11262020 MAKING YOUR DATA SAY SOMETHING VISUALLY Information

11/26/2020 MAKING YOUR DATA SAY SOMETHING VISUALLY Information Tools - Data Display Thoughts Graphic Portrayal of Information

MAKING YOUR DATA SAY SOMETHING VISUALLY 11/26/2020 Ben Shneiderman, founding director of the Human-Computer Interaction Laboratory at the University of Maryland Information Tools - Data Display Thoughts The purpose of visualization, is insight, not pictures.

Why Graphics Theory Matters Information Tools - Data Display Thoughts 11/26/2020

It matters because … Like good writing GRAPHICAL DISPLAYS OF DATA COMMUNICATE IDEAS clarity precision efficiency Information Tools - Data Display Thoughts with 11/26/2020

It matters because … Like poor writing, BAD GRAPHICAL DISPLAYS make it harder to understand or compare or otherwise thwart the communicative effect which the graph should convey Information Tools - Data Display Thoughts distort or obscure the data 11/26/2020

Three big names William Playfair The Commercial and Political Atlas (1786) Information Tools - Data Display Thoughts Jacques Bertin The Semiology of Graphics (1967/1983) 11/26/2020 Edward Tufte The Visual Display of Quantitative Information (1983)

William Playfair’s Contributions Information Tools - Data Display Thoughts 11/26/2020 Playfair first published The Commercial and Political Atlas in 1786, in London. It contained 43 time series plots and one bar chart, a form apparently introduced in this work. It has been described as the first major work to contain statistical graphs.

Jacques Bertin’s Contributions Jacques Bertin 11/26/2020 Bertin's system consists of seven visual variables: position, shape , color hue, orientation, texture, size, and value, combined with a visual semantics for linking data attributes to visual elements. in 1997 Information Tools - Data Display Thoughts Jacques Bertin’s Semiology of Graphics (1967/1983) systematically classified the use of visual elements to display data and relationships

Bertin’s Retinal Variables so called because the retina of the eye is sensitive to them, independent of the location of the object Information Tools - Data Display Thoughts 11/26/2020

Edward Tufte Information Tools - Data Display Thoughts 11/26/2020

Graphical Excellence Information Tools - Data Display Thoughts that which gives the viewer the greatest number of ideas in the shortest time with the least ink in the smallest space 11/26/2020

Graphical Excellence Minard’s map of Napoleon’s march to and from Moscow Information Tools - Data Display Thoughts that which gives the viewer the greatest number of ideas in the shortest time with the least ink in the smallest space 11/26/2020

Graphical Excellence – a bit closer Information Tools - Data Display Thoughts 11/26/2020

Graphical Integrity Information Tools - Data Display Thoughts representation of numbers should be directly proportional to the numerical quantities represented 11/26/2020

Graphical Integrity graphics must not quote out of context Information Tools - Data Display Thoughts representation of numbers should be directly proportional to the numerical quantities represented 11/26/2020

Graphical Integrity graphics must not quote out of context clear, detailed, and thorough labeling should be used to defeat graphical distortion and ambiguity Information Tools - Data Display Thoughts representation of numbers should be directly proportional to the numerical quantities represented 11/26/2020

Graphical Integrity graphics must not quote out of context clear, detailed, and thorough labeling should be used to defeat graphical distortion and ambiguity show data variation, not design variation Information Tools - Data Display Thoughts representation of numbers should be directly proportional to the numerical quantities represented 11/26/2020

Graphical Integrity graphics must not quote out of context clear, detailed, and thorough labeling should be used to defeat graphical distortion and ambiguity show data variation, not design variation Information Tools - Data Display Thoughts representation of numbers should be directly proportional to the numerical quantities represented 11/26/2020

Graphical Integrity graphics must not quote out of context 100 90 and thorough labeling clear, detailed, should 80 be used to defeat graphical distortion and ambiguity 20 04 99 94 89 84 79 19 11/26/2020 70 show data variation, 60 not design variation 50 40 30 20 10 0 Information Tools - Data Display Thoughts representation of numbers should be directly proportional to the numerical quantities represented

Graphical Integrity graphics must not quote out of context clear, detailed, and thorough labeling should be used to defeat graphical distortion and ambiguity show data variation, not design variation Information Tools - Data Display Thoughts representation of numbers should be directly proportional to the numerical quantities represented 11/26/2020

Graphical Integrity Information Tools - Data Display Thoughts show data variation, not design variation 11/26/2020 New York Times 19 Dec 1978

Graphical Integrity Information Tools - Data Display Thoughts clear, detailed, should be used to defeat graphical distortion and thorough labeling and ambiguity 11/26/2020 New York Times 02 May 2010

Graphical Integrity Information Tools - Data Display Thoughts clear, detailed, should be used to defeat graphical distortion and thorough labeling and ambiguity 11/26/2020 Washington Post

Graphical elegance Information Tools - Data Display Thoughts in simplicity of design is found 11/26/2020

Graphical elegance in simplicity of design Information Tools - Data Display Thoughts is found 11/26/2020

Graphical elegance Information Tools - Data Display Thoughts elegant and artsy can be 11/26/2020

Graphical elegance Information Tools - Data Display Thoughts elegant and artsy can be 11/26/2020

Graphical elegance elegant and unconfusing Instead of this Information Tools - Data Display Thoughts can be 11/26/2020

Graphical elegance elegant and unconfusing the same data, more clearly Information Tools - Data Display Thoughts can be 11/26/2020

Tufte's Rules layer the figure to produce a visual hierarchy Information Tools - Data Display Thoughts Tone down secondary elements of a picture 11/26/2020

Tufte's Rules Information Tools - Data Display Thoughts Tone down secondary elements of a picture Replace coded labels in the figure by direct ones 11/26/2020

Tufte's Rules Information Tools - Data Display Thoughts Tone down secondary elements of a picture Replace coded labels in the figure by direct ones Produce emphasis by using the smallest possible effective distinctions 11/26/2020

Tufte's Rules Information Tools - Data Display Thoughts Tone down secondary elements of a picture Replace coded labels in the figure by direct ones Produce emphasis by using the smallest possible effective distinctions Eliminate all unnecessary parts of a figure 11/26/2020

Tufte's Rules Information Tools - Data Display Thoughts Tone down secondary elements of a picture Replace coded labels in the figure by direct ones Produce emphasis by using the smallest possible effective distinctions Eliminate all unnecessary parts of a figure Use small multiples numerous repetitions of a single figure with slight variations 11/26/2020

Tufte's Rules Information Tools - Data Display Thoughts Tone down secondary elements of a picture Replace coded labels in the figure by direct ones Produce emphasis by using the smallest possible effective distinctions Eliminate all unnecessary parts of a figure Use small multiples Make the graphics carry a story 11/26/2020

11/26/2020 IT CAN BE Information Tools - Data Display Thoughts Is this important?

Theory in Practice Information Tools - Data Display Thoughts 11/26/2020

Theory in Practice Information Tools - Data Display Thoughts 11/26/2020

Theory in Practice Information Tools - Data Display Thoughts Extrapolation of damage curve to the cold Challenger: 31 degrees forecasted temperature for launch on January 28, 1986 11/26/2020

11/26/2020 CAN BE CRITICAL IN MANY SITUATIONS Information Tools - Data Display Thoughts Effective graphical data portrayal

11/26/2020 GAPMINDER Information Tools - Data Display Thoughts How display can alter one’s perception

Let’s spend 20 productive minutes Information Tools - Data Display Thoughts 11/26/2020