DATA VISUALISATION LITERACY

Andy Kirk

www.visualisingdata.com @visualisingdata

READING

WRITING

The two sides of literacy

CONSUMING

CREATING

The two sides of visualisation literacy

There are many more readers than creators

All creators need to be sophisticated readers

The two sides of visualisation literacy

What factors in the consumption process influence the possibility of producing effective data visualisations?

What factors in the creation process influence the

possibility of producing effective data visualisations?

Seeing Data: Research questions

General public: To better understand and create resources to help ‘everyday’ people improve their

visualisation literacy levels

Visualisation professionals: To contribute to data visualisation practice by sharing understanding of how data visualisations are received by the general public

Seeing Data: Core aims

Experimental practice: Commissioning of new work for study experimentation

Social semiotic analysis of visualisations

Interviews with visualisation professionals (13)

Short-term diary keeping & focus groups with visualisation ‘users’ (46 participants)

Talking mats (8 visualisation projects)

Longer-term diary keeping & interviews with visualisation ‘users’ (7 participants)

Seeing Data: Mixed methods

seeingdata.org/vis

Liked it and learnt something

Liked it but didn’t learn

anything

Disliked it but learnt something

Disliked it and didn’t learn

anything

<< D

idn’

t Lea

rn

Lear

nt >

>

Liked it >> << Disliked it

<< D

idn’

t Lea

rn

Lear

nt >

>

Liked it >> << Disliked it

Socio-cultural factors that affect the engagement of readers

Findings and reflections

relevant to creators

The two sides of visualisation literacy

Visualisation is about facilitating UNDERSTANDING

What do we mean by engagement?

Reading

What does it show? What marks & attributes?

Where is big, medium, small? How do things compare?

Facilitating understanding

Reading Interpreting

What does it mean? Is it good or bad?

Meaningful or insignificant? Unusual or expected?

What does it show? What marks & attributes?

Where is big, medium, small? How do things compare?

Facilitating understanding

Reading

Facilitating understanding

Interpreting Comprehending

What does it mean? Is it good or bad?

Meaningful or insignificant? Unusual or expected?

What does it mean to me? Main messages?

What have I learnt? What actions to take?

What does it show? What marks & attributes?

Where is big, medium, small? How do things compare?

Subject matter and relevance

“Data visualization is like family photos. If you don't know the people in the picture, beauty of

the composition won't keep your attention.”

Zach Gemignani, Juice Analytics

https://twitter.com/zachgemignani/status/382498970603229185

Bias, interest, indifference, irrelevance

http://www.visualisingdata.com/index.php/2013/06/appreciating-the-critical-role-of-subject-matter/

Bias, interest, indifference, irrelevance

“I didn’t like what the topic was. What was the point?”

Personal relevance matters

“Bored. Why? What do I learn? More of a poor marketing effort than useful data

graphic. I can think of several ways to improve but I keep coming back to the

same question: Why bother?”

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Games Goals

Lionel Messi: Games and Goals for FC Barcelona

R I C

Subject knowledge matters

Patrick Kane: Games and Points for Chicago Blackhawks (NHL)

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Games Points

R I C

Subject knowledge matters

Reading

Facilitating understanding

Interpreting Comprehending

Can I form meaning? What does it mean to me? Am I interested?

SUBJECT MATTER Is it of interest and/or of relevance to you? Do I have the knowledge to draw my own insights/meaning? TOPIC Read through any introductions that might explain in more detail what the project is specifically about and NOT about.

Advice for readers

DEFINE AND SERVE YOUR TARGET AUDIENCE

“Design for your audience” – easier said than done but often only said and not done…

What do they know and not know?

Will they be automatically interested or will they need some degree of persuasion/seduction?

Should you care if many won’t be interested?

Advice for creators

Trust and prejudice

http://visual.ons.gov.uk/uk-perspectives-housing-and-home-ownership-in-the-uk/ | http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2921610/End-home-ownership-dream-Just-1-10-25s-property-ladder-house-prices-soar.html

Do you trust who made it and where it is?

