2026 is already here - and our team started the year with our most ambitious project, the Data Experiment being honored with the Learning Technology award for the best blended learning solution. What a way to kick off a new year! With this achievement in our pocket and the third consecutive year we’ll be hosting our learning project, it’s time to see how the Data Experiment has evolved - and what it’s yet to come for this immersive learning experience. 

Data Experiment - exhibition view at the Telekom HQ Aula, Budapest

 

DATA AND AI - A MAGENTA PRIORITY

Deutsche Telekom, defined by Brand Finance as the most valuable global telecommunication brand, had put Data and AI in the center of its flywheel of strategy. After all, with such global importance comes great responsibility to our stakeholders, customers and our employees. Artificial Intelligence is the technological compass of our time, and Telekom has sworn to deliver the relevant, data-first knowledge both inside and outside of our company.

Solid AI knowledge requires reliable understanding of data.

As part of the Deutsche Telekom Group, Telekom HU’s Learning Experience team followed the objectives of the company goal. While we have a broad range of learning opportunities in this field, be it the usual data analyst and foundational data science learning paths along with popular, industry standard AI learning programs, we wanted to provide a different approach.

We wanted to make working with data tangible for people at all skill levels.

By this principle, we decided to create a hands-on, blended learning experience in collaboration with Hungary’s top design university, MOME (Moholy-Nagy University of Art and Design).

 

MOME - PARTNER IN EDUCATION

MOME is a creative community of artists, designers, thinkers and innovators committed to breaking down mediocrity and creating meaningful impact. They take a human-centered approach to education, combining mentoring, collaboration, and value-driven design practices. MOME’s unique environment builds a strong foundation for creative and responsible innovation, making it one of the most exciting institutions in Central Europe. Working with them means joining a network that is forward-thinking, inclusive, and deeply engaged with the challenges of our time.

MOME has a long history of leading in the field of data visualization. In the past, this expertise was centered in the Innovation Center and the Data Storytelling Hub, which focused on turning complex data into accessible, human-centered visual stories. Today, this knowledge has expanded far beyond a single hub—data visualization has grown into a key element across various departments and courses. It is now an integrated part of education and research activities, supported by expert faculty, guest lecturers, and real-world projects. This evolution reflects MOME’s commitment to staying at the forefront of digital storytelling and design.

Main entrance of the Moholy-Nagy University of Art and Design in Budapest

 

DATA EXPERIMENT - A KALEIDOSCOPE OF LEARNING

Our project, called the Data Experiment, aimed to boost data literacy. We did this by having participants learn through direct experience, essentially reversing the usual learning process. We asked our students to create art using data. To do this, they had to learn about data as they worked, which meant developing the following competencies:

• How to get and collect data
• Data ethics
• How to judge data quality
• How to think about data rules and privacy

Using the data they collected themselves, they learned how to work with it and understand it, ultimately building their own datasets. They then learned to analyze these datasets, finding connections between different pieces of data and the stories hidden within them. This deep learning of data skills happened alongside a creative, design-thinking process.

Ultimately, this wasn't just about making Excel charts. It was a complex journey of creating art by recognizing and understanding data in our daily lives.

Our teaching process this way was layered, interconnected and blended with all sorts of learning experiences. Instead of a linear approach, we wanted to offer a kaleidoscope of experiences and unique opportunities to our employees.

We provided relevant knowledge especially for people who are not data analysts or do not have positions directly related to data science.

Visitors at the 1st Data Experiment exhibition at the Telekom HU office building in 2024. A true community experience.

 

A Creative Challenge

Over a hundred colleagues joined our learning program with a clear goal: to create a prize-winning artwork that would be showcased at our biggest annual company event. This program was carefully integrated into a professional setting, where the public display of their work added an extra layer of challenge.

Leadership Support

The Data Experiment received strong backing from key stakeholders: Daria Dodonova, then Telekom HU's Chief Financial Officer, and András Balázs, then leader of the AI and Data Innovation Tribe. They helped position the program as both a professional achievement and an innovative learning experience that supported employee and business growth. Their support, along with the program's inclusion in the most important learning events of 2024, solidified its importance within the company that year.

The Power of Creativity

András Balázs shared his thoughts on the Data Experiment: "Stepping away from daily routines can ignite a powerful creative force. When you work differently, using your hands for more than just typing, new ideas can emerge that might not otherwise appear in a monotonous routine. This allows colleagues to tackle everyday problems, whether professional or personal, with fresh, creative perspectives. We aimed to recapture the creativity we had as children, when we played more with things like Legos. This program is an excellent way to help colleagues break free from daily constraints."

