Rosenverse

This video is only accessible to Gold members. Log in or register for a free Gold Trial Account to watch.

Log in Register

Most conference talks are accessible to Gold members, while community videos are generally available to all logged-in members.

Latent Scope: Finding structure in unstructured data

Gold
Wednesday, June 11, 2025 • Designing with AI 2025

This video is featured in the Designing with AI 2025 playlist and 1 more.

Share the love for this talk
Latent Scope: Finding structure in unstructured data
Speakers: Ian Johnson
Link:

Summary

As a data visualization designer and developer the challenge I often face is what to do with unstructured data. One case study I can show is exploring survey results where the multiple-choice questions are straightforward to analyze but interesting open-ended questions like “What do your colleagues not understand about data visualization?” are much harder to crack. Latent Scope is an open-source tool I built that streamlines a process of embedding text, mapping it to 2D, clustering the data points on the map and summarizing those clusters with an LLM. Once the process is done on a dataset structure emerges from the unstructured text, allowing us to get a sense of patterns in the survey answers. Themes like “the time it takes” to develop data visualization pop out, as do “the importance of good design.” While people don’t use the same language to describe these themes, they show up as clusters in the tool thanks to the power of embedding models. https://github.com/enjalot/latent-scope

Key Insights

  • AI embeddings transform unstructured data like text or sketches into high-dimensional vectors capturing hidden semantic patterns.

  • Dimensionality reduction algorithms map these high-dimensional embeddings into 2D clusters, making patterns visually accessible.

  • Free text survey responses, often too large to analyze manually, can be organized and explored effectively through embedding and clustering.

  • Google Cloud user journey data revealed surprising usage patterns, like enterprise and beginner tools being combined unexpectedly.

  • Simple rule-based filters for harmful prompts in generative AI image models can be bypassed by subtle prompt variations; embedding-based classifiers are more effective.

  • Latent Scope is an open source tool enabling non-technical users to embed, cluster, label, and visualize unstructured text data locally.

  • Local runs of embedding and clustering models on modest hardware are practical, preserving data privacy and sensitive user information.

  • Embedding models trained on multilingual data can cluster semantically similar texts across diverse languages in one shared space.

  • Breaking long text into smaller chunks can make embeddings more manageable and improve similarity comparisons.

  • Hands-on exploration of embedding models via platforms like Hugging Face helps users internalize concepts of semantic similarity and pattern discovery.

Notable Quotes

"People just don't get that the design and the process is fundamental."

"Similar inputs will produce similar high dimensional numbers."

"Dimensionality reduction algorithms take data points in high dimensional space and put them close together in 2D if they're similar."

"We found patterns that product teams didn’t expect or even want to look for."

"Simple word-list based filters can easily be tricked by misspellings or slight variations in prompts."

"What if you didn’t know there were important questions you should be asking in your data?"

"Latent Scope lets you quickly explore hundreds or thousands of free text responses to find clusters and patterns."

"You don’t need special hardware; these open source models can run locally on an M1 MacBook or a gaming machine."

"Multilingual embedding models can cluster similar meanings across languages in a shared latent space."

"Downloading and playing with local open source models gives a different experience than using faceless APIs mediated through interfaces."

Ask the Rosenbot
Trisha Causley
[Demo] Complexity in disguise: Crafting experiences for generative AI features
2024 • Designing with AI 2024
Gold
Maria Giudice
Becoming a Changemaker by Leading with Design
2023 • Advancing Research 2023
Gold
Kit Unger
Theme 2: Discussion
2024 • Enterprise Experience 2020
Gold
Sam Proulx
Mobile Accessibility and You
2022 • Design at Scale 2022
Gold
Megan Blocker
What UX research maturity looks like and how we get there [Advancing Research Community Workshop Series]
2023 • Advancing Research Community
Smitha Papolu
Theme 3 Discussion
2019 • Enterprise Experience 2019
Gold
Jess Greco
Claiming your power: Practical tools for amplifying your unique voice
2025 • Advancing Research 2025
Gold
Nalini P. Kotamraju
An Organizational Story: Salesforce Lightning Design System
2016 • Enterprise UX 2016
Gold
Rachael Dietkus, LCSW
Leading through the long tail of trauma
2022 • Advancing Research Community
Jemma Ahmed
Research at an inflection point: Adapting to a new era of collaboration, equity, and innovation
2025 • Advancing Research 2025
Gold
Mike Brzozowski
UX in everyday products: Empowering climate conscious choices
2024 • Climate UX Interest Group
Sha Hwang
The First Fifty Years of Civic Design
2022 • Civic Design 2022
Gold
Jilanna Wilson
Distributed DesignOps Management
2019 • DesignOps Community
Russ Unger
Getting Out from Under Everyone: How to Escape the Paralysis of Getting Started
2016 • Enterprise UX 2016
Gold
Dr. Jamika D. Burge
A Genuine Conversation about the Future of UX Research
2024 • Advancing Research Community
Mac Smith
Measuring Up: Using Product Research for Organizational Impact
2021 • Advancing Research 2021
Gold

More Videos

Llewyn Paine

"Replacing the entire body with an avatar future-proofs against unanticipated identifiers like tattoos or moles."

Llewyn Paine

[Demo] Deploying AI doppelgangers to de-identify user research recordings

June 5, 2024

Daniel J. Rosenberg

"BlueStar lowered users' A1C by 2 points, outperforming the most common drug metformin which averages 1.5."

Daniel J. Rosenberg

Digital Medicine Design

September 26, 2019

Chris Geison

"If you don’t measure if research is successful, what do we ultimately have to show for it?"

Chris Geison Cristen Torrey Eric Mahlstedt

What is Research Strategy?: A Panel of Research Leaders Discuss this Emergent Question

March 4, 2021

Jim Kalbach

"Jobs to be done can be a catalyst for conversations and change by connecting teams across an organization."

Jim Kalbach

Jobs To Be Done

February 25, 2021

Caroline Jarrett

"Sometimes a form forces you into a wrong answer by giving inappropriate options."

Caroline Jarrett

Garbage in, garbage out? Measuring error rates to get ready for AI

January 8, 2026

Suzan Bednarz

"It’s important to distill accessibility guidelines into simple terms so designers understand why changes matter."

Suzan Bednarz Hilary Sunderland

AccessibilityOps for All

January 8, 2024

Rachael Greene

"At Sage Sure, we build paved roads so people can choose to drive on them or carve their own path."

Rachael Greene Alison Davis

Building a Design Ops Practice that Really Works (Most of the Time)

October 2, 2025

Steve Portigal

"Sharing war stories helps illustrate the necessity of flexibility and being present in the moment."

Steve Portigal Susan Simon-Daniels Tamara Hale Randolph Duke II

War Stories LIVE! Q&A-Discussion

March 30, 2020

Laura Weiss

"The brain is a connection machine; people need to create their own mental maps to change effectively."

Laura Weiss

There is No Playbook: Leader as Coach During Challenging Times

April 26, 2024