Data Visualization: a successful design process - Kirk Andy

Table of Contents Data Visualization: a successful design process Credits About the Author About the Reviewers www.PacktPub.com Support files, eBooks, discount offers and more Why Subscribe? Free Access for Packt account holders Preface What this book covers What you need for this book Who this book is for Conventions Reader feedback Customer support Errata Piracy Questions 1. The Context of Data Visualization Exploiting the digital age Visualization as a discovery tool The bedrock of visualization knowledge Defining data visualization Visualization skills for the masses The data visualization methodology Visualization design objectives Strive for form and function Justifying the selection of everything we do Creating accessibility through intuitive design Never deceive the receiver Summary 2. Setting the Purpose and Identifying Key Factors Clarifying the purpose of your project The reason for existing The intended effect

Establishing intent – the visualization's function When the function is to explain When the function is to explore When the function is to exhibit data Establishing intent – the visualization's tone Pragmatic and analytical Emotive and abstract Key factors surrounding a visualization project The "eight hats" of data visualization design The initiator The data scientist The journalist The computer scientist The designer The cognitive scientist The communicator The project manager Summary 3. Demonstrating Editorial Focus and Learning About Your Data The importance of editorial focus Preparing and familiarizing yourself with your data Refining your editorial focus Using visual analysis to find stories An example of finding and telling stories Summary 4. Conceiving and Reasoning Visualization Design Options Data visualization design is all about choices Some helpful tips The visualization anatomy – data representation Choosing the correct visualization method Considering the physical properties of our data Determining the degree of accuracy in interpretation Creating an appropriate design metaphor Choosing the final solution The visualization anatomy – data presentation The use of color To represent data To bring the data layer to the fore To conform to design requirements

Creating interactivity Annotation Arrangement Summary 5. Taxonomy of Data Visualization Methods Data visualization methods Choosing the appropriate chart type Comparing categories Dot plot Bar chart (or column chart) Floating bar (or Gantt chart) Pixelated bar chart Histogram Slopegraph (or bumps chart or table chart) Radial chart Glyph chart Sankey diagram Area size chart Small multiples (or trellis chart) Word cloud Assessing hierarchies and part-to-whole relationships Pie chart Stacked bar chart (or stacked column chart) Square pie (or unit chart or waffle chart) Tree map Circle packing diagram Bubble hierarchy Tree hierarchy Showing changes over time Line chart Sparklines Area chart Horizon chart Stacked area chart Stream graph Candlestick chart (or box and whiskers plot, OHLC chart) Barcode chart Flow map Plotting connections and relationships

Scatter plot Bubble plot Scatter plot matrix Heatmap (or matrix chart) Parallel sets (or parallel coordinates) Radial network (or chord diagram) Network diagram (or force-directed/node-link network) Mapping geo-spatial data Choropleth map Dot plot map Bubble plot map Isarithmic map (or contour map or topological map) Particle flow map Cartogram Dorling cartogram Network connection map Summary 6. Constructing and Evaluating Your Design Solution For constructing visualizations, technology matters Visualization software, applications, and programs Charting and statistical analysis tools Programming environments Tools for mapping Other specialist tools The construction process Approaching the finishing line Post-launch evaluation Developing your capabilities Practice, practice, practice! Evaluating the work of others Publishing and sharing your output Immerse yourself into learning about the field Summary Index

Data Visualization: a successful design process

Data Visualization: a successful design process Copyright © 2012 Packt Publishing All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form or by any means, without the prior written permission of the publisher, except in the case of brief quotations embedded in critical articles or reviews. Every effort has been made in the preparation of this book to ensure the accuracy of the information presented. However, the information contained in this book is sold without warranty, either express or implied. Neither the author, nor Packt Publishing, and its dealers and distributors will be held liable for any damages caused or alleged to be caused directly or indirectly by this book. Packt Publishing has endeavored to provide trademark information about all of the companies and products mentioned in this book by the appropriate use of capitals. However, Packt Publishing cannot guarantee the accuracy of this information. First published: December 2012 Production Reference: 1191212 Published by Packt Publishing Ltd. Livery Place 35 Livery Street Birmingham B3 2PB, UK. ISBN 978-1-84969-346-2 www.packtpub.com

Cover Image by Duraid Fatouhi (<duraidfatouhi@yahoo.com >)

Credits Authors Andy Kirk Reviewers Alberto Cairo Ben Jones Santiago Ortiz Jerome Cukier Acquisition Editor Joanna Finchen Lead Technical Editor Shreerang Deshpande Technical Editor Dominic Pereira Project Coordinator Joel Goveya Proofreader Chris Brown Indexer Tejal Soni

Graphics Aditi Gajjar Production Coordinator Prachali Bhiwandkar Cover Work Prachali Bhiwandkar

Data Visualization: a successful design process - Kirk Andy

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