Introductory talk about data visualization and online storytelling – the key concepts, best practices, as well as the most common mistakes (and how to avoid them).
Until recently, data visualization was of interest merely to a small group of analysts and information designers. Over the last few years, however, it has made its way into the mainstream, including journalism and even advertising.
Urban activists have also sought to grasp the opportunity, trusting that well-informed residents will likely turn into better citizens. The web flooded with city apps, charts, and geo-portals granting access to all sorts of data, from sophisticated financial records to maps of bedbugs occupying Airbnb apartments.
Yet, research shows that a significant amount of open data is not finding a single recipient, and people often don’t bother to click on meticulously designed online visualizations. So where did we go wrong?
In this talk for Creative Industry Košice, you will learn what it takes to design engaging visualizations and how to avoid the most common mistakes when developing tools for data sharing and presentation.
Follow-up #
Eager to discover more about data visualization? Here you will find hand-picked recommendations and links to websites showcased during the talk.
→ Whether you create visualizations or are a researcher or curator, be sure to get to know Nightingale. The Journal of the Data Visualization Society and take a look at the website of this worldwide community of visualization designers.
→ The most engaging examples of scrollytelling in one (or two) places on the web? Add The Pudding and New York Times to your favourites.
→ How to create online storyscrollytelling? Basic principles described in a few juicy pieces backed by extensive experience and illustrative applications (here and here).
→ And if you would really like to delve into the arcane detail of chart design, regardless of the medium you use, reach for this one classic publication by Edward Tufte, The Visual Display of Quantitative Information.
References #
Our projects from Medialab Katowice:
→ Data for Culture → Data-Driven Methods for City Research and Exploration (free pdf) → Heartbeat of the City → Katowice Icons → Katowice Buildings Map → Pischinger Font