Rosenverse
Latent Scope: Finding structure in unstructured data

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
Jeff Gothelf
Who does what by how much?
2025 • Advancing Service Design 2025
Gold
Bud Caddell
DesignOps Community Sensing Session
2021 • DesignOps Community
Louis Rosenfeld
Welcome / Housekeeping
2023 • Enterprise UX 2023
Gold
Cara Maritz
The Art of Extrapolation
2023 • Advancing Research 2023
Gold
Paul Pangaro, PhD
Systems Disciplines: Table Stakes for 21st Century Organizations
2023 • Enterprise UX 2023
Gold
Tess Dixon
C'mon Get Happy
2021 • DesignOps Summit 2021
Gold
Patrick Boehler
The service shift: transforming media organizations to create real value through design
2025 • Advancing Service Design 2025
Gold
Husani Oakley
Bias Towards Action: Building Teams that Build Work
2018 • Enterprise Experience 2018
Gold
Marissa Cui
Climate Design Product Showcase
2024 • Climate UX Interest Group
Jacqui Frey
Setting the Table for Dynamic Change
2019 • DesignOps Summit 2019
Gold
Jake Burghardt
Stop wasting research: Create new value with insight summaries
2025 • Rosenfeld Community
Charlotte Vorbeck
Pipeline to Civic Design
2021 • Civic Design 2021
Gold
Amber Knabl
Empowering innovation: The critical role of inclusive product development in the AI era
2024 • Designing with AI 2024
Gold
Savina Hawkins
Harnessing AI in UXR: Practical Strategies for Positive Impact
2024 • Advancing Research 2024
Gold
Jamika Burge
Embracing change: Navigating shifting landscapes with compassion and agency
2025 • Advancing Research 2025
Gold
Sofia Quintero
The Product Philosophy Behind EnjoyHQ
2021 • Advancing Research 2021
Gold

More Videos

Corey Long

"I submitted 710 applications throughout the year and only 7% of those resulted in interviews."

Corey Long

Hiring in DesignOps: A Critical Study on How to Hire and Get Hired

September 23, 2024

Gretchen Anderson

"Working in pixels, we still have fingerprints. You all have a style. That’s a great thing."

Gretchen Anderson

Scaling the Human Center

June 8, 2017

Lori Muszynski

"Ambiguity is considered a problematic in design, but ambiguity can be a feature."

Lori Muszynski Peter Merholz

Keeping Design Weird

October 2, 2023

Sam Proulx

"Alternative navigation users might use voice commands, head mice, or grid coordinates to access elements."

Sam Proulx

SUS: A System Unusable for Twenty Percent of the Population

June 9, 2021

Prayag Narula

"Qualitative researchers can help design better human-in-the-loop evaluation guidelines that consider social context."

Prayag Narula Rida Qadri

HCI 2.0: Humanity Deserves the Attention that UX Research has to Offer

March 28, 2023

Deanna Smith

"If you dug deeper into feedback, you'd find ways to address issues without a big change."

Deanna Smith

Leading Change with Confidence: Strategies for Optimizing Your Process

September 23, 2024

Lija Hogan

"You need a thoughtful operation managing your democratization program to keep it on track and adaptable."

Lija Hogan

Doing more with more: Lessons from the Front Lines of Democratization

March 9, 2022

Sam Proulx

"Accessibility was just a clever trick that some charitable organization or someone who wanted to give back would do almost for fun."

Sam Proulx

To Boldly Go: The New Frontiers of Accessibility

March 11, 2022

Bria Alexander

"Sponsors bring so much color and so much light into the community."

Bria Alexander

Opening Remarks

October 3, 2023