Presentation: Sports Interactives Pioneers
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. One area of debate mentioned in this week’s readings is about the balance between aesthetics and function. Another area of debate is about whether it’s best to let people explore all the data, or best to guide them to key points.
This debate plays out in this Sloan Sports Analytics Conference, which features a remarkable group of data visualization innovators. The three panelists are Martin Wattenberg (Google), Joe Ward (New York Times) and Ben Fry (Fathom).
This was recorded in 2013, which was a turning point in web graphics. There were very few templates and tools like there are now; Tableau was just beginning to get a foothold, D3 was in its infancy, and web-based tools like Flourish and Datawrapper didn’t exist yet.
Watch 20 minutes from 8:20-28:00. You can really just listen to it, and simultaneously view the examples mentioned by the panelists, which are listed below.
Examples from the presentation:
• Baby Name Voyager (2022 new version from original creators)
• Student debt (2012)
• Derek Jeter
• Mariano Rivera
• wind map
(Some of the other examples mentioned are no longer online in an operational way.)
Readings
• Choosing a Font for your Data Visualization
• How to Create Brand Colors for Data Visualization Style Guidelines
• Optional recommended reading: Which fonts to use for your charts and tables
Both of these readings are useful resources! Both review concepts we’ve discussed before, with helpful visual examples and real-world applications.
Discussion
Since we’ve been talking about interactivity and the rise of mobile, it’s a good opportunity to revisit the two visualizations you chose for the Midterm Comparison Project.
Mobile-Friendly?: View the two visualizations you previously selected for the Midterm Comparison Project on your smartphone or another mobile device, like a tablet. Then answer these questions:
- How does the mobile experience for each example compare to the desktop experience overall?
- Does it seem like the designers put any extra work or thought into the mobile experience?