Introducing one of the three 2025 Iron Viz finalists. From her Scottish roots in Kilwinning to her current life in Brussels, Belgium, and now, to the Iron Viz stage at Tableau Conference in San Diego, meet Kathryn McCrindle! And get this—Kathryn is a first-time Iron Viz participant! 

Kathryn started using Tableau when challenged at work seven years ago.  "I was amazed at how quickly you could create something beautiful, interactive, and useful.” Her skills ramped up quickly when she moved to Belgium and joined Biztory as she found herself surrounded by many data experts.

First Time's the Charm: Embracing the Iron Viz Challenge

"I avoided entering before because I didn’t think I was good enough and didn’t think I could create something that was impressive enough…The ‘win or learn - you can’t lose’ tagline really resonates with me. I created something that I was really proud of at the end and learned a lot along the way.”

This time, she challenged that self-doubt, reminding herself that the essence of Iron Viz lies in telling an interesting story through data in a clear and visually appealing way. Having the opportunity to focus on one dashboard for a month made the focused, in-depth work of the competition particularly rewarding for Kathryn.

Kathryn McCrindle’s 2025 Iron Viz Qualifiers entry

The Inspiration of the Viz: A Scottish Tale with a Twist

Kathryn's qualifier viz tells a unique Scottish tale, inspired by the TV show Outlander but extending beyond its storyline. With available data, she explored the show's impact on Scotland’s tourism and how it turned into a must-visit destination. This vision was brought to life thanks to her Tableau skills. Some of the features she used were dynamic zone visibility and map layers for  dynamic visualization. 

The TV show’s historical fiction genre heavily inspired her design choices—a vintage aesthetic using browns and yellows. She gave her viz a personal twist by using a photo she took at Bothy Bar in Kinlochleven for the title background—one of the many photos she’s taken instead of a generic stock photo. To further evoke the Scottish setting, she incorporated a Celtic border and a touch of tartan, all within a clean and spacious layout. 

The photo that inspired Kathryn’s viz title background

“Never in my wildest dreams did I ever think I’d be on that stage in the Iron Viz finals so just being up there will be amazing.”

Kathryn is excited to soak up the Californian sun, have a blast with the DataFam and meet some of her Tableau heroes! Aside from sharing stage with the two other finalists—Bo McCready and Ryan Soares—who have been regularly checking in with each other. 

Watch Iron Viz at Tableau Conference on April 16, 2025 at 4 p.m. PT.