suelan – Dashboards, Scorecards & Visualization

When subway/tube map meets data visualization

For the last blog posting I wanted to know how many types of visualization are out there and when to use them in different occasion.

By searching Internet I got to know that most of visualization fall into categories like 1D/Linear, 2D/ Planar, 3D/Volumetric, nD/Multidimensional, Tree/Hierarchical and network.

What got my attention most was subway/tube map under network category. At first glance I thought it was just for subway transportation but turned out it was for network visualization.

The subway/tube map connects different tasks into one network. In the MAP of All YAHOO! APIs and SERVICES we can see there are clear lines of tasks but each line networks with other lines of take. The network visualization clearly defines line of tasks with distinguished color. Readers can follow a particular line of task that they want to focus. Each “station” has it’s own name and unique symbols. Readers don’t need to read the words/ terms but can easily tell what’s the task/function on the particular spot. There’s also a clear light background grid organizes the tube map in a restricted lines, so it helps readers eye balance with their memory.

When subway/tube map meets data visualization it creates unique and strongly organized network visualization.

Reference

Understanding human perception first, then visualization comes second

We’ve learned the nine principles of how to make effective visualizations and applied it into our exercises.

Today I’d like to share what I have learned from aesthetics session and how important that is to understand human perception when it comes to creating a good visualizations.

Bellow questions can answer the aesthetic lecture in different angle.

Does it meet physical attributes of vision? Our vision sensitively recognizes length, position, size, shape and color of views. Those determines how we think and how we decide. Sometimes pie charts, donut charts can’t fully represents the attributes of vision. Understanding attributes of our visions can help us to have better design when it comes to visualization.
Does eyes can discern and brains can understand? First our eyes see and then our brain understand. If the visualization is not easy to understand, not clearly indicates the relationship of the data then our brain can hardly understand what we see.
Does our seeing In-Balance with our thinking? In class professor taught eye beats memory principles. Our brain has limitation of working memory. If what we see is not balance with what we thinking then the visualization can’t convey the accurate message that it suppose to deliver.

Reference

Data Visualization for Human Perception

https://www.interaction-design.org/literature/book/the-encyclopedia-of-human-computer-interaction-2nd-ed/data-visualization-for-human-perception

Interactive visualization can make five-year drought disappear fast

It is a good year of 2017 for California because most of drought cleared out in the beginning of this year. With interactive visualization we can experience the drought disappearing process in California faster and clear.

Color tells the intensity- Dark Red. Red as universal color meaning stop or severe. In this interactive visualization they choose dark red as most intensive level. With the universal color no further explanation is needed and it makes the visualization clear and meaningful.

Only one focus- California. The focus in this visualization is very clear. It only focuses on one state in the U.S., neither more general nor more detail information is needed. Readers can just focus on how the drought is changing in the state.

Well-defined time period- Five years. The past five years are meaningful because during the years California has been experienced severe drought, more time period or less would not bring the visualization result as effective as this visualization.

Clear time sequence- 2011 to 2017. Readers can see the changing of time sequence and can stop anytime to check the drought intensity. Maybe the single data itself is not meaningful but when the data is in the time-sequenced visualization, there is more meaning in each single data.

Reference:

https://ww2.kqed.org/science/2017/02/24/watch-how-fast-a-five-year-drought-can-disappear/

Dashboard doesn’t always need to be fancy

Finally creating dashboard visualization comes to the topic in the class lecture. Good visualization speaks louder than words.

There are many good examples of how to make good visualization for corporation business performances. However, here I’d like to share what I learned from a dashboard that representing Indianapolis Museum of art performance(link).

Dashboard doesn’t need to be filled with all different charts. All charts are in the same size, same format in this dashboard but they emphasize each chart with information-oriented icons and clear measure words. Smaller fonts for Word explanations also help readers to have better understanding about their performance.
Numbers and icons could replace fancy charts. There are no single fancy charts in this dashboard. Highlighted numbers and relevant icons replace the charts. It provides brief information about the entire business picture.

Transparent data is worth to present. For some company they don’t need to show the analytical data but only summarized final data. Each single data is very transparent and self-explanatory by itself.

Clear highlight help readers to focus on the topic. Here they highlighted number with red color and words with black color. Same color for the highlight clearly comes to reader’s eyes. It unifies that chart to one theme in a sense.

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What do I like about ‘Inflation Dashboard’

While dong redesign project I had chance to explore Eurostat-a Directorate-General of the European Commission. Among the various visualization tools, I specifically like inflation dashboard tool that they are using for EU inflation rate.

Here are the four features that I like about this tool.

Be able to simultaneously choose two line charts, a bar chart and a map

The four charts show the overall and specific EU member states’ inflation information. The four tables are interactively changing based on what information users want to read.

Choose three simple light colors

The main three colors they choose are very light and simple. The colors are eye friendly and also distinguishable enough for readers to get specific information at the first glance.

Be able to read the individual stories by time range

Readers can choose the time range they want focus and the duration of display so that the website will play the inflation trend automatically.

The tool also allows readers to view data as map, chart or table.

It is a good visualization for governments or companies and individuals to think about when it comes to present a time based interactive inflation visualization.

