1. 1. Goldmeier Consulting Slide 0 Introduction to Visual Selection
2. 2. Goldmeier Consulting Slide 1 A PRIMER IN DATA VISUALIZATION How to effectively communicate data Jordan Goldmeier Jordan@GoldmeierConsulting.com GoldmeierConsulting.com (614) 397-8832
3. 3. Goldmeier Consulting Slide 2 What is Visual Perception? Visual perception is the interpretation of processed information we receive from the visual world.
4. 4. Goldmeier Consulting Slide 3 Worse is contempt for our audience, designing as if readers were obtuse and uncaring. In fact, consumers of graphics are often more intelligent about the information at hand than those who fabricate the data decoration. And, no matter what, the operating moral premise of information design should be that our readers are alert and caring; they may be busy, eager to get on with it, but they are not stupid. Clarity and simplicity are completely opposite simple-mindedness. Disrespect for the audience will leak through, damaging communication. What E.B. White said of writing is equally true for information design: No one can write decently who distrustful of the readers intelligence, or whose attitude is patronizing. Edward Tufte, Envisioning Information Respecting your audiences intelligence Worse is contempt for our audience, designing as if readers were obtuse and uncaring. In fact, consumers of graphics are often more intelligent about the information at hand than those who fabricate the data decoration. And, no matter what, the operating moral premise of information design should be that our readers are alert and caring; they may be busy, eager to get on with it, but they are not stupid. Clarity and simplicity are completely opposite simple-mindedness. Disrespect for the audience will leak through, damaging communication. What E.B. White said of writing is equally true for information design: No one can write decently who distrustful of the readers intelligence, or whose attitude is patronizing. Edward Tufte, Envisioning Information
5. 5. Goldmeier Consulting Slide 4 How many sevens can you count? 6 1 2 6 6 9 6 2 2 3 3 1 6 1 3 7 5 1 3 5 8 2 2 6 7 5 6 1 3 3 7 3 6 7 5 7 4 6 7 6 5 3 6 5 7 6 1 7 1 6 3 9 9 4 7 8 9 8 2 8 5 5 3 6 5 2 1 3 8 7 6 7 3 1 9 6 2 9 5 7 2 8 8 1 3 7 7 6 9 4
6. 6. Goldmeier Consulting Slide 5 How many sevens can you count? 6 1 2 6 6 9 6 2 2 3 3 1 6 1 3 7 5 1 3 5 8 2 2 6 7 5 6 1 3 3 7 3 6 7 5 7 4 6 7 6 5 3 6 5 7 6 1 7 1 6 3 9 9 4 7 8 9 8 2 8 5 5 3 6 5 2 1 3 8 7 6 7 3 1 9 6 2 9 5 7 2 8 8 1 3 7 7 6 9 4
7. 7. Goldmeier Consulting Slide 6 How many sevens can you count? 7 7 2 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 3 1 6 1 7 7 5 1 3 7 8 2 2 6 7 7 6 1 3 3 6 3 6 6 5 9 4 6 2 6 5 3 6 5 6 6 1 2 1 6 3 9 9 4 3 8 9 8 2 8 5 5 3 6 5 2 1 3 8 3 6 1 3 1 9 6 2 9 5 5 2 8 8 1 3 5 6 6 9 4
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10. 10. Goldmeier Consulting Slide 9 Case Study: The third dimension Sales Yes No Maybe Yes No Maybe Yes No Maybe Which has the larger proportion?
11. 11. Goldmeier Consulting Slide 10 The third dimension (contd) 0 20 40 60 80 100 Rep 4Rep 3Rep 2Rep 1Rep 4Rep 3Rep 2Rep 1Rep 4Rep 3Rep 2Rep 1 Region ARegion BRegion C Product A Product B Product C Which is better?
12. 12. Goldmeier Consulting Slide 11 The third dimension (contd)Which is better?
13. 13. Goldmeier Consulting Slide 12 An example to snack on
14. 14. Goldmeier Consulting Slide 13 What we can say so far Our brains are receptive to certain type of patterns. We can use those patterns to our advantage when presenting information. Connecting the dots refers to our cognitive ability to link disparate information. The phrase parallels how we consume, construct, and interpret visual patterns. Visualization can help us gain a good understanding of the data. We have a good understanding, we can make good decisions. Bad, misleading, or short understandings encourage misinformed decisions.
15. 15. Goldmeier Consulting Slide 14 There are certain ideas we can only see through data visualization
16. 16. Goldmeier Consulting Slide 15 The lowest point was in April The highest point is at the end of the series, but there was a peak in June There appears to be some seasonality about every fourth months, starting in January Visual Ideas (Contd)
17. 17. Goldmeier Consulting Slide 16 Correlation Analysis
18. 18. Goldmeier Consulting Slide 17 Anscombes quartet R = 0.6665
19. 19. Goldmeier Consulting Slide 18 Visualization Research (Part 1)Gestalt Laws of Grouping Similarity Proximity Closure Common Grouping Continuation
20. 20. Goldmeier Consulting Slide 19 Similarity Elements which share similar characteristics like shape, color, or size will perceived as being part of a group. How many groups of shapes do you see?
