DSC-2025-19 | Bring Your Data Analysis to Life with Shiny in R

Why is the topic important?

Shiny lets you turn R code into interactive web applications quickly, without needing deep web development skills. Even a prototype Shiny app can be fully functional, giving you a fast way to explore and present data.

Shiny is highly flexible: you can create any HTML element and style it using CSS (Cascading Style Sheets, which control the appearance of web pages), and even add custom JavaScript for extra interactivity. This makes it possible to design dynamic apps that go beyond static reports.

In today’s data-driven world, being able to explore and interact with data is crucial. This workshop will teach you how to build Shiny apps from scratch, add dynamic features, and deploy your work so others can use it. By the end, you will have the skills to create engaging, interactive applications that make data exploration simple and impactful.

Workshop Goal

• Understand Shiny App Structure: Participants will learn the fundamental architecture of Shiny apps and how to structure code using ui.R/server.R or app.R.
   
• Implement Reactive Programming: Attendees will gain the skills to create dynamic, interactive Shiny applications using reactive values and expressions.
   
• Build Interactive Data Visualizations: Participants will learn to design and customize interactive plots using packages like ggplot2 and plotly for responsive data visualization.
   
• Develop Dynamic Dashboards: Participants will be able to incorporate reactive elements, custom layouts, and interactive user interface components into Shiny dashboards.
   
• Gain Hands-On Experience: Participants will gain practical experience in building and deploying Shiny applications, enabling confident use of Shiny for data exploration and communication.

Workshop Content

This workshop introduces participants to the structure and development of Shiny applications in R. A Shiny app consists of two main components:

• User Interface (UI): The frontend that defines how users interact with the app. It includes input controls (sliders, buttons, dropdowns), output displays (plots, tables, text), and layout structures using functions like fluidPage() and sidebarLayout().
• Server Logic: The backend that processes inputs, performs computations, and updates outputs dynamically using reactive expressions and render functions.

Hands-On Steps for Building a Shiny App:

1. Create a new project directory and add ui.R (interface) and server.R (logic).
2. Design the UI with input/output functions and layout elements.
3. Implement server logic to handle reactive computations and update outputs.
4. Run the app in a browser to test and interact with real-time data.

By the end of the workshop, participants will understand Shiny’s architecture and workflow, enabling them to build interactive dashboards and applications effectively.

Target Audience & Prior Knowledge

This workshop is designed for a broad audience, including Data Analysts, Data Scientists, Researchers, Biologists, Economists, and others. All participants share a common goal: gaining the ability to create value-added web applications to enhance their data-driven workflows. This course is ideal for learners who have a basic understanding of R programming and are comfortable with its core concepts, and are looking to expand their skills in building interactive web applications.

Technical Requirements

• Participants are requested to bring their own laptop for the lab sessions and ensure that R and RStudio are installed. Additionally, participants should have an internet connection available to fully engage in the activities and access any necessary resources.
• Participants should have a fundamental understanding of data science and R programming, along with a strong interest in scripting and programming in R.

About the Trainer

Dr. Maryam Movahedifar is a data scientist for training and consulting at the DSC.