Discussion

Data representation is the act of displaying the visual form of your data. The process of identifying the most effective and appropriate solution for representing our data is unquestionably the most important feature of our visualization design. Working on this layer involves making decisions that cut across the artistic and scientific foundations of the field. Here we find ourselves face-to-face with the demands of achieving that ideal harmony of form and function that is outlined in Chapter 6, Data Representation. We need to achieve both the elegance of a design that aesthetically suits our intent and the functional behavior required to fulfill the effective imparting of information. In chapter 6, Kirk meticulously characterizes a galley of charts as Categorical, Hierarchical, Relational, Temporal, or Spatial (CHRTS). You also read an article this week: “Data literacy 101: Which is the best graph to use?“.

Reply Post

Choose any three of the charts from chapter 6 and based on your readings, explain/describe what characteristics makes each chosen chart effective for a particular visualization – describe 3 visualizations and also matching chart characteristics.

When replying to a classmate’s post, offer your opinion on what they posted – give your thoughts as to what makes their chosen charts/graphs a good fit for a certain visualization.