Exercise 04

The science of data visualization

Dates

In-class work on Thursday, February 20 and Tuesday, February 25.

Submit write-up for credit due by Thursday, March 6.

Goals

1. Read a scientific study about data visualization.
2. Evaluate the study’s findings and its implications for the design of data visualizations.

Assignment

1. Choose a primary source reference that is an empirical study about data visualization. For example, Cleveland & McGill (1984) or a more recent paper that cites it, one of the papers cited by Franconeri, Padilla, Shah, Zacks, & Hullman (2021), or a paper you find on your own.
2. Describe the paper’s principal goals, methods, and findings. What are the study’s weaknesses? Does the study contain data visualizations? How well do the visualizations follow best practices in data visualization design? What practical impact do the study findings have for researchers making data visualizations?

Submit

• A 2-3 page write-up in APA format.

Make sure to write a complete essay. See the feedback for Exercise 01 for other hints about how to improve your submission.

APA template

This template document may be helpful.

References

Cleveland, W. S., & McGill, R. (1984). Graphical perception: Theory, experimentation, and application to the development of graphical methods. Journal of the American Statistical Association, 79, 531–554. https://doi.org/10.1080/01621459.1984.10478080

Franconeri, S. L., Padilla, L. M., Shah, P., Zacks, J. M., & Hullman, J. (2021). The science of visual data communication: What works. Psychological Science in the Public Interest: A Journal of the American Psychological Society, 22(3), 110–161. https://doi.org/10.1177/15291006211051956