Tuesday, March 14, 2017

The Art of Data Visualization

     In the beginning of the Youtube video on data visualization it is said that "every single pixel should testify directly to context." This quote seemed very important to me and the the clarity of images in visual arts. In Computer Science class I learned that the each pixel can only be one color. The three colors are red, green and blue. Each pixel's colors range in intensity from 0-255. So if an image has low resolution, or less pixels, it will be more obvious when a single pixel denies the content of the image. If an image is 10x10 and one pixel goes against the image it would be very obvious.
     Another topic I found to be interesting was when they described data visualization as a linear process of decision making. I understand the concept but have never put much thought that the designer, reader and data will ultimately inform the truth. Two artists can have the same data and different readers but come up with totally different visual representations. Evolution of the human brain allows for each person to create their own product. This can alter the presentation of the data.   Also each person's brains will get something else out of the data and a offer a new interpretation.
     One last topic that stuck out to me was respecting your audience. Changing visuals to see how to learn and not how to confirm was a new concept for me as an audience member. It made lots of  sense to me because visuals often contain data, that audiences like myself are expected to internalize and accept. This video brought to my attention the importance of questioning what is presented and learning more about it. I can see when I have used this concept in Economics class. When presented with the GDP what else can we learn about a nation? What is the happiness in the country? Although the GDP does not say it we can infer about the country and learn more about the people in the country .

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