Beaded collar, a wearable Hungarian folk jewel reimagined as an artwork by Patrícia Vuleta for the Data Experiment The piece visually depicts the male-female employee proportion at Telekom Hungary from the last ten years.

Learning Journey and Structure

Participants registered for the Data Experiment through our e-learning platform provided by Valamis. There they accessed the necessary learning paths and lessons to help them with their creative work and submit their contest entries. This created a blended learning experience, combining online, offline, synchronous, as well as asynchronous tools.

The first Data Experiment ran from May to October 2024. After signing up, participants chose whether to compete individually or in teams. Then began the data collection phase, lasting several months, where they gathered data and built their knowledge in data physicalization. With the help of MOME University, they attended online lectures, visited art exhibitions, and discussed how data and art appear in everyday life.

From late July to early September, they could consult with MOME's program lead, who brought an art and design perspective to their projects, receiving advice and feedback during their creative process.

Reflections inside the Kaleidoscope - the Six Core Pillars of the Data Experiment:

• Crafting: Participants created data-driven objects using various simple and advanced techniques, including laser cutting, 3D printing, bead weaving, and watercolor painting.
• Teamwork: Colleagues collaborated both online and offline, sharing experiences and building a community both inside and outside the Telekom Campus.
• Data Physicalization: This involved making data tangible through physical forms. This artistic process helped participants explore beyond computer screens, delve into their interests and hobbies, and create physical mementos.
• Quantified Self: Participants tracked data to increase self-awareness. They had the opportunity to listen to an insightful lecture by Chad Hall from Washington University, a leader in this field.
• Exhibition: The public exhibition raised the stakes, blending creative expression with the business world. All Telekom HU employees witnessed the hard work of the participants, and their projects were recognized and awarded by both coworkers and upper management.

TankLab - test tubes representing the personal gas consumption data over a span of 5 years. Colours mean gas price and the amount of liquid in the tubes represents the monthly consumption. Artwork by Judit Dezse

 

NUMBERS, JUDGES, APPEARANCES

100 employees signed up, consisting of individual participants and 25 teams, and they submitted 50 projects, out of which 16 projects got shortlisted for the exhibition at our company event.

While the Data Experiment on its own was an impressive achievement, Telekom HU also commissioned Gábor Kristóf, a contemporary artist to create a data-driven painting which was the centerpiece of the exhibition. The artwork ended up as the centerpiece of the gallery, moving the exhibition up from the business domain into contemporary art’s domain.

“Thoughts in my library” - reading data represented by colored book columns. Artwork by Enikő Szabó

The jury, composed of both learning experts and business leaders within the company, carefully evaluated all the submissions to select the best works.

The finalists' artworks were showcased not only at MagentaLand, Telekom HU's largest annual company event held at its headquarters, but also online. A Virtual Gallery on the company website allowed a broader audience to view the pieces. This online platform also provided an opportunity for a "Public's Choice" vote, where employees could cast their vote for their favorite shortlisted artwork. The artworks thus achieved an estimated 3000 views.

 

Left to right: András Balázs, AI and Data Tribe Lead; Gábor Kristóf, Visual Artist; Mihály Minkó, Data Visualisation Trainer and Flóra Németh, PR Manager at a Magentaland round-table event in 2024

 

AFTERLIFE

Following its success last fall and with AI becoming even more important in 2025, the Data Experiment was relaunched this past spring with a new theme: health.

Health proved to be an excellent theme for our first focused year, as it's a topic naturally rich in data, even for those not directly working with it. We constantly track various health-related data about ourselves: from sleep hours, weight, and height to distances walked, hiked, or biked, and even our eating habits. This shows how data helps us stay aware of our physical well-being, and similarly, it can help us understand our "digital well-being" and work quality.

Our participants this year were just as creative and innovative as those in the first year. The exhibited artworks included a video game, a lamp, a suncatcher, paintings, and even an entire bicycle. Each piece was a data-based artwork, telling personal stories about how the creators view health and its meaning in their lives.

Developing both data literacy and health awareness through one learning program? Our Learning & Development team here at Telekom HU certainly considers that an award-winning solution!

“Learning mountains” - Learning enrollment and completion data of the central learning initiative. Each program topic is represented by a mountain (namely: data, AI and Telekom knowledge). Every level-line equals a participant number of 50. Artwork of the Learning Experience Team at Magyar Telekom

 

 

Mihály Minkó, Data Visualzation Trainer, MOME University

Blanka Bánszki, Program Manager, Telekom HU

Peter Trembeczki, Learning Architect, Telekom HU