webinar innova challenge mx: alberto cairo sobre visualización de datos

visualization for the masses

alberto cairo

the promise and challenges of a world where everybody can design with data

elmundo.es (Spain), 2000-2005

Alberto Cairo • University of Miami • www.thefunctionalart.com • Twitter: @albertocairo

http://www.thefunctionalart.com

Editora Globo, Época magazine (Brazil) 2010-2011




http://com.miami.edu/

http://ccs.miami.edu/

University of Miami

http://interactive.miami.edu


http://com.miami.edu/

http://ccs.miami.edu/

http://interactive.miami.edu

How do we teach good visualization habits to the general public?

How to avoid being mislead by bad visualizations

How to contribute to the world by designing good visualizations



The jungle of spin, dishonesty, and resulting widespread mistrust



The promise of mainstream visualization…

…leads to the challenge of widespread bad habitsAlberto Cairo • University of Miami • www.thefunctionalart.com • Twitter: @albertocairo


http://blog.visual.ly/creating-infographic-start-finish/


Unfortunately, some of us are offering really bad advice

http://blog.visual.ly/creating-infographic-start-finish/


http://www.thefunctionalart.com/2014/01/article-about-infographics-gets.html

“The thought starts with the message and then gets into putting other related information together to support it instead of starting with the data and thinking of what to make of it – the message. The advantage of taking this route is also that you are not just restricted by topics or numbers or just presenting ‘news’. You can go a step further and air your ‘views’ too to make a point.”


Unfortunately, some of us are offering really bad advice

http://www.thefunctionalart.com/2014/01/article-about-infographics-gets.html


The challenge with clarityWe may offer dubious advice even when our intentions are good



I’ve chosen to call myself an Information Architect (…) I mean architect as in the creating of systemic, structural, and orderly principles to make something work —the thoughtful making of either artifact, or idea, or policy that informs because it is clear.



Isn’t there a value that precedes clarity?


But does the message inform just because it’s clear?


http://www.vox.com/cards/health-prices/america-is-getting-gouged-on-health-care-prices

This is as clear as it gets

http://www.vox.com/cards/health-prices/america-is-getting-gouged-on-health-care-prices

READ MORE http://www.thefunctionalart.com/2014/04/my-new-infographics-motto-its-more.html


http://www.thefunctionalart.com/2014/04/my-new-infographics-motto-its-more.html


What are the features that define a great infographic or data visualization?



1. Truthful 2. Functional 3. Beautiful 4. Insightful 5. Enlightening



September 2012




What graphic forms are more appropriate to represent your data?1. Think about the audience and the publication 2. Think of the questions your graphic should help readers answer 3. Can you understand it without reading every single figure?


Allows moreaccurate

judgements

Allows moregeneric

judgements

Position alonga common scale

Position alongnonaligned scales

Length

Direction

Angle

Area

Volume

Curvature

Shading

Colorsaturation

Allows moreaccurate

judgements

Allows moregeneric

judgements



Length

Direction

Angle

Area

Volume

Curvature

Shading

Colorsaturation

William Cleveland and Robert McGill (1984)

Great for accurate judgments: Comparisons, relationships, etc.

60

Spain

40

20

0U.S. France U.K.

60

Spain

40

20

0U.S. France U.K.

100

Spain

80

60

40U.S. France U.K.

60

20

40

20

040 60 80

BAR CHART

SCATTER CHART(or scatter plot)

LOLLIPOP CHART

60

1995

40

20

01996 1997 1998

LINE CHART(or time series chart)

DOT CHART(or dot plot)

100

80

60

402000 2010SLOPE CHART

U.K

FranceU.S

Spain

Allows moreaccurate

judgements

Allows moregeneric

judgements



Length

Direction

Angle

Area

Volume

Curvature

Shading

Colorsaturation

Allows moreaccurate

judgements

Allows moregeneric

judgements



Length

Direction

Angle

Area

Volume

Curvature

Shading

Colorsaturation

William Cleveland and Robert McGill (1984)

0-25%26-50%51-75%76-100%

CHOROPLETHMAP

DOT MAP

Percentage of peoplewho ate at leastone serving of boiledoctopus last year

Every dot representsa restaurant thatserved boiledoctopus at least oncelast year

PROPORTIONALSYMBOL MAP

1,000,000

250,000

People who ate at leastone serving of boiledoctopus last year

Most commontemperature at whichoctopuses are boiled

ISOPLETHMAP

100-105°C106-110°C111-115°C116-120°C

Great for general patterns, trends, etc.