Trust issues are often beyond our control

http://www.businessinsider.com/gun-deaths-in-florida-increased-with-stand-your-ground-2014-2

Trust is hard to secure, easy to lose

“China uses the most water. But off-hand, I don’t know comparative population of

geographic area, so, so-what. This vis is flawed in so many

ways it’s almost anti-science!”

“Isn’t [sic] Asylum Seekers on the up in 2014?”

Changing beliefs, opinions, prejudices is hard

Facilitating understanding

Interpreting Comprehending

Are these insights accurate? Can I use this?

Reading

Can I read this?

WHO MADE IT? WHERE IS IT PUBLISHED? Look at the details of the URL/author – voice of authority/integrity? HOW DID THEY MAKE IT? What data was used, from where, what treatment? NEED TO APPRECIATE THE CREATION PROCESS 99.9% of creators mean well! Availability of data, contextual restrictions, representation options, influence of intermediaries, influence of conventions.

Advice for readers

BE TRANSPARENT Tell people what you’ve done and why, explain what it does and doesn’t show. BE REALISTIC Some topics are inherently up against trust issues, you can’t convince everyone (you might not need to/wish to). ABIDE BY THE DESIGN RULES Don’t abuse visual attributes, such as unnecessary 3D decoration, axis truncation, geometric flaws, dumb charts.

Advice for creators

Confidence and skills

Numeracy: Mathematical and statistical

Graphical literacy: Reading of different charts

Visual literacy: Pattern matching, sense-making

Computer skills: For interactive projects

Language skills: Many works have plenty of text

Critical thinking: To extract insight and meaning

Multiple skills needed to be an astute reader

http://www.bloomberg.com/infographics/2014-01-16/tracking-super-bowl-ticket-prices.html

Reward > Effort (learnable) Some chart types are unfamiliar to many

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/William_Playfair | http://infobawards.s3.amazonaws.com/SPOTLIGHT-ON-PROFITABILITY_Krisztina-Szucs.png

Everything is new, once

Many things in life need learning, don’t be lazy!

Many things in life need learning, don’t be lazy!

http://www.visualisingdata.com/index.php/2015/02/dendrochronology-visualisation-literacy/

Learning how to read is rewarding

“To be honest once I got used to it, it was

quite easy to follow. But daunting at first.”

“Too much going on. Couldn’t see how things joined up”

Learning how to read is rewarding

Even with help, people can be confused

“Maybe a different colour scheme (e.g. light to dark) would work

better? It doesn’t make me want to explore it, it’s too complex visually.

It doesn’t go anywhere.”

Reading

Facilitating understanding

Interpreting Comprehending

Do I know how to read this?

GREATER MATURITY Just because you don’t immediately understand a chart doesn’t make it the wrong choice, it might reflect more your lack of exposure. SEEK AND READ ASSISTANCE How to read guides, legends, tutorials. Be prepared to learn how to read more chart types (so long as you are given the necessary assistance). STAND UP FOR YOUR OWN CONVICTIONS “I must hate pie charts because X said so”

Advice for readers

OFFER THE RIGHT LEVEL OF HELP Beware the curse of knowledge - don’t assume! More than just including scales and legends – user guides, example readings There is evidence that when people got over these hurdles, insights were unlocked. DON’T BE UNNECESSARILY SELF-RESTRICTED Don’t avoid using a seemingly complex chart type if it is the best way to show your data - respect people’s capacity to learn with your help.

Advice for creators

Time and pressure

Immediacy: What setting?

Some projects are deep, will take time

“Too much info to take in quickly.”

http://13pt.com/projects/nyt071211/

Some projects are complicated, will take time

http://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2011/10/23/sunday-review/an-overview-of-the-euro-crisis.html

Some projects preserve complexity…

http://io9.com/5912155/watch-hans-rosling-use-rocks-to-deliver-the-shortest-ted-talk-ever

…other projects simplify

http://i.imgur.com/u7ikyWS.jpg

Some projects exhibit creep/lack of focus

Reading

Facilitating understanding

Interpreting Comprehending

Enough time to extract the insights?

