I really enjoyed watching the documentary, Journalism in the Age of Data, which explained data visualization and how it’s changing the way people consume information and how journalists and designers tell stories. I have been familiar with the term infographics as I designed them for yearbooks and final projects in communications courses last year.
But what stood out to me in this documentary was the fact that data visualization is all about a narrative. It’s about telling a story. Sometimes this can get lost as data alone focuses mainly on numbers and statistics. Most of the time, numbers are critical to a successful infographic or data visualization. Without numerical data, there would be no data visualization.
But true infographics go beyond making these numbers look interesting.
Data visualization tries to create meaning for the user by placing the numbers into a greater story that the audience understands. As data visualization grows and includes motion graphics and other technology, it becomes a tool where we can see, hear and feel the story of the data. Again, it’s not just about the numbers–it’s about the journey and where the numbers take you. Data visualization today calls us to interact with numbers and facts and apply it to meet our needs and questions everyday. And it’s the storytelling that allows us to apply the data to our lives.
As a whole, this documentary teaches that beyond science and beyond the facts, a purpose and a context when designing and conveying information is crucial. As designers, we make choices that affect how audiences absorb information. And it all comes down to how we present the information and the details to the users. It’s how we can define the meaning for them.
For example, we can tell the difference between these two statistics.
“17 million people have drove under the influence of alcohol.”
“If all 17 million people who admitted to driving drunk had their own state, it would be the fifth largest in the U.S.” (MADD)
The second one can create a picture in our minds about how significant the number 17 million is. It has a greater context, and it can grab readers’ attention more so than the first. Add some color, some graphics and some motion and this is what data visualization does: it creates the context so that users can uncover the data that plays a large role in their lives. It turns complex data into something simple and user-friendly that is very significant in communications today.