Comments on: If content is King, visualization is Queen

By: Tim Ho

Tim Ho — Thu, 30 Jul 2009 07:29:02 +0000

Probably the first time when a blog comment is more informative than the post itself.
100% agree on the story telling theory you have, and it perfectly explains why I named visualization as Queen, as Queens often helps King to be more powerful/ successful.

BTW, the Michael Anderson's CV was the one I tried to show you at the cafe but couldn't find it.

By: Nic Tinworth

Nic Tinworth — Thu, 30 Jul 2009 07:15:25 +0000

Hi Tim! I hope I made any sense at all when we met! To be honest I haven't had the opportunity to geek out with other like-minded folk for a couple of years so I wasn't sure if I was going off on too many tangents.

I think what I like most about data and content visualization are the fascinating ways you can visualize the relationships between data, above and beyond the stale pie chart and bar graph approach. I am constantly amazed and inspired by the techniques and approaches that are being pioneered today, and how people are applying them to even the most mundane of things to make them beautiful.

What this surge in data visualization is doing is basically reinventing online storytelling. As you mentioned in your article, people have a hunger for information online, but once they got all the raw data they didn't actually know where to go from there.

Great article from Adage (Garrick Schmitt) on this:

http://adage.com/digitalnext/article?article_id...

“All of this data visualization is, of course, really just a new way to tell stories (or create experiences) out of the very base matter of the web itself. Data visualization is probably not a foreign concept for anyone familiar with the work of information-design pioneer Professor Edward Tufte, but it's the advances in technology at the presentation layer and the new found ability to tap into once hidden data sources that is enabling these new visual scientists to chart a new narrative course.”

Point in case is this infographic for Michael Anderson's CV:

http://www.flickr.com/photos/bartclaeys/3351321...

If you are interested in some of the software techniques and methods have a look at the link below:

http://www.maxkiesler.com/2007/11/13/visualizat...

By: thomascrampton

thomascrampton — Wed, 29 Jul 2009 15:05:31 +0000

Tim,

I would never consider myself a visualization "guru"!! My fascination with data visualization is due to my admiration for those who express complex concepts simply.

In addition to those you mention, I think another factor supporting this trend is the dematerialization of products. More and more products are not physical, but are based around information. If everyone has the access to the same information, those who can express the information most clearly win the day.

While clear expression has always been important, it gets all that much more important when so many people can now express themselves across the medium of the Internet.

This is a great era to be involved in design!

Tom