Lessons

Because data visualization is so interdisciplinary, it’s a topic that brings people together from many fields and professions, from all around the world. There are so many resources available online that it can be overwhelming. Here are some not-required things you can do after this course to continue building your skills.

Data visualization is in a period of growth as a professional field, which means there are more tools and datasets available than ever before. It’s exciting, but can also become overwhelming or repetitive. To make the creative leap beyond the basics requires drawing upon personal inspirations and thinking about your audience. It means being open to feedback and rethinking assumptions about what works well.

Can photography be data visualization? Can interactivity happen without screens? Can the physical spaces where we live and our own selves become data dimensions? Let’s take a look at trends in data visualization, especially beyond two-dimensional paper and screens.

As we talk about interactivity, it’s a good time to review the concept of visual encoding and look at a few classic examples of motion and interactivity in data storytelling.

A benefit of interactive graphics is that they allow viewers to explore or control the data to some extent. But do you let viewers explore on their own, or do you guide them through it?

What exactly are interactive graphics made from? Pixels controlled by code, just like everything else we see online, but also the individual screens of users. And that means the rise of smartphones and mobile transformed interactive graphics in a couple of important ways.

Data visualization professionals usually get into the field because of a strong personal interest in presenting information that would otherwise be difficult to comprehend. However, there is plenty of debate about how to do this even among people with similar interests.

We’ve been experiencing interactive graphics all semester, and now we’re focusing on the element of interactivity — how it can be used, what users expect, and why interactivity isn’t always a good idea.

How do professionals approach building interactive projects with large datasets? We’re expanding on the basic principles of interactivity by learning about the design process of Nadieh Bremer and reading about the debate over whether interactivity is worth the effort for both designers and users.

After looking at taxonomies of common chart forms, here’s a chance to confront unusual and strange charts.