Lessons

Chartjunk isn’t the only common problem with charts, so we’ll look at some common mistakes to watch out for.

After talking about design principles, we’ll now define “chartjunk” and why it can be a problem when your goal is communicating clearly.

Now that we’ve had some experience working with data, visual encoding and basic chart types, how do you actually put it all together? Some graphic design tips can make it easier.

What actually makes something a good chart? Opinions differ, so we’ll discuss several common approaches and what we know from data visualization research.

Last week we went over “visual encoding,” which is one element of data visualizations both from history and the modern era.

Visualization techniques developed to help make sense of that collected data, and to share it. In this lesson, we’re going to take a brief look at the history of data visualization and when different chart forms were invented.

Before we dive into making charts and spreadsheets and telling stories with data, we need to start with some overview definitions about what actually makes something “data visualization.”

Welcome to Introduction to Data Visualization. Each week will include course materials organized as lessons that include a combination of videos, lecture slides, readings, links and questions/activities.