DATA VISUALIZATION
PROCESS
BOOK HANNA GOLDSTEIN
RESEARCH.
Upon receiving the assingment for this project, I knew I wanted to collect diverse data that I could depict in a visually compelling way. I immediately thought of food—there would be a ton of variables and a number of interesting ways I could go about illustrating my findings. I spent the next week recording what foods I ate, the time at which I ate them, and the location I ate them. While I was collecting this data, I was also thinking of potential ways I could represent it later on. I researched different techniques of data visualization and was overwhelmed by the number of directions this project could go in. In my research, I found that a lot of the interesting methods of data visualization were variations of very basic, traditional forms, such as pie charts, bar graphs, and scatterplots. This made the project seem a bit more approachable and less overwhelming. The examples I found experimented with representative color schemes, manipulated shapes, and used interesting supplementary text to support the visuals and tie the variables together.
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Type of Food
Type of Food
Protein
Protein
Vegetables
Vegetables
Fruits
Fruits
Dairy
10/11
Dairy
Grains
10/12
Grains
Fats and Oils
Caloric Level Low
Moderate
High
Fats and Oils
Caloric Level Low
Moderate
High
10/13 10/14 10/15 10/16
DISCOVERY. Once everyone had collected their data, our class held a workshop to explore the various methods of data visualization. We were given a series of key words, like color, shape, scale, and texture, and were then instructed to mindlessly create the ideas that came to our heads. At the end of the workshop, we began brainstorming ideas for ways to visualize the data we collected. To help in this brainstorming process, I organized my data by variables I measured, such as the type of food, source of the food, portion size, location and time of day of consumption, temperature, preparation time, etc. From these variables, I decided upon five possible directions to explore:
1. Does time of day effect the type of food I eat? 2. Where did the food I ate come from? 3. What type of foods make up most of my diet? 4. What times of day do I eat most? 5. Is there a relationship between the type of food I ate and where I ate it?
I decided to pursue the third idea and explore the types of foods that make up my diet. I experimented with a bunch of ways to organize these variables but decided the easiest and clearest way to convey the information was to use the 6 basic food groups: Protein, Fats/Oils, Grain, Vegetable, Dairy and Fruit. I realized that in order to convey my data accurately, I would need to take portion size into account. I devised a system using points: for each meal I recorded, I would rate the portion size 1-3: small, medium and large. Then, I would determine the make-up of the meal. For example, say for dinner I had chicken, rice, and vegetables—this would be a 3, and the make-up of the meal would be 1.5 protein, 1 grain, and 0.5 vegetables. For each day, I would calculate the total amount of points for each food group and then divide by the total amount of points in general, which left me with the percentage each food group occupied in my daily diet. Once I had developed this system, I experimented with a number of ways to convey the information I had gathered. Given my data was now converted to percentages, I found the easiest alternative was sticking to variations of pie charts, which would show the percentage each food group occupied in my diet.
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FOOD GROUPS IN MY DIET GRAIN, 24.6% PROTEIN, 28.4% VEGETABLE, 17% FATS/OILS, 16.4% FRUIT, 2.8% DAIRY, 10.8% *Values represent the percentage each food group occupied in my diet from Thursday, October 11th through Wednesday, October 16th. The chart is divided into each individual day.
FOOD GROUPS IN MY DIET GRAIN, 24.6% PROTEIN, 28.4% VEGETABLE, 17% FATS/OILS, 16.4% FRUIT, 2.8% DAIRY, 10.8% *Values represent the percentage each food group occupied in my diet from Thursday, October 11th through Wednesday, October 16th. The chart is divided into each individual day.
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FOOD GROUPS IN MY DIET GRAIN, 24.6% PROTEIN, 28.4% VEGETABLE, 17% FATS/OILS, 16.4% FRUIT, 2.8% DAIRY, 10.8% *Values represent the percentage each food group occupied in my diet from Thursday, October 11th through Wednesday, October 16th.
FOOD GROUPS IN MY DIET GRAIN, 24.6% PROTEIN, 28.4% VEGETABLE, 17% FATS/OILS, 16.4% FRUIT, 2.8% DAIRY, 10.8% *Values represent the percentage each food group occupied in my diet from Thursday, October 11th through Wednesday, October 16th. The chart is divided into each individual day.
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REFINEMENT.
This step of the process was the turning point in my project, as I was forced to consider an important question. Although the structure I had created was visually compelling to me, it definitely was not the clearest way to convey my data. My next steps would be working towards creating a balance between a compelling design and a clear, legible depiction of my data. Another factor that complicated this stage was the addition of a partner’s data set. The addition of more information heightened the need for establishing an effective system. First, I considered what I had to work with: the percentage each food group held in my partner and I’s daily diest. From here, I began experimenting with ways to clearly depict this information. I wanted each day’s percentage to be comparable to the percentages of other days. I created a system using rectangles. One rectangle represented one day, and each rectangle was divided into 6 sections. The areas of these sections would represent the percentage each food group held in the day’s diet. Next, I altered my design. I wanted my designs to be more reflective of the data it was conveying. Immediately I thought of the digestive tract and that experimenting with manipulating/abstracting some version of an intestine could be a visually interesting and fitting way to convey my data. I could place the rectangles I had created along this path to create the illusion of food traveling through the intestines. I tried out a bunch of different ways of depicting the intestines. The first I tried was very literal, but I immediately scrapped that idea because it would not accurately display my data. I moved into the abstract—creating different tube-like structures to hold the rectangles. I decided upon a very geometric and angular structure, as this alternative looked best paired with the rectangular data.
