Let's do some thinking about data visualisation thinking

LET’S HAVE A THINK ABOUT
DATA VISUALISATION THINKING
Andy Kirk
@visualisingdata

Data visualisation specialist: Trainer, lecturer, researcher,
author, design consultant, speaker, twitterer...

Theories and techniques
Real-world practice

5 ATTRIBUTES OF
GOOD VISUALISATION
THINKING

#1
ORGANISED
Sequenced thinking

1. Establish the visualisation’s purpose
PRACTICAL
CREATIVE
2. Acquire, familiarise with and prepare
your data
3. Determine the editorial focus of your
subject matter
4. Conceive your design: data
representation and presentation
5. Construct and complete your design
solution

Recommended talk/project...
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZMB_6OeCEP8

“There's a strand of the data viz world that argues that
everything could be a bar chart. That's possibly true but
also possibly a world without joy”
Amanda Cox, New York Times
http://blogs.hbr.org/hbr/hbreditors/2013/03/power_of_visualizations_aha_moment.html

Framework for thinking rather than rules for learning

Where to begin? What pathway to take?
http://www.mattneuman.com/maze.gif

Organised thinking for visualisation
The most effective and efficient way to
sequence your thinking.

#2
Boring!
CONTEXTUAL
Framing our thinking

The influence of context
YOU ARE KAYAKING ALONG THE
COAST OF GREENLAND AND YOU
NEED A ‘CHART’ TO NAVIGATE
(HT to Mark Daggett @heavysixer)

Three options: Which is best?
http://www.visualisingdata.com/index.php/2013/03/tactile-visualisations-inuit-wood-maps/

It needs to cope with being wet

It needs to float

It needs to work in the dark

Needs to work without cellular signal

It shouldn’t be cumbersome to use

We can’t rely on anything that needs power

It is too cold to work without gloves

Final score

http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0123740371/ref=as_li_tf_il?ie=UTF8&tag=visuadata-20&linkCode=as2&camp=217145&creative=399369&creativeASIN=0123740371

“...this example reinforces my thesis that in order to
design a tool, we must make our best efforts to
understand the larger social and physical context
within which it is intended to function.”
Bill Buxton, “Sketching User Experiences”
http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0123740371/ref=as_li_tf_il?ie=UTF8&tag=visuadata-20&linkCode=as2&camp=217145&creative=399369&creativeASIN=0123740371

Contextual thinking for visualisation
What’s the best visualisation solution?
It always depends.

#3
IMAGINATIVE
Harnessing instincts

Our instincts offer a unique perspective
http://www.theatlantic.com/international/archive/2014/01/what-you-get-when-30-people-draw-a-world-map-from-memory/282901/

http://www.visualisingdata.com/index.php/2013/06/a-short-essay-about-interpretation-doodling-perceptions-and-people/

http://visualizing.org/galleries/peoples-choice-visualizing-london-2012-olympic-games

Influence and inspiration
http://www.monumentvalleygame.com/img/screenshot2.jpg

Influence and inspiration
http://www.visualisingdata.com/index.php/2012/05/the-fine-line-between-plagiarism-and-inspiration/

EXERCISE
Audience participation

What keywords and imagery come to mind?
ANALYSIS ABOUT THE IMPACT OF
PSYCHOTHERAPY TREATMENT ON
PATIENTS IN ALASKA, 2013

Care
Help
Support
Improvement
Deterioration
Healthy
Unhealthy
People
Individuals
Anonymised
Integrity
Authoritative
Sensitivity
Transparency

http://design-seeds.com/palettes/ArcticLove600.png

GRAPHIC TO MARK THE MILESTONE OF THE
500TH EXECUTION IN TEXAS

Imaginative thinking for visualisation
What mental visualisations – instinctive
keywords and imagery – form when you
think about a task, its topic and its data?

#4
JOURNALISTIC
Harnessing curiosity

Self-initiated curiosity
http://bklynr.com/block-by-block-brooklyns-past-and-present/

http://guns.periscopic.com/

http://guns.periscopic.com/?year=2010

The journalist-analyst sensibility to find and show

One to watch: Christopher Ingraham, Washington Post
http://www.washingtonpost.com/people/christopher-ingraham

“A photo is never an objective reflection, but always an
interpretation of reality... I see data visualization as sort of
a new photojournalism – a highly editorial activity.”
Moritz Stefaner
http://well-formed-data.net/archives/1027/worlds-not-stories

Editorial focus: Filtering
http://i.imgur.com/RmXbrDZ.jpg

Editorial focus: Representative angle?
http://www.theguardian.com/football/blog/2014/jul/05/diego-maradona-belgium-famous-photo#_

Editorial focus: Other angles available?
https://twitter.com/toddlerlex/status/440393501810118656/photo/1

Pattern matching, sense-making, sniffing out the story
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/August_Landmesser

http://www.bloomberg.com/billionaires/latest

http://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2014/10/19/upshot/peyton-manning-breaks-touchdown-passing-record.html?abt=0002&abg=0

Journalistic thinking for visualisation
What triggers your data-focused curiosity?
What ‘photos’ of your data do you need to
convey your message?

#5
CRITICAL
Developing the craft

Independent critical thinking
http://eagereyes.org/blog/2014/beyond-the-knee-jerk-reaction

“There is a tendency to just reflexively make fun of
certain types of charts, in particular pie charts and
3D charts. While that is often justified, there are also
exceptions... we have to suppress the knee-jerk reflex
and give them a moment of thought
before ripping them apart.”
Robert Kosara
http://eagereyes.org/blog/2014/beyond-the-knee-jerk-reaction

Choices: The breadth of critical thinking (136 charts in 34 secs)

Choices: The depth of critical thinking
http://openvisconf.com/2014/

Choices: The depth of critical thinking

Dieter Rams’ ‘10 principles of good design’
https://www.vitsoe.com/gb/about/good-design

“Designers Touching Their Face”
http://dttf.tumblr.com/

“#8 Good design is thorough down to the last detail...
Nothing must be arbitrary or left to chance.”
Dieter Rams’ ‘10 principles of good design’
https://www.vitsoe.com/gb/about/good-design

Prizes to be won! Need two teams of 3 people…

Identify as many visualisation design decisions as possible...
http://hint.fm/wind/

Critical thinking for visualisation
How can your resolve the
best design choices from the vast range
and depth of options available?

ORGANISED
CONTEXTUAL
IMAGINATIVE
JOURNALISTIC
CRITICAL

Let’s get this little guy working

Let's do some thinking about data visualisation thinking

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