Readings01: What is Visualization
This week’s readings are a but unusual because this is an unusual week.
Usually, readings are due on Monday (so you have read them for the Monday content survey and before Wednesday’s lecture - see the Weekly Rhythm). But class doesn’t start until Wednesday, so there is no Monday.
These readings are really “due” with the week 2 readings (on the first Monday of the semester, Sept 9).
If I put both week 1 and week 2 readings together it might seem like too much… (it is a lot, but …)
One thing to get used to: the course materials (like this reading description, and the “weeks-in-vis” postings) are (often) a reading unto themselves. View it as part of the required reading (it will provide information, and insight into what you are reading/doing, etc.)
Another thing to get used to: the readings are meant to present viewpoints. Many weeks, I will give you a variety of different things to read with the idea of giving you multiple viewpoints. In many (most) CS/Math/Engineering classes, the readings tell you “the” answer; readings are the objective truth to refer to. With this class, many of the topics don’t have a single correct answer, or have conflicting viewpoints to consider, or have some historical angle that is worth considering, … Sometimes I will intentionally give you things I don’t completely agree with because they can be thought provoking. In all cases, they are things I think you will benefit from reading.
Some of these are from textbooks (see the Books). A secondary goal is to introduce you to the people you’ll be learning from this semester (including me!). Reading isolated chapters from a book can be tricky because you lack the context. Here, we’re starting from the beginning in two of them.
(required) Read over the course web (at least the stuff on the Getting Started page) is an important part of the required readings. It’s a big part of the “What is this class and how does it work?” learning goal.
(required) My What is Visualization? tutorial. This will give you a sense of where I am coming from, and where we are going to. This reading is the model for the past “intro lecture” - this year, I am going to try something else in class, so it is extra important that you read it. You should also read the second part: A Simple Example: 4 Design Moves on a Table.
The What Is This Class and Why? is also an important part of this, but you should have read that already (it was required as part of the “first” thing up top).
(required) What we talk about when we talk about Visualization (Chapter 1 of The Truthful Art) (theTruthfulArtCh1.pdf 5.7mb) This will be your first exposure to Alberto Cairo’s books. These are discussed at Cairo's Books. I recommend reading the preface (below under optional) first, but it is optional.
(required) What’s Vis? (Chapter 1 from Munzner’s Visualization Analysis & Design) (Munzner-01-Intro.pdf 0.3mb) This is the main textbook of the class, and is important to get the main ideas. Read what I have to say about the book Munzner's Book.
Optional Readings for Week 1
These are both worthwhile, but the list is already long given the short time frame…
(optional) For a great (but optional) introduction to Cairo’s style and philosophy, read the “Introduction” (which is before Chapter 1) (theTruthfulArtCh0.pdf 7.7mb). It will help you appreciate the book a lot more.
(optional) Two Blog Postings by Robert Kosara: What is Visualization? A Definition and The Many Names of Visualization.
Read these to get a viewpoint different than mine. Robert was a visualization researcher at Tableau (and in academia before that).