Designing Data Visualizations (5 posts)

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  • Profile picture of Sage Lichtenwalner Sage Lichtenwalner said 1 year, 7 months ago ago:

    Things have been quiet here lately, but I just ran across the following webinar recording and thought it might be of interest to the group.

    http://oreillynet.com/pub/e/2013?imm_mid=076b48

    The presentation focuses on the process of designing data visualizations, and avoids the nitty gritty details of coding or drawing them. So if you’re looking for an overview of some best practices on how to design a good visualization or what characteristics make an effective one, it’s a good refresher. I especially like the dichotomy of visualization purposes they present, in that visualizations can allow users to explore or explain data, but traditionally only one of those at the time.

    The presentation itself is only about 30 minutes, and then a 25 minute Q&A follows, which includes an interesting range of questions.

    The presenters also recently published a book on the same topic. But while it’s on my wishlist, I haven’t yet had a chance to check it out yet.

    If you’ve run across any other neat resources related to data visualization or data use in the classroom, please share them with the group!

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  • Profile picture of Sage Lichtenwalner Sage Lichtenwalner said 1 year, 7 months ago ago:

    If you’re looking for some additional resources along these lines, here’s a recent short FlowingData blog post on 5 misconceptions about visualization that you might enjoy!

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  • Profile picture of Mel Goodwin Mel Goodwin said 1 year, 7 months ago ago:

    Hey Sage! I got the book a few months ago. It goes into considerable detail about coding using the Processing language. This was interesting to me, because I’m working on ways that students and educators can use the Arduino microcontroller to manage & visualize real-time data. Arduino should be good for this, since its inventors say that it was originally created for use by artists and designers with a minimal background in electronics. I’ll keep this group apprised as this goes forward, and will be very interested to hear about any similar efforts!

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  • Profile picture of Sage Lichtenwalner Sage Lichtenwalner said 1 year, 7 months ago ago:

    Hi Mel, According to Amazon, “Designing Data Visualization” was just released, but I know with O’Reilly you can often buy preview copies. I took a quick look through the book using Amazon’s “look inside” feature, and it appears like the book is a more about the design process and graphical advice than programming. Whether you’re an artist or programmer, I think you need to learn about both to make more effective graphics. Which is why…

    I think you’re referring to Ben Fry’s excellent Visualizing Data, which has been out for some time now. It’s definitely a great reference, especially if you’re interested in learning how to build custom interactive visualizations using Processing. I also loved his first chapter, which contained a general overview of the data visualization process, or what he calls the “seven stages.” I highly recommend that anyone interested in data analysis, visualization or even just the scientific process read at least the first chapter.

    I’m also anxious to hear more about how you link Processing with Arduino. That’s a powerful combination, and while I’ve dabbled in both, I haven’t yet had the chance to combine the two myself. I think we’ll see more and more of both tools being used in educational applications. Let the fun begin!

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  • Profile picture of Mel Goodwin Mel Goodwin said 1 year, 7 months ago ago:

    Thanks, Sage; you’re right. I have “Visualizing Data.” Maybe we can chat about both books! Sorry for the confusion.

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