Lately, I’ve been doing a lot of dataset and database related work for my academic program and assistantship. I’ve tried to come up with an analogy for what its like to work with datasets - meaning how to “read” the dataset and the actual experience of trying to get your statistical software package to do what you need it to do with the variables.
The closest I’ve come to phenomenologically expressing what its like is a comparison to encountering data through braille. I’m a bit cautious about this analogy because I’m not blind so I don’t actually know what its like to use braille as your primary means of encountering written/recorded information. However, its apt because there is a connection between my finger (using a mouse and keyboard) and the cognitive processes of “understanding” what I am doing with the dataset and how I am manipulating it.
Working with datasets isn’t just an encounter between my eyes and the screen its a tactile experience as well.
