Discussion and Assignment

1. Discussion 

 

Data representation is the act displaying the visual form of your data. The process of identifying the most effective and appropriate solution for representing our data is unquestionably the most important feature of our visualization design. Working on this layer involves making decisions that cut across the artistic and scientific foundations of the field.

Here we find ourselves face-to-face with the demands of achieving that ideal harmony of form and function that was outlined in 

Chapter 6

, Data Representation. We need to achieve the elegance of a design that aesthetically suits our intent and the functional behavior required to fulfill the effective imparting of information.

According to Kirk 2016, in order to dissect the importance of data representation, we are going to “look at it from both theoretical and pragmatic perspectives.” Choose three of the storytelling techniques (Pages 161 – 209) in which data is presented and stories are being interpreted. Discuss the importance and the advantages of using these techniques. Provide an example of each technique.

Reference

Kirk, A. (2016). Data Visualisation: A Handbook for Data Driven Design. Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage Publications, Ltd.

2. Assignment question 

 

FORENSIC DESIGN ASSESSMENTS

This task relates to a sequence of assessments that will be repeated across Chapters 6, 7, 8, 9 and 10. Select any example of a visualisation or infographic, maybe your own work or that of others. The task is to undertake a deep, detailed ‘forensic’ like assessment of the design choices made across each of the five layers of the chosen visualisation’s anatomy. In each case your assessment is only concerned with one design layer at a time.

For this task, take a close look at the colour choices:

1. Start by identifying all the applications of colour deployed, listing them under the headers of 1) data legibility, 2) editorial salience, and 3) functional harmony.
2. How suitable are the choices and deployment of these colours? If they are not, what do you think they should have been?
3. Go through the set of ‘Influencing factors’ from the latter section of the book’s chapter to help shape your assessment and to possibly inform how you might tackle this design layer differently
4. Also, considering the range of potential applications of colour, what would you do differently or additionally?

Assignment Link: http://book.visualisingdata.com/chapter/chapter-9