Enough time to translate into what it means to me?

Enough time to consume all this?

CONSIDER THE TASK PROPOSITION How big is it? How many parts? How many features? How much text? How many chart attributes to read? CLARITY > SIMPLICITY Don’t always expect to be able to get immediate insights within 10 seconds. Some subjects are inherently complex and will lose their essence if reduced.

Advice for readers

FIT FOR PURPOSE The setting of how this work will be consumed is a significant factor in determining the effectiveness of the design you create. Serve the setting as well as the audience. SHOW COURAGE AND CONVICTION Don’t overwhelm with features/functionality that create paralysis (“Too much to take in, lost interest”) especially if setting requires more immediacy. Have the conviction and discipline to leave things out, to not offer EVERY permutation.

Advice for creators

Emotions

With people, there is no perfect

With people, there is no perfect

Google search: “Marketing Infographics”

Mood, tastes, preferences, irrationalities

“I felt shocked but at the same time I found it fun.”

Emotions influence all aspects of understanding

Fun can be an important attribute of appeal

http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/interactive/2012/nov/05/you-decide-the-presidential-election-interactive

Respect the subject matter’s emotive quality

“I didn’t feel enthusiastic about it initially and that was probably due to the subject matter. I have children with body image

issues & work with people who have body image issues & that probably

coloured my attitude. I actually found it a little offensive because of that.”

Understanding still possible even if no ‘like’

Reading

Facilitating understanding

Interpreting Comprehending

How does this drive me? Am I seduced?

THERE’S NOT MUCH YOU CAN DO! The emotions we’re discussing here are natural, automatic, not entirely controllable.

Advice for readers

YOU CAN’T PLEASE EVERYONE! People are unique and bring many personal & emotional characteristics that will influence engagement without any rational anticipation. BASIC PRESENTATION CHOICES Noticeable the number of comments raised about basic lack of readability of text (through type and font properties typically being too small) Colours are generally the first design properties noticed and commented on. Use this powerful visual cue sensitively and astutely.

Advice for creators

Curiosities, wants and needs

Frustration: Not the analysis you’re interested in

“Good if you wanted to find something specific

out, but bad if you wanted a general picture”

“Maybe extending back to earlier

dates than 1986 would have been

interesting?”

Frustration: Not the analysis you’re interested in

“It wasn’t obvious what the general message was… I would have included

some more positive headlines. I would have liked a breakdown by publication

of number of negative articles.”

Haiti

Afghanistan

S. Africa

Kuwait

Vietnam

Nauru

North Korea

Tajikistan

Ethiopia

Charts show what’s interesting, not always why

Reading

Facilitating understanding

Interpreting Comprehending

Is it showing me what I want?

WHAT ANALYSIS DOES IT SHOW Explore titles, sub-headings What different charts are on offer? What data do they show and not show? What interactive options do you have to manipulate, interrogate and customise? WHAT WOULD BE REASONABLE? Is what you want to see available, feasible, of sufficient broad interest to have been included? Is there a good reason why it might not have been?

Advice for readers

YOU CAN’T PLEASE EVERYONE! Even in the apparently simplest and smallest dataset there are very rarely single narratives. There are always multiple angles, different filters and focus. This is the heart of the art of data visualisation, its not easy, there isn’t a perfect solution, it requires judgment, empathy and nous.

Advice for creators

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Subject matter and relevance

Trust and prejudice

Confidence and skills

Time and pressure

Emotions

Curiosities, wants and needs

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Human factors that affect understanding

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More information at seeingdata.org

http://ia.net/blog/learning-to-see/

Stop looking, start seeing

“Chefs are able to more clearly discern what they taste because through

constant exposure they have developed improved senses as well as vocabulary

to express and discuss their impressions.”

Oliver Reichenstein, “Learning to see”

Paraphrased from: http://ia.net/blog/learning-to-see/

Stop looking, start seeing

DATA VISUALISATION LITERACY

Andy Kirk

www.visualisingdata.com @visualisingdata