Data visualisation presents data in a graphical or visual format such as a chart, graph or map. They are used as a way to simplify information and to help people better understand and analyse data. It is displayed in a intuitive way that people can use to identify patterns or trends within the data. Many businesses would use this as a way to display their data in a way that is more understandable and can be applied and compared easier.
There is many different types of charts which we will be able to use from pie charts to line graphs however it is important we choose a chart which will display the information clearly and concisely so it can be easily understood and interpreted by people.
In my infographic dashboard I hope to experiment with different types of graphs and charts which are both visually appealing and display my information well.
Infographics are used to help create a visualised representation of data which is easier to understand and digest. We can use a variety of different elements to build our infographics such as images, charts or diagrams which I previously mentioned or plain text. Presenting clear information in this way is appealing and allow us to show more complex information in a more straight forward way. Some of the most well known infographics include the periodic table, Florence Nightingales War Mortality or the London Tube Map. All of these were created nearly over 100 years ago yet are still understood or used today.
We can also visualise our data in different ways and not always in charts and graphs such as using typography to create a visual indication or using size to show the most important or used in the biggest size and less important in a smaller size. These visualisations can often look very appealing and pretty.
We can find data everywhere from timetables to the weather. I decided to find some of my own examples of data and how it has been visualised. The first one I found was for the television show pretty little liars. A lot of relationships, murders and family secrets occurred and it could be hard to understand what happened to who so someone created a diagram of how everything was connected.
In class we watched the video “The Fallen of World War Two”, a short film created by Filmmaker Neil Halloran which visualises the impact of world war two on the global population. Using data visualisation he was able to display how the war effected different countries and how many of each casualty there was from each country with a break down of soldiers and civilians of both genders and many ages. For me it was a real eye opening to how many deaths really occurred because of the war from both a military and civilian perspective. I would of never read up on this but watching this short film, the way it had been visualised had me gripped and allowed me to grow a better understanding. I think this is very insightful on how powerful the use of data visualisation can be and how it can make a topic that is less interesting you become more interesting when you display it the right way.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DwKPFT-RioU
Below I have linked my pocket profiles for inspiration that we both looked at in class and I decided to research further.