Although this documentary, Journalism in the Age of Data, is 3 years old, all of the points it addresses about the presentation and absorption of information is still so relevant today.
Actually, I would say it’s becoming even more relevant as the amount of data available online becomes more and more overwhelming. And at the same time, us user’s expectations are being raised. With so many sources readily at our fingertips, if we aren’t engaged, there’s no chance we’re settling. We’ll move on.
In fact, research shows that it’s critical that viewers be engaged within 10 seconds. If the Web page survives this first – extremely harsh – 10-second judgment, users will look around a bit. If your data seems dull, unorganized or like it might require too much energy to digest and understand, forget it. No matter how groundbreaking the material, you’ve lost your chance.
Presentation is key. And so is a story. Most users don’t have the time or determination to digest and interpret complex data on their own. To successfully share your information, it has to be simplified for the user, have some interactivity or be presented in a way that makes it seem more interesting than it actually may be. The analysts, writers and communicators behind the scenes have the scary power of determining how we read this data. They can change the story the data tells or help us see it in a different way. We don’t have to do all of interpretation on our own, but they can still make us really think.
Advanced data visualization has changed the way we absorb information. Digital art, infographics and more technical and engaging programming has made the user experience of data more exciting – more effective – intriguing, simple and complex all at once. It’s fused fields, forced collaboration between analysts and designers, and has resulted in an awesome experience that is definitely here to stay.