The Importance of Text in Data Visualization
PolicyViz Newsletter #37
Hi all,
I’m slowly working on a blog post about the importance of text in data visualization. One of the core strategies in my Better Data Visualizations book is to integrate graphics and the text. In the introductory chapter about overarching guidelines, I write the following:
Although our primary focus on creating a visualization is the graphic elements—bars, points, or lines—the text we include in and around our graphs is just as important. Far too often, we treat the text and annotations as an afterthought, but these elements can be used to explain how to read the content in the graph as well as how to read the graph itself. Amanda Cox, the Data Editor at the New York Times, once said that “The annotation layer is the most important thing we do . . . otherwise it’s a case of ‘here it is, you go figure it out.’”
Adding the right annotations to a graph can be vitally important to your reader’s comprehension. There are three ways we can integrate our graphs and our visuals: removing legends, creating active titles, and adding detail.
Lately, I’ve been thinking it would be valuable to dive more deeply into this topic. What are better ways to write text—labels, annotation, titles—in our graphs? What are strategies for writing good text? Where should we place them and how?
I’m not sure I have a plan for this post, but I have a collection of five research papers that seem promising to help me construct a stronger argument than simply saying, “use good, active titles.”
Skim-reading Strategies in Sighted and Visually-Impaired Individuals: A Comparative Study by Machulla et al.
Give Text A Chance: Advocating for Equal Consideration for Language and Visualization by Stokes and Hearst
Striking a Balance: Reader Takeaways and Preferences when Integrating Text and Charts by Stokes et al.
Integrating Annotations into Multidimensional Visual Dashboards by Badam et al.
Beyond Memorability: Visualization Recognition and Recall by Borkin et al. (this is the one I always cite because it clearly demonstrates that people read titles)
As I continue thinking about this, what strategies do you use to construct good titles and annotations, and decide where to place labels and pointers? How do you balance how much labeling to include and where to place it? Let me know what you think via email or DM me on Twitter.
Thanks,
Jon
PolicyViz at Home 🏡
My son has a strained achilles tendon, which, though unfortunate for him because he’s in a boot for 1-2 weeks, meant we didn’t need to drive about an hour away for a weekend-long baseball tournament in Fredricksburg, VA. That meant plenty of time for me to catch up on all things home—weeding, power washing, fixing, cleaning pets’ cages, and the like. Last Thursday, my wife and I went to see the Avett Brothers at Wolf Trap, which is one of those little gems in Northern Virginia that oftentimes gets overlooked. It is the only national park dedicated to the performance arts and is just amazing.
PolicyViz Podcast with Micah McCurdy
As we’re in the middle of the NHL playoffs, I posted a special episode of the podcaset with Micah McCurdy from Hockeyviz. Micah is a mathematician who likes to use pictures to understand things. We talk about his work, his process (mostly Python), interactive v static graphs, and much more. He lives in Halifax, Nova Scotia with his wife and his two children.
PolicyViz Podcast with Jeremy Ney
Jeremy is the author of American Inequality, a biweekly newsletter that uses data visualization to highlight U.S. inequality topics and to drive change in communities. His work has been published in TIME, Bloomberg, and the LA Times. He was a dual-degree masters student at MIT Sloan and the Harvard Kennedy School and was formerly a macro policy strategist at the Federal Reserve. He now works at Google and lives in Brooklyn.
Things I’m Reading & Watching
Books
Making with Data by Sam Huron et al.
Science Communication in Crisis by Christopher Reddy
Articles
Excess Mortality and Years of Potential Life Lost Among the Black Population in the US, 1999-2020 by Caraballo et al.
Who DoWe Mean WhenWe Talk About Visualization Novices? by Burns et al.
Declutter and Focus: Empirically Evaluating Design Guidelines for
Effective Data Communication by Ajani et al.
AttentionViz: A Global View of Transformer Attention by Yeh et al.
Blog Posts, Twitter Threads, and Videos
Ten Tiny Tableau Tips: Formatting by Autumn Battani
An interactive guide to color & contrast by Nate Baldwin
Data Visualizations
Is the Surge to the Left Among Young Voters a Trump Blip or the Real Deal?
The Colorado River Is Shrinking. See What’s Using All the Water
TV, Movies, and Miscellaneous
Succession, HBOMax
The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel, Amazon Prime
The Great, Hulu
Note: As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases.
Data Visualization in Excel
My new book is now available! Data Visualization in Excel: A Guide for Beginners, Intermediates, and Wonks is a true step-by-step book and guides readers through the process of creating better, more effective, and “non-standard” graphs in Microsoft Excel. You can pre-order your copy on Amazon or, if you go to the CRC Press site, you can get 20% off the list price with the coupon code “SMA34.” If you’re interested in bulk orders, please reach out to me directly because I can get you 30%+ off for multiple books. You can also check out the new webpage I’ve published at PolicyViz, which will eventually include some videos, more resources, and, I’m sure, an errata with typos and corrections.
I’m offering a free copy of my other book, Elevate the Debate, to the first five people to publish a five-star review on Amazon! (US only). Post your review, take a screenshot, send it my way, and I’ll drop a signed book in the mail.
Sponsor: BlendJet
This week’s episode of the podcast is brought to you by BlendJet. I’m really digging my BlendJet2 portable blender. Easy to use and easy to clean. Be sure to use the promo code policyviz12 to get 12% OFF your order and free 2-day shipping!