Data Driven Societies Digital & Computational Studies Bowdoin College January 29, 2014 Professors Gieseking & Gaze Lecture Slides "How We Make Sense of Data in Visualization"

1. Data Driven Societies:
From Data/Tech to DataViz
Professors Gaze & Gieseking

2. Data & Technology & Statistics,
Oh My
History of data and
technology
+
Data
visualization
Statistical
thinking

3. Visualize This
“...there are right ways and wrong ways to show data;
there are displays that reveal the truth and displays
that do not.”
— Edward Tufte, Visualizing Explanations (45)

4. The Beginnings of Data
Visualization: William Playfair

5. Tufte: Snow’s Cholera Map 1854

6. Tufte: Challenger O’Rings 1987

7. Tufte: What is Bad DataViz?
✦
Disappearing legend
✦
Chartjunk - visual elements in charts and graphs not
necessary for their comprehension
✦
“Chartjunk indicates statistical stupidity, just as weak
writing reflects weak thought. ... Good design brings
absolute attention to data.” (48)
✦
Lack of clarity in depicting cause and effect
✦
Wrong order

8. Yau: Visualization as Medium
flowingdata.com/2010/10/18/true-size-of-africa/

9. Yau: Visualization as Medium
Patrick Smith, 2010

10. Tufte & Yau:
What is Good DataViz?
Tufte
Yau
Certain key rules must be applied:
You may need to throw out the rules
but these ideas generally apply:
✦
✦
✦
✦
Place data in appropriate
context to assess cause/
effect
Make quantitative
comparisons
Consider alternative
explanations and contrary
cases
Assess possible errors in data
✦
Let the type of visual and tool fit
question
✦
Visualization is storytelling
✦
Entertainment and humor can
be helpful
✦
Let data guide design
✦
Recognize how interface
interactions with data