Week 1: Data Visualization & Interactions
Spring into AI : Competition Kickoff
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Alright, the timer starts now.
Week 1 Theme: Data Visualization & Interactions
You have from this moment until Sunday 11:59 PM CT to build something, ship it publicly, and tell the world what you learned. Doesn't matter if it's ugly. Doesn't matter if it's "just" a chart that pulls from a CSV. The point here is *reps* - building in public, breaking comfort zones, and realizing that everyone else is figuring this out in real-time too.
What "Data Visualization & Interactions" Actually Means
Stop thinking you need to build Tableau. You don't.
This week is about:
• Taking data that lives somewhere (a CSV, an API, a form submission) and making it *visible*
• Letting people click, drag, filter, or manipulate that data somehow
• Showing your work — the messy middle, the failed attempts, the "wait why is D3 eating my entire Sunday"
Example, Valid ideas:
• A simple dashboard that visualizes your Spotify listening history
• An interactive chart showing CO2 levels that lets users scrub through decades
• A drag-and-drop interface for sorting and filtering a dataset
• A real-time visualization of something streaming (sensor data, tweets, whatever)
• A "boring" business chart that does one thing really well with smooth interactions
Not valid:
• "I'm still researching frameworks"
• "I need to finish my Udemy course first"
• "I have a really complex idea that needs 6 weeks"
Complexity is the enemy. Shipping is the game. Don’t get trapped in shopping for tools.
The Rules Reminder (Because Coffee Debts Are Real)
Scoreboard updates Monday at noon. Slackers get named. Coffee debts made real.
Points:
• LinkedIn post — 5
• Personal blog — 2
• Substack post — 2
• YouTube video (5+ min, PiP required) — 15
Multipliers:
• Public repo = 1×
• Hosted app + public repo = 2×
• No public code = 0× (don't do this)
Bonus points:
• +10 for referencing another competitor's work
• +10 if you stay clearly inside the data viz theme
The Real Win Here
Yeah, there's a medal for the top three. But the actual prize is momentum.
Five weeks of shipping publicly changes things. You stop caring about "what if it's not good enough" and start caring about "what did I learn this time." You build a GitHub profile. You get comfortable being uncomfortable.
Also: I'm scoring this with an AI, so there's no vibe-based judging. Points are points. Build it, share it, get the math.
Your Move
You have about 6.5 days. That's enough for something small and real. Not perfect. Real.
Drop your ideas in the group chat on substack or just ping me on SMS. Riff from each other. Reference each other's builds for those sweet +10 bonus points. Make something so simple it almost feels stupid, then watch it compound over five weeks.
The theme is dropped. The clock is ticking.