Data Visualisation
Assignment 1: Learning how to critique
Scope In a group of max 4 students (one submission per group)
Grade 10%
Timeframe to complete: 2 weeks
Description
In this assignment you will critically analyse a visualisation of your choice, applying lessons from the
course to understand and critique its design. The student is expected to be able to demonstrate an
understanding of the construction of visual representations of information and to practice applying
visualisation principles to improve an existing design.
Goals
Understand how to critique an infographic visualisation
Ability to argue with the corresponding knowledge in visualisation, and
Propose, suggest and sketch respective solutions.
Choose a Visualisation
There are numerous existing visualisations you can choose from for this assignment — on the Internet, in
your readings, books, newspapers and in any number of software packages. Though the focus of this
course is largely on computer-mediated visualisation, you are free to choose a non-computer-based
visualisation if you find it sufficiently compelling.
Find three different visualisations.
Analysis and Critique
After selecting a visualisation, you should analyse its construction. Identify the tasks the visualisation was
designed to support and who the target user population is. Characterise both the data being visualised and
the visual mappings applied. Some of the questions to answer:
1. What is the structure of the data being visualised?
o Who made the visualisation? And the context of the visualisation.
o Characterise each dimension of the data.
o Is it quantitative, nominal, ordinal, hierarchical, ... ?
o How large is the data set?
o In what regards does the data vary?
o Make sure to include the exact link to the visualisation
2. What visual mappings have been applied?
o Characterise each mapping you note. What might position, size, shape, colour,
orientation, etc. be encoding?
o Are there any uninformative visual elements? Do they serve an aesthetic purpose, or are
they merely "chart junk"?
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Data Visualisation
3. What information task(s) has the visualisation been designed to facilitate? Is it primarily an
analysis or communication task?
4. Who is the intended audience? What might we expect about their culture and aptitudes?
Now offer a critique of the visualisation. Do you find it effective? How so? Are the visual mappings
appropriate? Are there any shortcomings? Does the visualisation either uphold or violate any important
principles? What aspects of the data are made clear? What aspects of the data are downplayed or even
outright obscured? Are these design decisions appropriate given the design goals?
What design principles were applied? Identify two design principles in the visualisation. Note that you
report different principles for each visualisation, i.e. in total you should have six principles.
Describe two faults and why are they problematic. Explain possible implications and misinterpretations.
Note that you are to report different faults for each visualisation, i.e., in total you should report six faults.
Offer some suggestions for improving the design (or, if you find the design impeccable, elaborate on what
it does so well). In conducting your analysis, you are encouraged to apply not only perceptual principles,
but aesthetic, cultural, and social criteria as well. For example, arguing that a visualisation uses colour in
a perceptually effective yet culturally inappropriate fashion, or that though principled, it is overly
complex for its target audience, might both be fair criticisms.
Create the improved visualisation either digitally (e.g., using any of the tools discussed in class) or by
sketching using pen and paper. For each solution you propose, argue how you have fixed the faults from
the original visualisation. Make sure the message is the same as in the original visualisation. You should
have in total 3 improved visualisations.
Throughout this assignment, assume that you are evaluating the design with respect to its intended
audience and task, not just your own response to it.
Hand-in
Submit a single PDF with many pages (as you like) a write-up of your analysis and critique. Include
images and reference links as appropriate. You can draw onto the original visualisation to highlight faults
and problems.
Marking Scheme
Task Max-points
Three Visualisations found 6
Two design principles identified 12
Two faults identified 10
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Data Visualisation
Task Max-points
Faults explained 25
Faults fixed 10
Fixes explained 25
Extra points: Creativity of proposed visualization(s) 12
Total: 100
Points will be removed if plagiarism among students is found.
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