I’m an experienced data analyst consultant working with data in international development, but I only started learning Python less than a year ago. As a beginner programmer with a passion for data visualization design, I began exploring how to build interactive dashboards with Python and Dash — not just to keep coding, but to share stories that matter deeply to me.

In this talk, I share key lessons learned so far — through a beginner’s lens — the shift from a rough idea to a working concept, choosing data, structuring the dashboard, and finding the balance between clarity and aesthetics in my design decisions. I’ll focus on one dashboard project as a case study to show what worked, what didn’t, and how I adapted along the way. Specifically, I will focus on correlations between malaria risk in children under 5 in Nigeria and other key indicators such as climate change and access to water and sanitation.

I’ll also share my personal experience of troubleshooting when nothing seems to work, and how I kept motivation up when hope was dim. My goal is to encourage others to start their own “imperfect” projects, embrace iteration, and see learning as an ongoing process with both highs and lows.

If you’re curious about Python’s capabilities for data storytelling, want to explore interactive dashboards, or simply need that pep talk to begin your first Python project, this talk will offer insights, encouragement, and — most likely — a glimpse of your own journey reflected back at you.