Book Image

Data Visualization: a successful design process

Book Image

Data Visualization: a successful design process

Overview of this book

Do you want to create more attractive charts? Or do you have huge data sets and need to unearth the key insights in a visual manner? Data visualization is the representation and presentation of data, using proven design techniques to bring alive the patterns, stories and key insights locked away."Data Visualization: a Successful Design Process" explores the unique fusion of art and science that is data visualization; a discipline for which instinct alone is insufficient for you to succeed in enabling audiences to discover key trends, insights and discoveries from your data. This book will equip you with the key techniques required to overcome contemporary data visualization challenges. You'll discover a proven design methodology that helps you develop invaluable knowledge and practical capabilities.You'll never again settle for a default Excel chart or resort to "fancy-looking" graphs. You will be able to work from the starting point of acquiring, preparing and familiarizing with your data, right through to concept design. Choose your "killer" visual representation to engage and inform your audience."Data Visualization: a Successful Design Process" will inspire you to relish any visualization project with greater confidence and bullish know-how; turning challenges into exciting design opportunities.
Table of Contents (13 chapters)
Data Visualization: a successful design process
Credits
About the Author
About the Reviewers
www.PacktPub.com
Preface
Index

Data visualization design is all about choices


Here is a quote from Jer Thorp (http://blog.blprnt.com/blog/blprnt/138-years-of-popular-science):

"My working process is riddled with dead-ends, messy errors, and bad decisions—the final product usually sits on top of a mountain of iterations that rarely see the light of day."

Over the past two chapters, we have explored some of the key preparatory activities of the visualization design process. In doing so we have built a detailed level of clarity about what we want to achieve in our visual communication and why.

The heading for this section may seem obvious but it needs stating. As we'll see in this chapter, the scope for creativity can be quite overwhelming. How well you rationalize the many decisions you face throughout the process will strongly determine whether you achieve an effective visualization design.

To frame this discussion, do a quick image search in Google for the term "data visualization" and scroll through the first few screens...