*Image taken directly from the lecture.
The main point of the lecture is that Information is Beautiful. Data Visualisation helps us to hone in and focus only on the information that matters. Visualising data helps us to see patterns and connections that we would not have otherwise seen. Data can be massaged, shaped and compared to create new insights. Through being shaped it can be used to tell a story that no-one has noticed before. Data visualisation is really the combination of the languages of both the eye and the brain, the combination of images and words to create new meaning. It is also a form of data compression, making a ridiculous amount of data fit into a small space while also being understandable.
It can also just look cool.
*Image taken directly from the lecture.
The main thing that I learn’t from this lecture was that for information to be understood, it needs a good visualisation. It needs to be able to be quickly understood and also able to be further interrogated. If people are scrolling on social media, they are not going to stop for a huge paragraph of text but they may stop for a visualisation.
References
McCandless, D. (2016). The beauty of data visualization. Ted.com. Retrieved 18 October 2016, from http://www.ted.com/talks/david_mccandless_the_beauty_of_data_visualization
Data Visualisation 