Update on Dataviz Workshop 2

The class practised doing critiques on the famous Wind Map by Fernanda Viegas and Martin Wattenberg.

Click here for a real-time version of the map.

I selected this particular project because it is a heartless person indeed who does not see the "beauty" in this thing.

Beauty is a word that is thrown around a lot in data visualization circles. What do we mean by beauty?

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The discussion was very successful and the most interesting points of discussion were these:

• Something that is beautiful should take us to some truth.
• If we take this same map but corrupt all the data (e.g. reverse all wind directions), is the map still beautiful?
• What is the "truth" in this map? What is its utility?
• The emotional side of beauty is separate from the information side.
• "Truth" comes before the emotional side of beauty.

Readers: would love to hear what you think.

 

PS. Click here for class syllabus. Click here for first update.