Final week I had the privilege of attending a web-based workshop on Knowledge Visualisation Fundamentals hosted by information visualisation skilled Andy Kirk. The six-hour workshop was cut up throughout two days, and consisted of a combination of educating supplies, examples and interactive workouts (each individually and in small teams). It may be difficult to search out the suitable stability to carry individuals’s consideration for a web-based workshop — talking from my very own expertise, I discover I typically wrestle to remain engaged in comparison with attending in individual. However the mix of content material right here, mixed with Andy’s presentation fashion and his experience and enthusiasm for the topic meant that on this case I felt absolutely immersed. It appeared the remainder of the viewers was equally engaged too.
What did we study?
Some of the helpful features of the workshop for me was studying about the best way to analyse and interrogate the info earlier than designing the chart itself. What questions do we have to ask? What’s the message we’re attempting to convey? Who’s the viewers? The place will they encounter the visualisation? What limitations are there? What varieties of charts is perhaps appropriate or unsuitable? It made me take into consideration approaching information visualisation in a brand new method, and contemplate slowing down and taking a extra methodical strategy.
There have been some enjoyable group workouts analysing totally different charts. It was useful to look at the alternatives the designers had made throughout the constraints, what labored properly and what didn’t, and take into consideration how they might be improved.
Andy offered examples of a number of various kinds of charts, and talked about what kind of information they might be used for. I discovered this actually useful, and though it was lots of info I do know I’ll refer again to it later.
Andy additionally launched a sketching instrument I hadn’t encountered earlier than, Excalidraw. This appears tremendous helpful for brainstorming visualisation concepts, and I’ll undoubtedly use it sooner or later. I loved arising with totally different chart concepts, and it was helpful to use the data from the workshop in a sensible method.
Abstract
I acquired rather a lot out of this workshop, and would advocate it for anybody taken with designing charts and levelling up their information visualisation expertise. It’s very a lot a design-and-thinking workshop — you don’t should be an skilled at any explicit instrument, or be superb at drawing. There’s loads of relevance, no matter whether or not you’re a complete newbie or a seasoned professional.
Andy additionally runs an extended (in-person) model of this workshop, which look like it might be worthwhile.
