Eyes Wide Open

I often hear the saying that someone is a ‘child at heart’ and while I think this is true for many people in different ways (good and bad), it kept coming to mind when learning about the purposes of data visualization. During childhood, we read picture books. Even though the words of the story are on the page, there are aspects of the books that help our little developing minds understand those words. The story may be presented through a rhyme, in smaller sentences, or use similes or metaphors. But the most effective way we consume the stories is through the visuals. Some might even use an interactive element like a pull tab or a soft textile. With intriguing visuals, the words hold more meaning and kids can grasp the concept easier.

The same can be said for data visualization. Through the proper presentation of information, more insight can be taken from it than what’s already there. 

With technology rapidly growing, there are tons of applications and software sites that assist in the creation of data visualizations. What started as cartography drawings and map tracking has transformed into the use of AI to present data visually in the matter of minutes. (Friendly, 2008) Another important advance has been interactive data presentation. (HEAVY AI)

These advancements are revolutionary, allowing for rapidly faster outputs and more personalized experiences. However, there are some downsides to technological advancement: The requirement of Data Science/tech skills…

To manipulate the technology that is creating the AI and interactive features, you need more than a ‘google degree’. The required coding for new technology could also create a plateau in the advancement of data visualization. To my understanding, coding AI is essentially telling it to find a bunch of different patterns in the data it’s given. But, there’s not an element of generating a new data visualization technique or refining data tracking methods. It can write so many picture books, but it can’t come up with a new method of writing one. However, Dr. John Snow did in 1855 when he found it was easier to find patterns through different perspectives by creating a dot map to track the location of cholera deaths in London. (Friendly, 2008) His visual of the cases along the Broad Street pump led to the discovery of the cause of the water-born disease. (Friendly, 2008) That was a big graphic advance that probably couldn’t be beat by tech today. 

All that being said, there are some extremely helpful benefits to new advances in data visualization as well. The HEAVY AI site explains, “Technology allows users to interact with data by changing parameters to see new details and create new insight.” (HEAVY AI) Tech and AI can make connections with data using algorithms that we may otherwise miss. And as we know from the work of Dr. John Snow, finding insights in data can be lifesaving. Whether it’s tracking a disease outbreak or how many doors you’ve walked through in the past week, the way data is visualized is crucial in how we interpret it and interact with it. 

To me, a good chart is visually intriguing without being overwhelming. The most impressive and (in my opinion) smart presentation of data strategically uses visuals that utilize knowledge that the audience already has. For example, using a map for global data. Most people already know where countries and geographical areas are. Putting location-related data on a map reduces thinking effort while allowing for faster comprehension. Two examples of this concept can be found below:

National Geographic “The World of Flower” – May 1968 (Guardian, 2017)

National Geographic “Cancer” – October 2011 (Guardian, 2017): Uses the common knowledge of body anatomy to comprehend the different areas and statistics of cancer types easier.

Another important attribute in a good chart is well thought out portrayals of relationships or patterns. A great example of this can be seen in “100 Years of Rock” because it shows the crossing of musical genres throughout time but you can still follow a specific path, color, or grouping without any visual noise distracting your eyes. Another example I immediately responded to was the graph of company transcripts that mention working from home pictured below (Eillie, 2021). It’s simple and the data speaks for itself. No other imaging or complex colors were needed because the drastic change in data speaks for itself. That minimalistic presentation of the data worked well – it almost feels like a mic drop.

I personally respond the most to interactive data (especially when presented cleverly). My favorite of the data examples was the Romance Novel Covers chart (The Pudding) that looks like a bookstore display and allows you to act as if you’re browsing the books. It allows you to immerse yourself in the data and see if your eye catches on the most common cover style today or from years ago. It’s inviting, entertaining, and adds a whole layer of personal connection that sends a message of aesthetic and statistics at the same time. 

Whether it’s AI or hand-drawn, data visualization bridges the gap between information and understanding—just like picture books did when we were kids. 

Works Cited

100 years of rock visualized. Concert Hotels. (n.d.). https://www.concerthotels.com/100-years-of-rock/ 

Data Visualization – A Complete Introduction. HEAVY.AI. (n.d.). https://www.heavy.ai/learn/data-visualization 

Eillie Anzilotti (2021, April 19). The most interesting data vizzes on covid-19 we’ve seen in the media so far. Tableau. https://www.tableau.com/blog/most-interesting-data-vizzes-covid-19-weve-seen-media-so-far 

Friendly, M., Härdle, W. K. K., Chen, C., & Unwin, A. (2008). A Brief History of Data Visualization. Handbook of Data Visualization, 1–32. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-540-33037-0_2 

Guardian News and Media. (2017, March 1). A century of national geographic infographics – in pictures. The Guardian. https://www.theguardian.com/artanddesign/gallery/2017/mar/01/national-geographic-infographics-taschen 

The Pudding. (n.d.). What does A happily ever after look like? https://pudding.cool/2023/10/romance-covers/