Useful Data Visualization

1© 2016 EVANTAGE CONSULTING
USEFUL
DATA VISUALIZATION
JEFF HARRISON
EVANTAGE CONSULTING
FEBRUARY, 2016

You’re a What, Now?

Expertise
Relative
presumed
expertise
Data visualization
Whittling
Perceived experience (average beard color)

Q:
I have this data.
What’s the best way
to visualize it?
A:
Well, it kind of
depends on what
you’re trying to
show, but I would
probably go with
something like this.
Q:
Wow! Thank you!
That’s amazing!
Single Visualizer Has Answers, Seeks Questions

STOP VISUALIZING DATA
VISUALIZE SITUATIONS

There is no “right” way to graph a data set. Base your choices on the thing
you’re trying to communicate—the story—rather than the shape of the data.
Take a Step Back
Audience
needs
Data Display
What message do we
want to convey?
What analysis do we
need to support?
What action
will this inform?
What do we have?
What do we need?
What comparisons
are meaningful?
Would a visual make
this better?
What should it look
like?

Executive Team
Wants to understand sales performance by region
0
5
10
15
North South Midwest West Europe
2015 Sales
($ million)
West Region Is
Crushing It!
0
5
10
15
North South Midwest West Europe
2015 Sales vs. Targets
($ million)
West Region Is Leaving It
Largely Uncrushed

Web Content Planner
Wants to understand user engagement with articles
Part of this complete breakfast!

Web Content Planner
Wants to understand what kinds of articles users like

Heart Failure Nurse
Wants to know if patient sleeps sitting up
60°
30°
0°
Body Angle
27 28 29 30 31 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14
June
26
60°
30°
0°
Body Angle
27 28 29 30 31 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14
June
26

0
5
10
3 pm 5 pm 6 pm4 pm
Fitbit User
Wants reinforcement for taking the stairs
740'
760'
780'
800'
3 pm 5 pm 6 pm4 pm
Elevation
Floors Today
Walking

Fitbit User
Wants reinforcement for taking the stairs

PREPARE TO STAND

Meet the Data Sources
Big Sister (age 14) Little Brother (age 12)

You have 10 years’ worth of height data for
sister and brother.
• Who’s the audience for this data?
• What do they want to know or do?
• What other data would help inform that?
• How will you visualize it?
Sketch!
Your Turn
Audience
needs
Data Display

OKAY, YOU CAN SIT DOWN

Pediatrician
Interested in identifying situations that call for intervention
-2
-1
0
1
2
50 cm
100 cm
150 cm
200 cm
24
36
48
60
72
84
96
108
120
132
144
156
168
180
192
204
216
228
240
Age in Months
Big Sister Height
-2
-1
0
1
2
50 cm
100 cm
150 cm
200 cm
24
36
48
60
72
84
96
108
120
132
144
156
168
180
192
204
216
228
240
Age in Months
Little Brother Height
σ
σ

Little Brother
Interested in being taller than other people
Mom: 5' 6"
Dad: 6'
Grandpa: 5' 10"
Thor: 6' 3"
Doctor estimate: 6' 5"
Sister
Me
3'
4'
5'
6'
0 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20
How Old I Am

FEEDBACK
DESIGN
CONTEXT
GOALS

Fidelity comes in many dimensions.
Fidelity
HIGH LOW✓

Hi-Fi Where It Counts
Data questions
• Where does the data come from,
and what does it measure?
• How often are measurements
taken? Are they averaged or
transformed before you see them?
• What’s the likely normal range?
• What is normal variation? What
cycles or patterns will it exhibit?
• How noisy is it?
• How does it change in situations
we care about?
Context questions
• What are relevant baselines or
comparisons for the task at hand?
• What will people do as a result?
• Are users currently familiar with
this data?
• Do users find the data credible?
• How critical is it?
• When will people look at it?
• How much noise/detail is needed?
• What time span is relevant? Do
users think in days? Hours?

Life Or Death
##
##
##
##
[measure]
[measure]
[measure]
[measure]

Retirement calculator asked about expected income, expenses, and lifespan,
then estimated a gap.
Aspiring Retiree
Wants to estimate whether she will have enough money for retirement
Covered
expenses
0.5
1
$1.5
0
Gap
If you live to be 85 you may need
about $1,100,000, and you may
have uncovered expenses of
about $290,000.
What you can do about it
Total
expenses
(millions)

Estimating Retirement Expenses
Start with the data
“If we know how much money you’ll
have and how much you’ll spend, it’s
pretty simple to figure out how much
you will need to live to a given age.
That will allow you to take steps to
cover any gaps now, while there’s
still time.”
Start with the user
“I kind of want to know how much
trouble I’m in.”
User testing revealed a difference in similar-sounding goals

Aspiring Retiree
Wants to understand the factors that will affect her ability to pay for retirement
Savings Other Investments
Gap
1009565 70 75 80 85 90
20
40
60
$80
0
Annual
expenses
(thousands)
Age
65
Retirement age
$###,###
Savings at retirement
#%
Annual return on investment
#%
Average rate of inflation
If you live to be 85 you may need about $1,100,000, and you may
have uncovered expenses of about $290,000.
IRA Income

VISUALIZE SITUATIONS
START WITH
THE NEED,
NOT THE DATA
MODEL
SITUATIONS WITH
HI-FI DATA
TO TEST DESIGN
TEST WITH
STANDARD UX
METHODS

THANKS
Image Credits
Orange: Evan-Amos. See https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Orange-Whole-%26-Split.jpg
The photo of a glass of milk and the drawing of a festive owl have been released to the public domain.
Kid pictures © 2015 Jeff Harrison. All rights reserved.

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