While creating visualizations we need to understand what is the purpose we are looking to get from the data. Usually the visualizations are based on the data that is being considered. The types of viz. are:
- Conceptual visualizations focus on ideas and the goal is to simplify or teach
- Data Driven visualizations focus on statistics and the goal is to inform or enlighten.
When I was working on my redesign project I understood the need to approach the data in a specific way and question if the information is conceptual or data driven. When I started out the question was whether I am declaring something or exploring something? With the declaring part, we usually focus on designing and documenting information to affirm something. With the exploratory part, we must focus on prototyping, iterating and interacting to confirm something.
But with today’s technology development it has become very easy to make visualizations that look good. The only drawback is that is boosts our impulse to “click and visualize” without thinking about the purpose or goals. This leads to charts that are inadequate or ineffective. And the path usually leads to visual discovery with no idea that what you are showing in a chart.
Visual Discovery is a complicated and as bigger and more complex the data gets, and the less you know going in, the more open-ended the work. And this was my journey to get to the visualization in my redesign project.