Transform Mobility Data into Actionable Decisions
A structured 7-module tutorial to create decision-oriented data stories for mobility professionals. Grounded in the MobiDaS and MODAS research projects and designed to address real practitioner challenges.
About MoSt
What is MoSt, and how does it relate to MobiDaS and MODAS?
MoSt — short for Mobility Storytelling tutorial — is the instructional artifact developed for a master's thesis at TU Ilmenau (Media Technology, supervised by Prof. Dr. Hirth). It is the thing you're using right now: seven modules of explanation + practice that walk a mobility practitioner from a vague topic to a complete, decision-oriented data story.
MoSt is not the research itself — it operationalizes findings from two TU Ilmenau research projects on mobility data communication.
Read the 5-minute intro →Why This Tutorial?
Addressing Real Practitioner Challenges
Mobility practitioners face recurring challenges when turning data into decisions.
Decision-Orientation Gap
Practitioners struggle to connect data analysis to actionable decisions. Stories describe data but fail to guide action.
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Audience Adaptation
Stories often fail to match the expertise level and specific needs of their intended audience.
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Data Overload
Too much data obscures key insights rather than illuminating them. The signal gets lost in the noise.
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Visualization Clarity
Charts and graphics often confuse rather than clarify due to poor design choices and visual clutter.
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Narrative Structure
Missing or weak narrative structure reduces engagement and makes insights harder to remember.
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THE MOST FRAMEWORK
Seven Modules, One Integrated Workflow
Each module builds on the previous, taking you from formulating the right question to delivering a complete, decision-oriented data story.
This is methodology, not software. You'll learn a structured approach that works with your existing tools—whether Excel, Python, Tableau, or pen and paper.
Learn to formulate decision-oriented questions that drive effective data stories using the 5W+H framework.
Master the art of selecting data that directly supports your core question while avoiding information overload.
Create visualizations that clarify rather than confuse. Learn chart selection, accessibility, and annotation.
Tailor your data story to resonate with different stakeholders, from executives to technical experts.
Transform data insights into compelling narratives using the three-act structure and Freytag's pyramid.
Layer in filters, hover details, drill-down, or animation so the decision-maker can explore your chart and answer their own follow-up questions.
Assemble everything from Modules 1–6 into a complete cycling-infrastructure data story and self-assess it against the seven MobiDaS quality requirements.
Quality Framework
The Seven MobiDaS Requirements
Learn to create data stories that meet professional quality standards
Ready to Transform Your Data Stories?
Start with Module 1 and work through the six-module tutorial.