A short introduction (2 days over two week) to the topic and the class. We introduce a broad definition of visualizations as solutions to user data tasks and consider how they can be effective at this. We’ll use the basic notion of “what does a visualization make easy to see” to develop intuitions about what makes visualizations effective.

Our first two weeks are shortened: class begins on a Wednesday, and Labor Day means week two is missing a Monday lecture. In the first weeks, it is important to work out the class mechanics.

Week 1 (Module 0)

Week 1 is only 1 lecture - we’ll introduce the class, and do some in-class activities to get students thinking about visualization. There is a fair amount of reading (and figuring course mechanics) - but this is the main thing going on.

Week 0-1 Readings

Read the week 1 readings before you take Reading Survey 0: Introduction (due Fri, Sep 04).

The first required reading is the course web. Make sure that you’ve looked at the Syllabus and Parts of Class and Rubrics to understand how things work. Read What and Why to understand the philosophy of the class. The top of the Readings page will explain how readings work.

The backbone of this week’s reading consists of some tutorials that will give you a lot of my philosophy. You are also required to read two chapters from Alberto Cairo’s The Functional Art and one from Munzner’s Visualization Analysis and Design. Sorry, I don’t have summaries of these yet, you actually have to read them.

• backbone Michael Gleicher. Tutorial 1: What is Vis. Vis Snacks Tutorial 1. (url)
• backbone Michael Gleicher. Tutorial 2: A Simple Example 4 Design Moves on a Table (OBSOLETE). Vis Snacks Tutorial 2. (url) - Note: this really is the “old/obsolete one”. Reading the new tutorial 2 is optional for now. We’ll read it next module.
• backbone Michael Gleicher. Tutorial 3: What is Easy to See?. Vis Snacks Tutorial 3. (url)
• backbone Alberto Cairo. Forms and Functions. Chapter 2 of The Functional Art. (Canvas File) (UW Library) - Note that you are starting with Chapter 2. I recommend starting with the beginning, but that is optional.
• backbone Alberto Cairo. The Beauty Paradox. Chapter 3 of The Functional Art. (Canvas File) (UW Library)
• backbone Tamara Munzner. What's Vis. Chapter 1 from Munzner's Visualization Analysis & Design. (Canvas File) (video) (UW Library) - Munzner’s VAD is the “core textbook” for the class. See Munzner's Book. The introductory chapter gives her philosophy.

See Cairo's Books for a discussion of Cairo’s books. I like them a lot. I really recommend starting reading at the beginning (rather than the required Chapter 2). These are light reading, and highly recommended. I felt like all of the chapters were a bit much to require.

• optional Alberto Cairo. The partnership of presentation and exploration. Preface of The Functional Art. (Canvas File)
• optional Alberto Cairo. Why Visualize: From Information to Wisdom. Chapter 1 of The Functional Art. (Canvas File) (web pdf) (UW Library)

Week 0-1 Assignments

• Reading Survey 0: Introduction (due Fri, Sep 04)

Week 2 (Module 0)

Week 2 also only has one lecture. Again, we’ll use a class activity to explore visualizations in an intuitive way. It’s another reading heavy week, and we’ll have our first seek and find assignment and our first video experiment.

Week 0-2 Readings

Read the week 2 readings before you take Content Survey 0: Experiential Readings (due Fri, Sep 11).

This week we only have experiential readings: I want you to read these two documents for the experience of reading them. The content survey will ask you about them.

They are weird readings… and this is an experiment. Both readings are long. But they have lots of pictures, and there isn’t much else to do for class.

For the historic reading, we’ll read the first Chapter of Tufte’s first book. This is an important historical document, generally credited as starting the field. Tufte is interesting as a historical character (last week, you read Cairo's discussion of him (FA3)).

For the modern modern reading, we’ll read a recent survey “paper” covering the field. I put paper in quotes because it’s long enough to be considered a book unto itself (80 pages in double spaced format, 50+ in journal form). It’s good practice for reading at a high level: you can’t catch all the details. Get a sense of how science (or, at least, a particular kind of it), can inform visualization.

• historic Eduard Tufte. Graphical Excellence. Chapter 1 of Tufte's The Visual Display of Quantitative Information. (Canvas File)
• modern Steven Franconeri, Lace Padilla, Priti Shah , Jeffrey Zacks, Jessica Hullman. The Science of Visual Data Communication: What Works. Psychological Science in the Public Interest, 22 (3)(December 2021). (Canvas File) (doi) (web pdf) (url)

There is an intentional contrast: the Franconeri et al. survey paper specifically focuses on the psychological science - what about visualization can we know from the scientific literature; Tufte generally asserts his opinions as fact without any regard to the actual science (to be far, this writing pre-dates the scientific study of Visualization).

I find it very easy to be negative about Tufte. But (1) there is no denying that he has had a huge impact on the world of Visualization outside of academia; and (2) there are positives to get out of it.

As you read:

• Keep this in context: it was 1983. The Visualization as a subject onto itself did not exist yet.
• Try to notice the negatives (e.g., when he expresses preferences as principles, or doesn’t support his claims).
• Note the positives (e.g., the use of real examples)
• Think of his assertions as “points to consider.” Think about how they might be explored more rigorously.

Week 0-2 Assignments

• Content Survey 0: Experiential Readings (due Fri, Sep 11)
• Seek and Find 0: Bring a Visualization (due Fri, Sep 11)
• Video Experiment 0 (due Fri, Sep 11)