Visualization
Design
DataVis 2020
http://datavis2020.github.io
Dr. Benjamin Bach
How to make
climate action
understandable
?
Too
simple:
Too
complex:
Good
:
What makes a good
visualization?
Visualization
Guidelines
How to decode
bubbles?
a
)
Wrong
sizes
Guideline
#1
"Don't use area size to c o m p a r e
quantities."
Exception: It c a n work on maps.
Truncated
Axes
Guideline
#2
"Don't truncate chart axes."
Exception: Except you tell the
reader.
Inverse
charts
Guideline
#3
"Don't inverse charts—it is deceiving."
Exception: Except you tell the reader a n d
it serves your purpose.
Guideline
#4
"Be true about your
intention."
Exception: none
Common flaws (from 8 graphics
only..)
1. Missing scales 1. Wrong legends
2. 3D distortion 2. Bad visual mappings
3. 3D occlusion 3. Uncommon / unknown
4. Missing color contrast design choices
5. Colors are too similar 4. Too much clutter
6. Not B/W safe 5. Misplaced data points
7. overuse of texture 6. Long lines, which are hard to
8. Volume as visual variable follow
9. Un-proportional 7. Missing legends
mappings 8. Too much information in
10. Truncated axes one graphic
11. Missing titles 9. Missing descriptions
12. Missing axis labels 10. Overlapping graphical
13. Unnecessary shapes/ink elements
14. Incomplete data 11. Too many charts in one
Data-ink
ratio
Guideline
#5
"Try to optimize your data-ink ratio"
Exception: ...
Embellishment:
Metaphors
Embellishme
nt
Metaphor Distractors
Embellishme
nt
Understanding of embellished charts not worse,
but recall after some weeks, much higher.
What makes a chart
memorable?
What makes a chart
memorable?
Top 10 most memorable: top-left to bottom right
for each category.
What makes a chart
memorable?
● Color
● Human recognizable objects
● Low data-ink ratio
● Unique visualization types < common
graphs
Guideline
#6
"Add embellishment carefully to make
your graphic me mo ra b l e a n d enjoyable"
Exceptions: Unless it clutters your
visualization and obstructs the
message.
Letting in Potential
Killers?
We must do our
share!
Syrian Refugee
Distribution:
Guideline
#7
"Chose a title appropriate to your
message or d a t a — it will prime your
reader. "
Exceptions: none
Highlig
ht
Highlig
ht
Highlig
ht
Messag
e
Messag
e
Messag
e
Guideline
#8
"Highlight w h a t is important "
Exceptions: except you have too
many important things to say:
Solution: show another chart (can be
the same)
Layou
t
Layou
t
Guideline
#9
"Annotate w h a t is important
"
Exceptions: ?
Uncertain
ty
Ruginski et al,: Non-expert interpretations of
hurricane forecast uncertainty
visualizations, 2012
Uncertain
ty
Guideline
#10
"Be clear about uncertaitny "
Exceptions: you are sure
about it.
Balancing
design
Familiarity vs. unfamiliarity
Clarity vs.
Memorability Novelty
vs. Tradition Facts vs.
Uncertainty
Reader-driven vs.
Author-driven
...
Closing
Quotes
Nigel Holmes states: “As long as the artist
understands t hat the primary function is to convey
statistics a n d respects that duty, then you c a n have
fun (or be serious) with the image; that is, the form in
which these statistics appear.”
Alberto Cairo calls a Functional Art: “something
that achieves beauty not through the subjective,
freely wandering self-expression of the painter or
sculptor, but through the careful a n d restrained
tinkering of the engineer.”
Further
readings
● Kong, Ha-Kyung, Zhicheng Liu, and Karrie Karahalios. "Frames and slants in
titles of
visualizations on controversial topics." Proceedings of the 2018 CHI Conference
on
Human Factors in Computing Systems.
● 2018.
Edward Tufte. The Visual Display of Quantitative Information,
1983
● Stephen Few: Sometimes we must raise our voices:
http://www.perceptualedge.com/articles/visual_business_intelligence/sometimes
_
we_must_raise_our_voices.pdf
● Knafflic: Storyelling with d a t a
○ Chapter 2: Choosing an effective visual
○ Chapter 3: Visual clutter is your enemy
○ Chapter 4: Focus on your audiences' attention
● Bateman, Scott, et al. "Useful junk? The effects of visual embellishment on
comprehension and memorability of charts." Proceedings of the SIGCHI
conference on h u m a n factors in computing systems. 2010.
● Borgo, Rita, et al. "An empirical study on using visual embellishments in
visualization."
IEEE Transactions on Visualization a n d Computer Graphics 18.12 (2012): 2759-2768.
● Borkin, Michelle A., et al. "What makes a visualization memorable?." IEEE
Transactions on Visualization a n d Computer Graphics 19.12 (2013): 2306-2315.
