vs
A CRITICAL ANALYSIS
OF DATA VISUALIZATION
I. Visual Aesthetics II. Cognitive Navigation III. Patterns
IV. Stimulating Audience Engagement
V. Proposed Solutions
shrinking of our planet
visualizing bible cross-references
The analysis of these data visualization maps, by comparing and contrasting both, will reveal how effectively the data communicates from several perspectives.
“Visualizing Bible Cross-references”, 2008
Chris Harrison, a Ph.D. student in the Human-Computer Interaction Institute at Carnegie Mellon University and Lutheran pastor, Christoph Römhild, have combined efforts to visualize the data of textual cross references found in the Lutheran Bible. In the interest of providing context, I have included an excerpt from the website of Chris Harrison. The following information is not included directly on the map: “The bar graph that runs along the bottom represents all of the chapters in the Bible. Chapters alternate in color between white and light gray. The length of each bar denotes the number of verses in the chapter. Each of the 63,779 cross references found in the Bible is de-picted by a single arc—the color corresponds to the distance between the two chapters, creating a rainbow-like effect.”
ooohhh, pretty. At first glance, the visual aesthetics of this map present an ethereal beau-ty—fitting for biblical reference— akin to a dynamic rainbow never before witnessed in nature, and with outstretched arms, warmly invites the audience in for closer examination. The vibrant warm and cool colors contrasted against a dark black background pop off the page and command attention. Time certainly seems to stand still while the audience immerse themselves in the colors of the arches, and attempt to track the paths of the individual 63, 779 intricate lines. The white and light gray bars rest like a cityscape underneath the rainbow. Everything seems to be in place and working properly here—at first glance, anyway.
huh? Putting beauty aside for a moment, this map represents something more than
on a whole different meaning from that of the aesthetic. Assuming the map is viewed strictly on it’s own without an assisting placard referencing its meaning, the audience has no way of extract-ing meanextract-ing from it, and therefore can not navigate through it cognitively. At the very least, a title and a legend, depicting the meaning of color and perhaps the order of the books in the Bible, would provide much more depth and meaning to the elements in this piece, but those things have been taken for granted and overlooked. For those not familiar with the books of the Bible or their order, figuring out where textual references begin and end will require some effort. However, for those who ARE familiar with the books of the Bible and their order, tracking the references will still be tough because the books are not referenced properly. The book of Joel is listed as having four chapters, but should only have three. Malachi is not referenced at all and Matthew is showing 31 chapters instead of the required 28. If we take the additional one chapter from Joel and the three additional chapters from Matthew we have Malachi, which is there, just not referenced properly. The effort required to decipher this map just increased considerably.
shapes, colors and arches. Even without any information guiding the audience through the map, patterns of shape and color are evident. But do these patterns represent something in particular or are they strictly visual aesthetics applied by the designer? The audience is left to their own interpretation, and while color and shape take on different meanings across different cultures, many interpretations could be made from this map. What are the odds someone would come to the conclusion that this map tracks textual cross references across the books of the Bible, and if they did, how long would it have taken?
it’s pretty, but what do i do with it? For the reasons referenced above, the audience has no way to effectively engage with this data map. Sure, they may stand in front of this piece for a while tracing the arches back and forth, but with no way of knowing what they are looking at, they may eventually become confused or frustrated. The only thing this map is capable of stimulating is the imagination of the audience. On a deeper level, denotative and spiritual meaning will not be found here. The efforts of the designer fall short of delivering the intended message and prompting the audience to engage with the data, relegating this data map to nothing more than an art piece that can be interpreted many ways.
final thoughts. To conclude, it would be remiss if I were to only offer critical judgment of this piece with no proposed solution in return. Transforming this map from a static piece of art into a dynamic visualization of data would no take much effort, nor would it alter the beauty of the existing map. As mentioned above, a title and a legend would allow this piece authoritatively speak for itself without the need of an assisting placard. Aside from a title and legend, I would pro-pose listing the books of the Bible and visually separating the Old Testament from the New. The designer could accomplish this by labeling the two sections or by simply implementing a colored line between the two sections and referencing it in the legend. Further, the values of the white and light gray below the rainbow are too close. More contrast is needed for the audience to successful-ly recognize the visual shift between sections. Finalsuccessful-ly, the color of the arches would benefit from employing basic color theory. The arches that form closer references should be warmer moving toward cooler colors as the distance between references becomes greater. Overall, this map fails to successfully deliver the intended data, but a few minor tweaks could make it very successful.
