zen of visual analysis (slideshare)
DESCRIPTION
These are the slides from my Oxford Geek Night talk on 22 Jan. I hope they give some inspiration for making great data visualisations!TRANSCRIPT
The Zen of Visual Analysis
Andy Cotgreave
@acotgreave
BAD CHARTS
5 steps…
1. Why viz?
Consider these numbers…
Consider these numbers…
Property Value Mean of x 9
Variance of x 11
Mean of y 7.5 (to 2 dp)
Variance of y 4.122 (to 3 dp)
Correlation 0.816 (3dp)
Linear regression y=3+.5x (3dp)
Consider these numbers…
Blue Orange
Green Red
Consider these numbers…
Orange
Green Red
Consider these numbers…
Green Red
Consider these numbers…
Red
Consider these numbers…
Consider these numbers…
2. Don’t fool your eyes
From the Texas School for the Blind and Visually Impaired
Change blindness
http://www.cs.ubc.ca/~rensink/flicker/download/Airplane.mov
Spot the difference!
The answer…
Grey screen: explain importance of Change Blindness
Grey screen: explain importance of Change Blindness
http://www.informationisbeautiful.net/visualizations/colours-in-cultures/
http://www.informationisbeautiful.net/visualizations/colours-in-cultures/
What colour do Asians associate with Purity?
http://www.informationisbeautiful.net/visualizations/colours-in-cultures/
What colour do Asians associate with Purity?
1
http://www.informationisbeautiful.net/visualizations/colours-in-cultures/
What colour do Asians associate with Purity?
2
http://www.informationisbeautiful.net/visualizations/colours-in-cultures/
What colour do Asians associate with Purity?
3
http://www.informationisbeautiful.net/visualizations/colours-in-cultures/
What colour do Asians associate with Purity?
4
http://www.informationisbeautiful.net/visualizations/colours-in-cultures/
What colour do Asians associate with Purity?
5
http://www.informationisbeautiful.net/visualizations/colours-in-cultures/
What colour do Asians associate with Purity?
6
http://www.informationisbeautiful.net/visualizations/colours-in-cultures/
What colour do Asians associate with Purity?
Beautiful? Functional?
http://vizcandy.blogspot.ca/p/tableau-8-redoux.html
3. Exploit the power of the visual system
From the Texas School for the Blind and Visually Impaired
In the following slides, which is bigger: B, C or D?
4. Engage with value, not candy
http://graphics-info.blogspot.hk/2012/09/malofiej-20-look-at-our-participation.html (Simon Scarr)
http://graphics-info.blogspot.hk/2012/09/malofiej-20-look-at-our-participation.html (Simon Scarr)
It is possible to make functional charts that are also beautiful
5. What’s your message?
http://graphics-info.blogspot.hk/2012/09/malofiej-20-look-at-our-participation.html
The message is delivered by the title, the colour and the axis going down: A Smear Of Blood
http://graphics-info.blogspot.hk/2012/09/malofiej-20-look-at-our-participation.html
Let’s change the message without changing the data
http://graphics-info.blogspot.hk/2012/09/malofiej-20-look-at-our-participation.html
Iraq: Deaths on the decline
http://graphics-info.blogspot.hk/2012/09/malofiej-20-look-at-our-participation.html
Iraq: Deaths on the decline
Now the message is more optimistic
“When I am working on a problem, I never think about beauty. I only think about how to solve the problem. But when I have finished, if the solution is not beautiful, I know it is wrong.”
- R. Buckminster Fuller
@acotgreave www.gravyanecdote.com
5 steps…
@acotgreave www.gravyanecdote.com