Reference:

Why do I recommend Gapminder Tools Offline

Hans Rosling’s videos were amazing. He used Trendalyzer to told us how to present interactive visualization in a different level. Today I’d like to write why do I recommend Gapminder Tools Offline- upgraded version of Trendalyzer.

Be able to easily bookmark. With Gapminder Tools Offline users not only can create statistic animation but it also allows users to book mark the specific time that they want to book mark. I like this function because it can make my presentation more straightforward and I can show important factors like KPI without digging different story pages.

Interactive bubble presentation with color. With this software, users can easily generate interactive moving bubble charts with vivid colors. It looks like bubbles flying over the sky and it gives audience a friendly scene during the presentation. It can save both presenters and audience time because the moving bubble itself conveys a historical trend itself.

Offline tool. The software note only offers online tools but also offline tools. It allows users to prepare the presentation without Internet restriction. Because your boss might ask you to present a story while you traveling where does not have Internet.

Reference:

Toulmin’s Argument Model in data visualization

Today’s class was a little difficult and I wanted to do some research on the concept that professor was lecturing. Toulmin, an English philosopher and logician, came up with a creative idea called Tolumin’s Argument Model. It not only helps writers’ to have better argument in writing but also benefits someone who wants to make a good visualization. He conveys his message about how a good argument should be analyzed by the model.

In the reference 1, it shows that a claim without a warrant is not a very supported claim. Warrant, as chain of reasons bridges between the data and claim and answers, “how did the argument get there” question.

Further in the reference 2, there is explanation about the argument model based on a hearing aid data. It clearly tells that qualifier is specification of data to claim and it measures the power of warrant. Rebuttal, in another word it means a condition of exception to the original claim and it strengthened by warrant. We should always have backing in our data to claim process to support the warrant.

Please have a look at reference 2 since it helps us to have better understanding about future project.

Reference 1: http://individual.utoronto.ca/ecolak/EBM/evidence_and_eikos/models_of_argumentation/toulmin/toulmin.htm

Reference 2:

https://courses.lumenlearning.com/englishcomp2kscopexmaster/chapter/toulmins-argument-model/

Good conversation topics for a social party -2016 major events

Here are all the cool topics of year 2016 on one map that can bring to a cocktail party. http://www.mapsofworld.com/events/year-2016/

In year 2016, there were so many things happened around the world. As a global citizen, it is good to be aware of what happened in a year of 2016. Good visualization can help us to sort out that information easily.

This visualization clearly shows year 2016 major events in a world map. Here’s three points why this visualization is a good visualization.

On the map, detailed information is clearly displayed. It includes event occurred month, country as well as key words for the events.
Different color clearly distinguishes different country or region. Color with detailed written explanations makes the information stronger and it help readers to have a better understanding about the event.
On top of the map, under each month there’s detailed explanation about the event’s major information. Readers don’t need to click the months but just need to move the mouse to the month and the information will display itself.

However it could be a flawless visualization, if all the detailed information on the map displays by a certain order, for example by country, event, and year.

Reference: http://www.mapsofworld.com/events/year-2016/

Interpreting Syria issue with an effective visualization

I am not a political person, so I do not usually comment on politics. Part of the reason is that it is hard to consume all the particular political information and data with busy life event. I know there’s a big issue is still going on in Syria, but I never properly understood who is fighting whom in Syria. However, good visualization can organizing complicated data sets, analyzing the data set and helping readers to get right information in a given time.

syrian-war-relationships

Without even reading the article I could already understand who is fighting whom in Syria by the nicely created visual explanation.

syria 2

Surprising point of this visualization was not only the vivid facial explanation with different color. By simply clicking any of the facial emotions, there is concise explanation of the two parties relationship.

If I am understanding right, this visualization is falling into Visual discovery category of Scott Berinato’s chart that we learned from our class this Tuesday. Personally, I think this is well designed visualization example and the explanation is applicable for many different age/education range. Replacing numbers or words with emojis can be an effective way to design a good visualization.

Follow up:

Friend or foe? A visual guide to understanding who’s with whom in the Syrian War.

Reference:

http://www.slate.com/blogs/the_slatest/2015/10/06/syrian_conflict_relationships_explained.html
https://blog.hubspot.com/marketing/great-data-visualization-examples#sm.0001sic7vahzeevyxpr1ezq5s2kg1
https://hbr.org/2016/06/visualizations-that-really-work

Uber vs. Cabs

Like Startbuck coffee, Uber became an affordable lifestyle in our daily life. When Uber launched the service in New York City in 2011, it became Uber’s biggest market. Variety of Uber’s services are expending all over the map. The traditional car service cab, affected directly since Uber has launched the services. Along with the fact, there are high tension between Uber and Cab industry. Without a good visualization it is hard to explain how does the Uber expending the market and how is the competition zones look like between Uber and cab industry.

Uber and cabs

This visualization map is effectively explaining where Uber pickups are increasing and where taxi rides are decreasing in New York City, and it also give answer of where the two parties’ conflict might occur.

This data visualization is a successful example. It is efficiently presenting the growing Uber market and submerging cabs market in New York City with three same geographic map. It not only clearly generates Uber pick up and Texi zone with deferent color but also evidently answers the title question “Are Ubers Supplementing or Replacing Cabs?”

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