Syllabus

Charting forms

Week 1, Jan 11.

  • Course introduction
  • Types of charts: Feverline charts, Distributions, Bar charts, Histograms, Scatterplots
  • Simple charting exercises

For next week:

  • Redesign William Playfair chart, pg. 44 Tufte, Edward R. “The Visual Display of Quantitative Information”
  • Reading: Tufte, Edward R. “The Visual Display of Quantitative Information” (Pgs. 1-15; 28-39; 43-77); Kosslyn, Stephen M. “Graph Design for the Eye and Mind” (Pgs. 247-253)

Charting forms, exploring quantitive data

Week 2, Jan 12.

  • Types of charts: Pie charts, Bubble charts, Tree maps, Choosing a particular charting form.
  • Adjustment for inflation, Adjustment for population, Logarithmic scale
  • Basics of a data set: Max, Mean, Median. Excel, GREP

For next week:

  • Horse racing data set. Organize spreadsheet
  • Reading: Tufte, Edward R. “The Visual Display of Quantitative Information” (pg. 40-42; 79-121)

Exploring quantitive data; speaker

Week 3, Jan 25.

  • Basics of a data set: Max, Mean, Median. Excel, GREP
  • Archie Tse: Reporting, Data management, Appropriate data sources.

For next week:

  • Bus trip from 1st to 11th avenue along 42nd St. Collect data. Horse racing visualizations.
  • Reading: Tufte, Edward R. “The Visual Display of Quantitative Information” (pg 123-191); Tufte, Edward R. “Beautiful Evidence” (pg 118-121); Monmonier, Mark “How to Lie With Maps” (pg 1-42; 187-189)

Editing and designing charts

Week 4, Feb 1.

  • Turn in horse race visualization.
  • Charting forms: Flowline charts, Waffle charts, Datawebs
  • Unconventional forms: Examples from “Data Flow”
  • Visual hierarchy, Small multiples, Color, Erasing elements, Mobilizing data points, Graphic puzzles, Direct labeling. Simple interactive figures.

For next week:

  • Continue work on bus trip visualization.
  • Reading: Tufte, Edward R. “The Visual Display of Quantitative Information” (Pgs. 16-27); Monmonier, Mark “How to Lie With Maps” (Pgs. 139-162)

Maps

Week 5, Feb 8.

  • Geography basics: Latitiude/longitude, Map scale, Basic projections
  • Data maps: John Snow map, Choropleth maps, Dots vs. Shaded maps, Scale breaks, Cartograms
  • Map editing: Color

For next week:

  • Continue work on bus trip visualization.
  • Reading: …tapes magazine, “Subways”; Monmonier, Mark “How to Lie With Maps” (Pgs. 163-173); Tufte, Edward R. “Visual Explanations” (Pgs. 13-26)

Project assignment:

    Students may visualize a section within the permanent collection at MoMA or the Metropolitan Museum of Art. Or, they may visualize a single sporting event or season. The project must include substantial quantitative data, a main visualization, supporting figures and a plan for interactivity.

Maps; speaker

Week 6, Feb 15.

  • Mapping issues, Integrating maps onto pages, Organizing and designing maps, Interactive maps, Color.
  • Turn in Bus trip assignment. Crit.

For next week:

  • Redesign interactive map samples. Continue main project
  • Reading: Tufte, Edward R. “Visual Explanations” (Pgs. 55-80); Tufte, Edward R. “Beautiful Evidence” (Pgs. 64-81)

Diagrams; speaker

Week 7, Feb 22.

  • John Grimwade: Problem solving, How to establish narrative, Animation, sequencing, Stylistic concerns
  • Turn in redesigned maps

For next week:

  • Network diagram to show relationships among 9/11 hijackers. Continue main project
  • Reading: Tufte, Edward R. “Beautiful Evidence” (Pgs. 120-151)

Diagrams

Week 8, March 1.

  • Types of diagrams: Flowcharts, Network diagrams, Mark Lombardi, Word Clouds, Mapped photos, Before and After, Confections, Illustration styles, Iconography.
  • Editing diagrams: Visual emphasis, Color, Accuracy/integrity
  • Turn in network diagram assignment

For next week:

  • Re-organize a data-focused web site. Continue main project
  • Reading: Tufte, Edward R. “Visual Explanations” (Pgs. 38-53) space shuttle challenger; Strunk, William Jr. and White, E.B. “The Elements of Style” (Pgs. 15-33); Tufte, Edward R. “Beautiful Evidence” (Pgs. 117)

Spring break

Week 9, March 8.

Narrative

Week 10, March 15.

  • Writing for charts, Dramatic structure, Multiple charts together, Megan Jaegerman diagrams
  • Narrative is not narration, Explanatory narration, Cause and effect, Interactive narrative
  • Turn in, discuss data-focused Web site assignment

For next week:

  • Continue main project
  • Reading: Tufte, Edward R. “Visual Explanations” (Pgs. 81-119); Tufte, Edward R. “Beautiful Evidence” (Pgs. 46-63)

Integrating visualizations onto web pages

Week 11, March 22.

  • Continuity of visualizations across multiple pages, Sparklines, Binary charts, Aspect ratio
  • Large project discussion

For next week:

  • Continue main project

Animation

Week 12, March 29.

  • Short term memory limits, Small multiples, Movement must have meaning, Sound must have meaning, Surprise and delight
  • Editing animations: Pace, focus, direction, sequence.
  • Animation and interactivity

For next week:

  • Script, design, storyboard a “How to” animation. Continue main project

Speakers; Building/editing animations

Week 13, April 5.

  • Structuring animations, Timing, Audio editing

For next week:

  • Tufte, Edward R. “Beautiful Evidence” Pgs. 122-139; Tufte, Edward R. “Visual Explanations” Pgs. 27-37

Projects due. Large-scale data presentations, interface design

Week 14, April 12.

  • John Snow map, Visual-information-seeking-mantra, Harmonizing layout with data presented and user tasks, Avoiding codes, inviting exploration
  • Establishing constraints for typography, mission

Speakers; Interface design

Week 15, April 19.

  • Interactivity, interface design
  • From complexity to simplicity, Managing large amounts of data, Exploring data, Simple interfaces