Image courtesy of Andy Kirk
Data visualisation has become ever more important as the volume of data is increasing. You see data everywhere, in simple infographics, in the sports reporting and in daily news. We are constantly bombarded with it, and are easily confused by it all. Is it because when we go through our studies as young adults we are only presented with a very small variety of charts? This limitation in our understanding of datasets could be helped by using better visuals.
Andy Kirk, the founder of Visualising Data, is hoping to give scientists a set of tools that will help them to communicate their data in a better way, not only to external audiences, but also to themselves. Being able to visually manipulate data could give scientists a better insight into the stories hidden in their research.
I caught up with Andy at the British Library during one of his workshops. For Andy, it is to do with “how we give a physical form to the subject data variables. Beyond that, it is also all the other presentational factors.” Here, Andy is referring to the aesthetics to create interactivity, this includes simple things like colour and font type. But some of the more complex issues like arrangement, annotations and architecture are also important to consider. These combined factors “make-or-break the success of a visualisation, particularly when it is a communication device.