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after
“The Shrinking of Our Planet by Man’s Increased Travel and Communication Speeds Around the Globe”, 1965
“In 1961, Fuller made a proposal to the International Union of Architects at their 7th Congress to encourage architectural schools around the world to invest the next ten years to address how to make the world’s total resources, which then served only 40% of the world population, serve 100% of humanity. This trend chart, produced by Fuller and his associate McHale, is one of dozens of maps and trend charts. It shows how the confluence of human communication and transporta-tion technologies produce a “shrinking Earth.” During the same decade that Gordon E. Moore predicted the acceleration curve of computing technologies (Moore’s Law), Fuller applied his comprehensive approach to map the global impact of what he termed ‘accelerating acceleration’ and ‘ephemeralization’.”
meh. While this map may have been visually appropriate for its time and audience in 1961, this data map would not generally attract a viewer’s interest today. The stark black and white presentation resembles the illustrations of old science books, which feel stuffy by today’s visual standards. Further, the information seems daunting because the elements in the composition are all crammed together leaving no room for negative space. The lack of variation in the text makes the hierarchy of information hard to decipher. Why is the title placed in the top right hand corner when, in western culture, we read from left to right and from top to bottom. The placement and the point size of the title challenges the its effectiveness to deliver key information to the viewer— what the whole thing is about.
illustrations, graphs and captions. looks good to me. Moving beyond the lackluster veneer of the map’s visual presentation, the data itself is clear and easily understood. Social familiarity with the visual elements of the map—tables, timelines and Dymaxion maps; each one supporting the other—provide the audience with unobstructed cognitive navigation of the piece. The data table at the top gives a global perspective of the modernization of transportation and communication and their effects on travel times related to our perceptions of time and size of the world. The Dymaxion maps below provide a condensed visual overview of the table above. Finally the timetable at the bottom of the map provides yet another visual representation of the data. Choosing any of the three visual entry points on the map, the audience can easily decipher the data and begin to cognitively process the data presented with very little effort.
industrialization: patterns of time, speed and size. Communication and transportation technologies have certainly advanced from the dawn of man to present day. As populations grow and develop, advances in technology provide more modernized forms of transportation and com-munication. Connecting the dots in the data visually and cognitively, patterns of industrialization, communication, time, speed, growth and size begin to emerge. From foot travel to jet aircraft travel, and from word of mouth to satellite communications, the audience draws on learned per-ceptions of time, relative to speed and distance, and begin to draw the connection to a shrinking planet.
thank you kindly for your thorough explanation. The visual cues of the Dymaxion maps and timeline engages the audience through visual storytelling. The data takes the audience on a journey through history from 500,000 BC to the mid 1960’s, plotting the advances in technology and communication. Though the data stops in the mid 1960’s, the audience can use these visual cues to imagine how small the world may feel today with further innovations such as high-speed rail systems and the Boeing 747, the internet, email, and smartphones. The map not only provides a historical overview of technological innovations, but also provides a lens through which the audience can imagine the future.
final thoughts. Concluding my analysis, I would like to offer solutions that may enhance the viewing experience of an overall clear and thoroughly explained visualization of data. In an attempt to enhance aesthetics, pacing and readability, I would propose minor modifications so that the data is presented more successfully. First, I would increase the margins and space around the visual elements to allow for more negative space through the piece and around the perimeter, letting the information breathe. From there, I would scale the title larger and center it at the top of the map and suggest a reorganization of the elements to provide better pacing for the audience. The table at the top would be placed at the bottom of the map, allowing the Dymaxion maps and timeline to move up and occupy the space at the top. This simple adjustment would give the audience a stronger visualized entry point, providing a general overview of the data, letting them decide if they wish to continue further investigation. Since the table is visually the heaviest object, placing it at the bottom would provide a solid foundation for the other elements to rest on. Finally, I would implement style variation to the text (bold, italic, etc…) in order to create a hierarchy of information that begins to introduce visual cues that pace the viewer through the information. These adjustments would resolve many of the tensions that currently inflict the map.
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