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Data Visualization for Non-Programmers
This document provides an overview of data visualization, including definitions, tips, and a brief history. It defines data visualization as the graphical display of information and notes it can turn data into an "information map" to explore. Examples of free and code-free tools are given to democratize the process. The document also outlines the basic steps for any data visualization project as researching a topic, finding and analyzing data, then visualizing it in an appropriate format.
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Data Visualization for Non-Programmers
- 1. DATA VIZ 101: Tools, tricks, tips... ...and more for non-programmers and deadline-chasers
- 2. What isdata visualization? Simplestanswer = graphical display of information
- 3. WAY MORE COMPLEX "By visualizinginformation, we turn it into a landscape that you can explore with your eyes, a sort of information map. And when you're lost in information, an information map is kind of useful." -David McCandless, author, data journalist, information designer.
- 4. "The greatest valueof a picture is when it forces us to notice what we never expected to see." -John Tukey
- 5. "When information wasscarce, most of our efforts were devoted to hunting and gathering. Now that information is abundant, processing is more important." -Phillip Meyer, journalist and professor at UNC, Chapel Hill
- 6. Uses• Get abird's eye view of "Big Data" information overload • Discover hidden insights • Highlight outliers visually • Understand patterns and trends instantly and visually
- 7. Characteristics... of dataviz • Data itself is the story; standalone narrative (often coupled w/ text). • Interactive, communicative, visual. • Ranges from simple (charts) to complex (database-driven applications). • Both a technique and a format.
- 8. Infographics ≠ data visualization Havedifferent connotations (Although many, including Alberto Cairo, information design legend, defend the term 'infographic' in its original sense)
- 9. Infographics tend tobe... Hard to read Overly artsy Distracting from data.
- 10. "He's 243 percent baby boomer!" Exampleof "chartjunk"
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- 13. Brief history •Grew outof CAR (computer assisted- reporting) tradition •First major modern use: John Snow’s 1854 cholera map (right) •Has coincided with the era of “Big Data”
- 16. "There's a strandof the data viz world that argues that everything could be a bar chart. That's possibly true but also possibly a world without joy." -Amanda Cox, New York Times
- 18. "Data journalism isthe new punk. Anyone can do it." -Simon Rogers, The Guardian
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- 21. Now, let's takea look at some...
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- 28. Just a fewof dozens of tools to democratize data visualization. See Edmodo and links for exhaustive resource list.
- 29. Steps for anydata viz project: 1. Research - Think of topic and research factors. 2. Find - Locate and/or obtain/scrape the data. 3. Analyze - Clean errors, evaluate what data says, crunch numbers,look for trends/inconsistencies. 4. Visualize - Display data in manner most appropriate to nature of story/format of information.
- 30. Now, let's visualizea dataset!