21. 21. Goldmeier Consulting Slide 20 Proximity Shapes that appear closer together are perceived as their own groups. How many groups of shapes do you see?
22. 22. Goldmeier Consulting Slide 21 Proximity Continued
23. 23. Goldmeier Consulting Slide 22 Misusing Proximity 45% 50% Yes No Survey Respondants Yes/No responses by percent 51% 49% 45% 50% Yes No 0% 10% 20% 30% 40% 50% 60% Yes No
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25. 25. Goldmeier Consulting Slide 24 Closure Closure allows us to perceive shapes, or objects, as complete forms when enough information about an object is already present.
26. 26. Goldmeier Consulting Slide 25 Closure (Cont.)
27. 27. Goldmeier Consulting Slide 26 Kanizsas Triangle
28. 28. Goldmeier Consulting Slide 27 Common Grouping Common grouping concerns the minds ability to perceive connected objects as single, uniform shapes. How many lines make up this shape?
29. 29. Goldmeier Consulting Slide 28 Continuation Continuation allows our minds to perceive continuation of overlapping shapes and forms as being uninterrupted.
30. 30. Goldmeier Consulting Slide 29 Continuation (Contd)
31. 31. Goldmeier Consulting Slide 30 Visualization Research (Part 2)Preattentive Attributes Color Hue Intensity Spatial Length Width Orientation Shape Size Curvature
32. 32. Goldmeier Consulting Slide 31 Color Hue and IntensityHue and intensity can create qualitative distinctions in quantitative values. Hue can be useful to signify which projects may be high risk, as in the chart below. The project with the darker hue signifies that it has a higher associated risk than the other projects being evaluated.
33. 33. Goldmeier Consulting Slide 32 Hue & Intensity (Contd)
34. 34. Goldmeier Consulting Slide 33 Spatial Position Length/Width Values are judged to be greater when they are higher up or farther to the right
35. 35. Goldmeier Consulting Slide 34 Spatial Position (Contd) 0 2 4 6 8 10 12 14 16 18 20
36. 36. Goldmeier Consulting Slide 35 Width Position Values are judged to be greater when they take up more area
37. 37. Goldmeier Consulting Slide 36 Orientation Allows us to quickly highlight categorical differences
38. 38. Goldmeier Consulting Slide 37 THE PROBLEM WITH PIE CHARTS Why you should prefer high precision graphics
39. 39. Goldmeier Consulting Slide 38 Judging quantitative data with high precision Spatial distance and length allow for a higher degree of precision than any other of the other attributes Area provides for some precision, but not much
40. 40. Goldmeier Consulting Slide 39 The Problem with Pie Charts Crackers Hot dogs Tator tots Grilled Cheese Tacos KFC Which slice is greatest? Whats the value of each slice?
41. 41. Goldmeier Consulting Slide 40 Lets look at this another way T T T T T T T T T T T T T T T T T T T T T T T T T T T T T TT TT TT TT TT TT TT TT TT TT TT TT TT TT TT TT TT TT TT TT TT TT TT TT TT GC GC GC GC GC GC GC GC GC GC GC GC GC GC GC GC GC GC GC GC GC GC GC GC GC GC KFC KFC KFC KFC KFC KFC KFC KFC KFC KFC
42. 42. Goldmeier Consulting Slide 41 Pie Charts (Contd) Crackers, 23 Hot dogs, 24 Tator tots, 25 Grilled Cheese, 26 Tacos, 29 KFC, 10 Crackers Hot dogs Tator tots Grilled Cheese Tacos KFC
43. 43. Goldmeier Consulting Slide 42 Pie Charts (Contd) Crackers, 23 Hot dogs, 24 Tator tots, 25 Grilled Cheese, 26 Tacos, 29 KFC, 10 Is the pie chart necessary?
44. 44. Goldmeier Consulting Slide 43 We gain precision when we use the best preattentive attributes for the job 0 5 10 15 20 25 30 KFC Crackers Hot dogs Tator tots Grilled Cheese Tacos
45. 45. Goldmeier Consulting Slide 44 When should you use a pie chart? Never
46. 46. Goldmeier Consulting Slide 45 DATA LITERACY The qualities of a good data analyst
47. 47. Goldmeier Consulting Slide 46 How should we evaluate data presented to us? What psychological, personal, or cultural biases exist that would make us more or less receptive to the data presented? What facts are missing from the presentation? What assumptions have been made in the presentation of the data?
48. 48. Goldmeier Consulting Slide 47 Kaiser Fung http://junkcharts.typepad.com/
49. 49. Goldmeier Consulting Slide 48 By David McCandless http://www.informationisbeautiful.net/visualizations/mountains-out-of-molehills/
50. 50. Goldmeier Consulting Slide 49 QUESTIONS?