data VisualizationMary AvilesOctober 2, 2020RJ Andrews, David Rumsey, Data Visualization and the Modern Imagination

Indelible Impressions: Why You Won’t Forget the Map Room Project

Indelible Impressions: Why You Won’t Forget the Map Room Project

Co-creation, Exhibition, Interpretation, Context, Data VisualizationMary AvilesAugust 4, 2020data fluency, Data Visualization Society, data visualization, community engagement, storytelling, narrative development, opportunity narrative

Small, But Thoughtful: The Power of Naive Optimism

Small, But Thoughtful: The Power of Naive Optimism

Actionable Insights, Applied Research, Co-creation, Qualitative Research, Stakeholder Experience, Data VisualizationMary AvilesMay 8, 2020Nikki Sylianteng, civic engagement, parking, Nightingale, Data Visualization Society, user experience, participatory research

Data Fluency is an Antidote to Fear and Apathy

Data Fluency is an Antidote to Fear and Apathy

Actionable Insights, Context, Secondary Research, Qualitative Research, Synthesis, Data VisualizationMary AvilesApril 30, 2020data fluency, civic engagement infrastructure, equity

Data Visualization As an Act of Witnessing

Data Visualization As an Act of Witnessing

Applied Research, Interpretation, Exhibition, Interdisciplinary, Data VisualizationMary AvilesMarch 17, 2020undocumented migration, social science, empathy, community engagement

How to Bolster a Movement with a Story System

How to Bolster a Movement with a Story System

Actionable Insights, Marketing StrategyMary AvilesDecember 2, 2019inclusion, design, inclusive design, community-based, participatory research

3 Influencer Marketing Rules of Thumb for Trusted Messenger Strategies

3 Influencer Marketing Rules of Thumb for Trusted Messenger Strategies

Actionable Insights, Promotion, Branding, Marketing Strategy, Insight-based MarketingMary AvilesOctober 1, 20192020 Census, trusted messengers, influencers, community engagement

Essential Ingredients for Your Strategic Narrative

Actionable Insights, Brand Position, BrandingMary AvilesApril 9, 2019opportunity narrative, narrative development, storytelling