Why can’t bloggers-about-blogging do basic charts?
I follow some of the top blogs-about-blogging and they often come up with advices that I can relate to when thinking of information visualization: simplicity, consistency, go to the point, remove clutter, tell a story…
Problem is, bloggers about blogging fail to follow their own advice when they attempt to graphically display the results of their [...]
Recession and Information Visualization
In my latest post at Microcharts blog I discuss the role of information visualization under a recession and the use of “certain” charts…. Take a look!
Less Wow Factor, More Eureka Moment
Wow is Beauty, Eureka is Knowledge.
Wow alone is a dumb blond, Eureka alone is a decrepit old wizard.
Great information visualization is 20% meaningful wow and 80% useful Eureka.
Information visualization: frequently asked questions
New to information visualization? Let me give you some quick answers to frequently asked questions.
What is a chart?
Just open your eyes and an amazing amount of data is immediately funneled into your brain. This data is processed in real time and makes possible your interaction with the outside world. Shapes and patterns emerge and you’ll [...]
Fibonacci, working memory and information overload
More data = better decisions, right? Not always. When you are getting more information than you can process within a specific time period information overload starts creeping. Confusion, stress, anxiety and low motivation usually follow. Can we prevent that?
In general, the more information you have, the more accurate your decisions will be. But at some [...]
Jon Peltier’s long waited blog
Jon Peltier’s site is usually my first stop when I want to find a solution for an Excel chart problem. His site is one of the best resources for add-ins, tips, tricks and “impossible charts”. Now he’s sharing his expertise with us in his new blog. So if you want to go beyond basic [...]
Minard, Tufte, Kosslyn and Godin (and Napoleon)
Do you prefer the full report:
Or the executive summary?
For Tufte’s fans, Minard’s map plays a central role in Tufte’s iconography, and the way he praises it (”best statistical graphic ever”) is quoted endlessly (974 results in Google as of today, to be precise). Tufte discussed The Map in his first book (The Visual Display of [...]
Modern graphical analysis: are we honouring our founding fathers?
Nathan, over the FlowingData blog, points to this video where John Tukey himself discusses the analysis of multivariate data using computers… in 1972. The library contains other great videos, so I encourage you to explore it.
Tukey had an enormous impact in the way we look at the data, but exactly who are “we”? Are [...]
Stephen Few at InfoViz 2007
Stephen Few shares with us his capstone presentation that he delivered at InfoVis 2007. If you follow his newsletter or his blog (you should) there is nothing really new but, if you don’t, this is a good summary of his views regarding information visualization.
I’d like to comment a few points.
Knowing how to use Excel or [...]
Are charts really useful for decision-making?
For many of us this is a provocative question. Haven’t Tufte, Few, Cleveland and many others proved that, beyond reasonable doubt? Isn’t there a prosperous industry based on the obvious usefulness of charts and information visualization? Is everyone wrong?
Let me play devil’s advocate here. A large majority of charts you’ll find in the corporate sector [...]
