The document discusses the power of data visualization for conveying information and insights. It argues that visualizations are more effective than text at changing beliefs because the brain is optimized for visual pattern recognition. Effective visualizations highlight exceptions, provide context through time and relationships, and allow comparisons and predictions. The key is representing meaningful patterns and outliers in the data.

1. Lucas Jellema
18th March 2014
UX day
Visualization – Because One Picture
beats a Thousand Words

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Summary

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User Oriented Objective of
Information Systems
• To Enable a User
• To Perform his or her Responsibilities
• Correctly and Completely
• In a Timely, Efficient,
Convenient Manner

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Request for information…
So, what is the
situation in the
Premier League
right now?

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All the [raw] data made
available

10. What was intended
0 50 100Gained Max to win

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What we should be capable of
Data
Processing
Business &
Task Analysis
Graphical
Capabilities

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Visualization
• Starting from Data
• Create a Presentation
• Of Relevant, Correct, Complete, Timely Information
• That allows
– Interpretation => Understanding
=> Insight => Wisdom/Vision
– Re-action
– Pro-action
• To ensure the User carries out
his or her Responsibilities

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Visualization Design
• What are the User’s responsibilities?
• What actions/decisions may have to be taken?
• What information is required to perform an action?
• Which information determines if an action should be taken?
• How should the user be informed about
an action that needs taking?
– What shape does the call-to-action take?
• How should be the information required
to start an action or make decision
be presented?
• What data is the information
derived from [and how]?

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Data => Information => Insight => Action

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Audience Challenge – 1/2

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Audience Challenge – 2/2

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From Data to Information
• Filter
• Structure & Sort
• Abstract [away irrelevant details]
• Aggregate
• Associate/Interpret
• Predict

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Pre-processed:
Filter, Enrich, Sort & Focus

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Challenge
• Create an instruction for re-adjusting the clock
when the switch is made to Summer Time

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Summer time clock adjustment

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Power of
Graphical Visualization
• Activates our Associative Brain
– Connections
– Memories
– Unconscious/background processing
• Multi-dimensional
– Color
– Size
– Shapes/ Font
– Story/Atmosphere
– Icons
– Sound
– Animation
– 3D presentation
– Interact (drill down, roll up, pivot)

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The visualization that prevents
feuds and fights

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A biology lesson
• […] our visual system is extremely well built for visual analysis. There's a
huge amount of data coming into your brain through your eyes; the optic
nerve is a very big pipe, and it sends data to your brain very quickly (one
study estimates the transmission speed of the optic nerve at around
9Mb/sec). Once that data arrives at the brain it's rapidly processed by
sophisticated software that's extremely good at tasks such as edge
detection, shape recognition, and pattern matching.
• […] pattern matching, is the key when it comes to discussing the benefits
of presenting information visually. Typically, the important messages in
data are represented in the patterns and pattern violations: trends, gaps,
and outliers. This is the interesting stuff. This is meaning. This is what we
go to the data hoping to find.
• Visualizations are so capable and powerful at conveying knowledge that
they can be more effective than words at changing people's minds. (
"Graphical corrections are also found to successfully reduce incorrect
beliefs among potentially resistant subjects and to perform better than an
equivalent textual correction.")

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Traffic signs

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The Elephant in the Room

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Power of
Graphical Visualization (2)
Very good for
• Highlighting: focus on exceptions, urgent matters
• Providing context: time, location, connections
• Comparisons & Aggregations
& Summaries
• Extrapolation & Prediction

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What was the speech
about?
• Violence
• God
• Protest
• Vision(s)
• Politics/Politicians
• Poverty
• Georgia
• Slavery
• Murder
• Washington (George,
State, D.C.)
• ???

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Showing inter-human
relationships and roles

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Absolute numbers of child
death by Diarrheal Diseases

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Oracle Sales Cloud R8

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APPLE: A TIMELINE

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Another important timeline

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Finding pictures

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Gauging population sizes per
region, country and city

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At a glance: compare population
regions & countries

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Explore relative city size

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Relative City Size in Japan
Japan

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Multi-level comparison
Really Big
Big
Medium
Smallish

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Traffic prediction

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Weather Forecast in a glance

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Data – hardly information

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Most densely populated
capitals in the world