Making Sense of Data III

Focuses on insights, approaches, and techniques that are essential to designing interactive graphics and visualizations Making Sense of Data III: A Practical Guide to Designing Interactive Data Visualizations explores a diverse range of disciplines to explain how meaning from graphical representations is extracted. Additionally, the book describes the best approach for designing and implementing interactive graphics and visualizations that play a central role in data exploration and decision-support systems. Beginning with an introduction to visual perception, Making Sense of Data III features a brief history on the use of visualization in data exploration and an outline of the design process. Subsequent chapters explore the following key areas: Cognitive and Visual Systems describes how various drawings, maps, and diagrams known as external representations are understood and used to extend the mind's capabilities Graphics Representations introduces semiotic theory and discusses the seminal work of cartographer Jacques Bertin and the grammar of graphics as developed by Leland Wilkinson Designing Visual Interactions discusses the four stages of design process analysis, design, prototyping, and evaluation and covers the important principles and strategies for designing visual interfaces, information visualizations, and data graphics Hands-on: Creative Interactive Visualizations with Protovis provides an in-depth explanation of the capabilities of the Protovis toolkit and leads readers through the creation of a series of visualizations and graphics The final chapter includes step-by-step examples that illustrate the implementation of the discussed methods, and a series of exercises are provided to assist in learning the Protovis language. A related website features the source code for the presented software as well as examples and solutions for select exercises. Featuring research in psychology, vision science, statistics, and interaction design, Making Sense of Data III is an indispensable book for courses on data analysis and data mining at the upper-undergraduate and graduate levels. The book also serves as a valuable reference for computational statisticians, software engineers, researchers, and professionals of any discipline who would like to understand how the mind processes graphical representations.

Focuses on insights, approaches, and techniques that areessential to designing interactive graphics and visualizationsMaking Sense of Data III: A Practical Guide to DesigningInteractive Data Visualizations explores a diverse range ofdisciplines to explain how meaning from graphical representationsis extracted. Additionally, the book describes the best approachfor designing and implementing interactive graphics andvisualizations that play a central role in data exploration anddecision-support systems.Beginning with an introduction to visual perception, MakingSense of Data III features a brief history on the use ofvisualization in data exploration and an outline of the designprocess. Subsequent chapters explore the following key areas:* Cognitive and Visual Systems describes how various drawingsmaps, and diagrams known as external representations are understoodand used to extend the mind's capabilities* Graphics Representations introduces semiotic theory anddiscusses the seminal work of cartographer Jacques Bertin and thegrammar of graphics as developed by Leland Wilkinson* Designing Visual Interactions discusses the four stages ofdesign process--analysis, design, prototyping, andevaluation--and covers the important principles and strategiesfor designing visual interfaces, information visualizations, anddata graphics* Hands-on: Creative Interactive Visualizations with Protovisprovides an in-depth explanation of the capabilities of theProtovis toolkit and leads readers through the creation of a seriesof visualizations and graphicsThe final chapter includes step-by-step examples that illustratethe implementation of the discussed methods, and a series ofexercises are provided to assist in learning the Protovis language.A related website features the source code for the presentedsoftware as well as examples and solutions for selectexercises.Featuring research in psychology, vision science, statisticsand interaction design, Making Sense of Data III is anindispensable book for courses on data analysis and data mining atthe upper-undergraduate and graduate levels. The book also servesas a valuable reference for computational statisticians, softwareengineers, researchers, and professionals of any discipline whowould like to understand how the mind processes graphicalrepresentations.

Preface.1. Introduction.1.1 Overview.1.2 Visual Perception.1.3 Visualization.1.4 Designing for High-throughput Data Exploration.1.5 Summary.1.6 Further reading.2. The Cognitive and Visual Systems.2.1 External Representation.2.2 The Cognitive System.2.3 Visual Perception.2.4 Influencing Visual Perception.2.5 Summary.2.6 Further reading.3. Graphic Representations.3.1 Jacques Bertin: Semiology of Graphics.3.2 Wilkinson: Grammar of Graphics.3.3 Wickham: ggplot2.3.4 Bostock and Heer: Protovis.3.5 Summary.3.6 Further reading.4. Designing Visual Interactions.4.1 Designing for Complexity.4.2 The Process of Design.4.3 Visual Interaction Design.5. Hands-on: Creating Interactive Visualizations withProtovis.5.1 Using Protovis.5.2 Creating Code using the Protovis Graphical Framework.5.3 Basic Protovis Marks.5.4 Creating Customized Plots.5.5 Creating Basic Plots.5.6 Data Analysis Graphs.5.7 Composite Plots.5.8 Interactive Plots.5.9 Protovis Summary.5.10 Further Reading.Appendix. A Exercise Code Examples.Bibliography.Index.