Feedback on DC1 Phase 2

Unfortunately, we won’t be able to give individual feedback on Phase 2 of Design Challenge 1. However, here are some common comments on things we saw.

1. Generally “multi-variate” means more than 2 variables.
2. Redundant encodings can be useful - especially when used wisely.
3. Be careful about using part/whole designs, particularly when comparisons between groups are the key point. And only use part whole when the parts really can be summed!
4. Think about your captions and axis labels.
5. Have captions and axis labels.
6. Make sure there is a story. Showing a bunch of different variables is interesting when there is something interesting in the connection.
7. For the design handins, we weren’t expecting the rationales on the designs themselves.
8. Thing about the effectiveness of your design for your story. What design choices could you change to make the story stand out more clearly?
9. If you use a color encoding, be sure to have a legend (unless it is completely redundant). In general, encodings should be explained.
10. Be careful about using too many colors. We haven’t talked about color too much yet.
11. Don’t expect people to see small differences in sizes (e.g., dot sizes, line thicknesses) - especially when the objects aren’t close to one another.

If you turned something in, you got credit for this phase.

I saw many really excellent designs. Good or great designs outnumbered merely decent ones (from my sampling). And I’m guessing the weaker ones will get better for next week’s handin. I’m excited to see what people end up with!

I also saw many interesting stories.