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FOOD GROUPS MANIFESTED IN SIX DAYS
PR OT EIN FAT S/O GR ILS AI N VEG ETA BL DA E IRY FRU IT
Thinking of colors that represented the six food groups my data measured, I arrived at this palette:
1 DAY
HANNA’S DIET SARA’S DIET
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HANNA’S DIET SARA’S DIET From here, I worked towards transforming the structure into an abstracted version of the intestines. I developed these two versions but ultimately decided to go with the right version since this structure fit best with the rectangular data. DAY 1 HANNA DAY 1
SARA DAY 1
DAY 2 HANNA DAY 2
SARA DAY 2
DAY 3 HANNA DAY 3
SARA DAY 3
DAY 4 HANNA DAY 4
SARA DAY 4
DAY 5 HANNA DAY 5
DAY 6
HANNA DAY 6
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SARA DAY 5
SARA DAY 6
After establishing the visualization of the data, it was time to design the title, subtitle, key, and secondary information needed to understand the data.
PR OT EI N FAT S/O GR ILS AI N VEG ETA BL DA E I RY FRU IT
FOOD GROUPS
1 DAY
MANIFESTED IN SIX DAYS
1 DAY
A SIX DAY STUDY EXAMINING THE DIETS OF TWO COLLEGE-AGED GIRLS
DAY 4 SARA DAY 1
Y DAI R
FRU IT
BLE VEG ETA
GR A IN
ND O FAT A
PRO TEI N
IL
SARA’S DIET
The diets are measured according to the six basic food groups listed below. The area of each color reflects the percentage that its respective food group occupies in each day’s diet. Portion size is taken into account.
OF OUR DIETS 13
IT
DAY 1
DAY 3
HANNA DAY 1
FRU
1 DAY
DAY 1
A TASTE
VEG ETA BLE DAI RY
OIL ND
MANIFESTED IN SIX DAYS
GR AIN
N
FAT A
PRO TEI
GROUPS DAY 2
HANNA’S DIET
FOOD
KEY The area of each color represents the percentage that its corresponding food group occupied in the diet of each specific day.
CRITICISM. During the class critique, we addressed the importance of clarity. Even if a design appeared to be visually compelling, it proved uneffective if it failed to communicate the data in a legible way. In many cases, simple and abstract designs are more effective than literal interpretations of subject and complex depictions of data. We also spoke a lot about the process of this project. For me, this process was incredibly valuable. I struggled immensely through this project. I had a lot of trouble balancing clarity with visual interest, and it took me until the last day of class to finally decide upon the direction I wanted to go in. I was so stuck trying to distinguish my designs from the traditional data visualization methods, which sort of delayed my creative process. I wish early on that I had established one of these basic methods to build off of, so that my final design was more thouroughly developed. Looking back on the beginning stages of this project, I wish I had researched a bit more on different types of data visualization and methods of displaying it so that I was more informed making the decision of what exactly I was collecting. Had I known that more variables allowed for more design possibilities, I definitely would have considered measuring more factors, as my final design really only featured two. Going forward, I need to focus more attention on the beginning stage of the project, as this sets the tone for the rest of the process. Had I been more prepared at this stage, I would have decided upon the direction of my project far earlier than I did and would have had more time to experiment with the finer details of the design. I will definitely use the time between now and my final review to do this and make sure these elements are given the proper level of consideration. I also want to experiment more with elements such as color and shape, as I feel these elements is underutilized in my design. Instead of using text to distinguish between the results of my partner and I, perhaps I could use one of these elements. I will be sure to experiment with this before my final review to enhance my design.
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1 DAY
A SIX DAY STUDY EXAMINING THE DIETS OF TWO COLLEGE-AGED GIRLS
HANNA DAY 1
HANNA DAY 2
SARA DAY 1
SARA DAY 2
HANNA DAY 3
HANNA DAY 4
SARA DAY 3
SARA DAY 4
HANNA DAY 5
HANNA DAY 6
SARA DAY 5
SARA DAY 6
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FRU IT
E TAB L
OF OUR DIETS
DAI RY
VEG E
GR A IN
ND OIL FAT A
PRO TEI N
A TASTE
The diets are measured according to the six basic food groups listed below. The area of each color reflects the percentage that its respective food group occupies in each day’s diet. Portion size is taken into account.
Hanna Goldstein Data Visualization Word and Image II Fall 2018 Typefaces Used: Balboa, Scala Sans