This chart is intended to let me see “change” (the purpose is explicit in the headline after all.) Now, try to estimate the popularity of Hip-Hop in 2014; tell me if reggaeton is more popular today than it was in 2014; what about Samba?; and Country or Classic music?

How Music Preferences Have Changed in Two Decades

Music styles preferred by University of Miami students. Survey based on interviews with 1,000 students.

SOURCE: WishfulThinkingData Inc.

Hard

Rock

Hip-Hop

Reggaeton

CountryClassic

Samba

Hard

Rock

Hip-Hop

Reggaeton

Country Classic

Samba

1994 2014

35%

25%

20%

10%

5%5%

What about now? (I’m actually showing just 5 numbers, not 6, like before) !This chart is intended to let me see “change” (the purpose is explicit in the headline after all.) Now, try to estimate the popularity of Hip-Hop in 2014; tell me if reggaeton is more popular today than it was in 2014; what about Samba?; and Country or Classic music?

How Music Preferences

Have Changed in Two Decades

Music styles preferred by University of Miami students.

Survey based on interviews with 1,000 students.

SOURCE: WishfulThinkingData Inc.

0

10

20

30

40%

Hip-Hop

Reggaeton

Country

Classic

Samba

Hard Rock

1994 2014

In some cases, it is appropriate to represent your data more than once





http://www.nhs.uk/Tools/Pages/NHSAtlasofrisk.aspx


http://www.nhs.uk/Tools/Pages/NHSAtlasofrisk.aspx

http://revistaepoca.globo.com/Revista/Epoca/0,,EMI238256-17445,00.html



http://revistaepoca.globo.com/Revista/Epoca/0,,EMI238256-17445,00.html


September 2012



alberto cairo

insightfulthe

artcommunicationwith data, charts, maps,and infographics

Beginning of 2016September 2012



But this is truer and more accurateThis may be truehttps://www.ncta.com/platform/public-policy/setting-the-record-straight-on-broadband-investment/https://www.ncta.com/titleII

ORIGINAL BY: NCTA


https://www.ncta.com/platform/public-policy/setting-the-record-straight-on-broadband-investment/

https://www.ncta.com/titleII


Side note: Always mistrust designers that consciously hide important data

Side note 2: Always (1) Make your data available, and (2) explain your methodology

But this is truer and more accurateThis may be truehttps://www.ncta.com/platform/public-policy/setting-the-record-straight-on-broadband-investment/https://www.ncta.com/titleII

ORIGINAL BY: NCTA





But this is truer and more accuratehttps://www.ncta.com/platform/public-policy/setting-the-record-straight-on-broadband-investment/https://www.ncta.com/titleII

1990 92 96 98 02 04 06 08 1000 2013

$16

$12

$8

$4

$16

Cable Industry Infrastructure ExpendituresIn billions

TelecommunicationsAct is passed(“Deregulation”)

Cable TelevisionConsumer Protectionand Competition Act(“Regulation”)

ORIGINAL BY: NCTA

This may be true





So, SO fishy…

ORIGINAL BY: NCTA



“The first principle is that you must not fool yourself and you are the easiest person to fool.” - Richard P. Feynman



PatternicityFinding meaningful patterns even if they aren’t really there



Kiev, Ukraine

The color of each circle represents what party won more votes in the 2012 Parliamentary elections

Party of Regions (party of the former president)

Fatherland Party (current president, pro-Western)

I’m about to show you a proportional symbol map



All Texty’s visualization pojects: http://texty.org.ua/pg/blog/infoviztexty.org.ua


http://texty.org.ua/pg/blog/infoviz

http://texty.org.ua


http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-europe-25182823BBC


http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-europe-25182823


The Washington Post



In favor of strengtheningties with theEuropean Union

In favor ofCustom Union

with Russia

0% 50% 100%

WEST

CENTER

SOUTH

EAST

It’s more complicated than that…

If you were to publish the maps in a Western publication (whose audiences don’t know much about Ukraine,) you’d need to show at least the results of the poll, too



How do we teach good visualization habits to the general public?

How to avoid being mislead by bad visualizations

How to contribute to the world by designing good visualizations



“Our minds are all we have. They are all we have ever had. And they are all we can offer others.” - Sam Harris, ‘Waking Up’



thank you

@albertocairo www.thefunctionalart.com


webinar innova challenge mx: alberto cairo sobre visualización de datos

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