Seek and Finds
This is one page with all of the “prompts” for the Seek and Finds.
Each week, one of these will be given to you on Canvas (so you never have to look at the whole list).
I give you the whole list so you can look ahead at what you’re going to be doing, or look behind at what we have done.
All Seek and Finds are subject to the Seek and Find ground rules.
Contents
Week 1
Seek and Find 01: What is Visualization?
We want you to be a little more aware of the visualizations that you encounter in your life. We also want to work out the mechanics of handing in assignments, specifically seek and finds. Check over the Seek and Find ground rules and make sure you are able to post images to canvas (see Posting Images To Canvas).
The idea here is to see how common visualizations are in the world. My guess is you’ve seen a lot of them in the past week. Bring us one of them. It should be something you find interesting, and would have encountered in your life. You shouldn’t have to look hard to find one. But, you might want to look a little bit for an interesting one.
For this week, bring us any visualization. Subject to the Seek and Find ground rules.
For week 1, you can pick any data visualization – but pick one that you encountered recently. Either something from your day to day life, your research, your hobbies, …
In your description, tell us where you encountered it, why you think its a data visualization, and why you were interested in it. Don’t worry about judging it for now.
When you embed your image into your canvas posting (see instructions) please make sure that it isn’t set to be too big.
After you’ve uploaded your image, have a look at what other people have posted! While you aren’t required to comment / discuss, it can be an interesting thing to do.
Week 2
Seek and Find 02: Why Visualize
For this seek and find, you need to find a visualization for which you can say why this visualization was made. What is the task that required a visualization? Why couldn’t this have been just done with a few numbers or a little text? Why did the designer bother to make a visual representation?
Include a picture of the visualization, a link to it in context (if there is one), a brief description of what the visualization is, and an explanation of why it needed to be a visualization (those 3 questions in the previous paragraph are a good start).
Remember the Seek and Find ground rules.
Week 3
For this seek and find, you need to find a visualization (subject to the usual rules) and describe it abstractly. You might want to choose a visualization for which describing it in terms of abstractions isn’t too hard (but hard enough).
Of course, you need to include the visualization (a picture of the visualization, a link to it in context (if there is one), a brief description of what the visualization is).
In the description, please:
- Describe the data used to make the visualization. Try to describe it both specifically, but also in terms of the data abstractions. What are the key variables, and what are their properties?
- Describe the task you think the viewer is supposed to do with the visualization. There may be many tasks, but pick what you think one or two of the main ones are. Try to describe the task both specifically and abstractly.
The tasks for a visualization aren’t always obvious – either to the viewer or the designer. And there are many ways to describe tasks. Part of this exercise is for you to get an appreciation for the challenges of task identification and description.
Data and data abstraction is usually clearer. That part should be easy. If you’re stuck on task, start by writing down what you think the viewer is trying to do specifically, and then try to fit into one of the frameworks you read about (such as the one in Munzner).
Week 4
For this seek and find, you need to find a visualization (subject to the usual rules). You need to identify the data (and describe it abstractly). And then you need to describe how the data is encoded visually – what variables are mapped to what visual channels. And finally, you need to suggest a different encoding.
So, in the description, please:
- Describe the data used to make the visualization. Try to describe it both specifically, but also in terms of the data abstractions. What are the key variables, and what are their properties?
- Describe the encodings used to map the data to visual channels. Be as specific as you can.
- Suggest an alternative encoding. It’s OK if the one you pick isn’t as good as the original, especially if the original is good – but it should be plausible. If you want to sketch it, great, but otherwise a description is fine.
- Compare the encodings (the original and yours) – can you identify pros and cons of each?
We are not necessarily asking for a critique of the encodings. We’ll learn more about how to evaluate encodings when we discuss perception. However, you should be able to assess (and choose) encodings that are appropriate for the data type.
Week 5
Seek and Find 05: Implementation
Pick a visualization on the web that makes you think “how did they do that?” and try to see if you can figure out what the underlying technologies are and what choices would be appropriate if you were going to try to make it.
In general, we’ve been trying to think about visualizations without considering the implementation. But now, let’s consider the implementation.
When you look at an impressive visualization, can you figure out how the authors made it? Can you at least think about what tools would be appropriate (or not)?
It is more important to think about what tools would have been appropriate to make the visualization than it is to actually figure out what the author used.
You can make the “how did they do that” easier by picking a visualization from a tutorial or visualization web page (like an example from the D3 gallery) – in which case, the author will tell you what tools are being used. But, the spirit of this assignment is to look for visualizations “in the wild” and see that it isn’t always so easy to figure out the implementation details.
More importantly, even if you know that it was done with a specific tool (e.g., D3, drawn by hand in Illustrator), describe why this was (or wasn’t) an appropriate choice. What other implementations could you have used?
Week 6
In this seek and find, you need to find an example of something that shows a lot of data – using (at least) one of the techniques we talked about in class for dealing with “too much stuff.” In your description, be clear about why you think there’s “a lot of data” and what approach the visualization uses to address that scalability challenge. Is the approach effective?
Week 7
TBD
Week 8
Normally, we prefer you to find visualizations that are not interactive. But since this week’s topic is interaction, we want you to find good uses of interaction in visualization.
You still need to post a static picture of the visualization – but you also need to have a link to the interactive version. If you think about it, a good submission will be something that the static picture doesn’t really do the visualization justice.
In your description, be sure to describe what the interaction is useful for – how does it help? What challenges are addressed with interaction? Why is interaction useful for this visualization?
Week 9
TBD – Perception
Week 10
For this seek and find, your task is to find a visualization where color is used well.
In addition to your image, provide a critique of how color is used. What is color being used for in the image? Are the color choices well-justified?
Week 11
TBD – Evaluation
Week 12
For this seek and find, you need to find an example of a graph visualization. It doesn’t have to be a node-link diagram (but it can be). It cannot come from a paper about graph visualization.
Critique it – describe tasks that it might be for, and consider how well it addresses them How does it address the issues in graph visualization?
If it is a node-link visualization, describe what the positions mean. If you can think of a non-node-link diagram visualization for the data describe it or sketch it.
If it isn’t a node-link visualization, make sure to explain what the nodes and links are. Describe why the design may be preferable to a node-link diagram (or why you might have prefered a node-link diagram).
Week 13
In this seek and find, you need to find a visualization that shows something in 3D. Preferably something where the author has put some effort into designing it so that 3D works in the 2D image (but if 3D is failing to show depth, then you might discuss why).
It should be something where there really is 3D – either it’s showing real 3D objects, or using a third spatial dimension to show data. You should not pick something where 3D is just decoration (e.g., a 3D pie chart or bar chart)
In your discussion, be sure to discuss why this is (or isn’t) a good use of 3D, and how the author has tried to make it easier to perceive depth (or if they haven’t tried, what they might do instead).
Week 14
Seek and Find 14: Presentations
While we usually ask for static visualizations, this time we want you to pick a visualization that not only has animation, but where you feel the use of animation is well justified.
Please post a screen shot of the animation, as well as a link to where we can see the whole thing.
Describe how the animation contributes to the effectiveness of the visualization.
Week 15
This week, it’s your choice: pick a visualization. I’d like you to pick something that shows off the principles we’ve discussed over the semester. Preferably, something good: where the designer has made use of the things we’ve learned to make something that is effective.
In your write-up, provide a critique. How have the principles we’ve discussed influenced the design? How could things we’ve learned about been applied to make it better?