Data Analysis

On 11/8, I watched the Art of Data Visualization by PBS Studios. I thought it expressed clearly the importance of hard, raw data and the importance of visualization to convey that data. The most interesting part of the program I gleaned from it was that visualization is a linear decision-making process in which the creator must take into account what he/she wants to say, what the reader wants to say and the data itself. I never previously thought that data would be most paramount when creating visualization; however, I suppose there would be no point to the data if it could not convey its message and be used for the greater good. Furthermore, I liked the emphasis on the importance of our own abilities to recognize patterns and make decisions to survive, which allows the designer to communicate a lot of information very quickly. I did take issue with the idea one of the presenters brought up, which was that viewers want complicated data to be simplified. I felt this was a contrast to what another presenter said, which was respect your audience. As the audience, I respect the data and the hard work that was put in to gather it; therefore, I wouldn’t want to demean the author or myself by pretending this data was easily won. I think the viewer would appreciate the complexity as much as he would want easy information.