Robert Kosara on the value of illustrating numbers

Robert Kosara shared some valuable insight on the way numbers are illustrated when using visualizations. To read the full post, click here.

Some important points from the post:

Showing data isn’t always about trying to convey an insight:

It can also be a tool to communicate a fact, an amount, or an issue beyond just the sheer numbers. Although data illustration is poorly understood, it can be very powerful.

All data is not created equal:

You can turn any kind of data into a bar chart and get some sort of insight out of it. However, Kosara thinks some data just requires a bit more care and thought – not because of its structure, but because of what it represents. Kosara puts it nicely:

"When it comes to data about people, perhaps the approach needs to be a bit more thoughtful and respectful. Looking at data about homeless people, do we really need yet another goddamn bar chart? Is there not a more appropriate way to look at this data? Or think of the design process and thought that went into the 9/11 Memorial. This isn’t the phone book, these are all individuals who died in horrendous ways."

Getting the sense of the "number":

While numbers always invite comparison, there is a point at which comparison becomes distracting and an excuse to minimize the significance of the number. Kosara argues that we spend too much time comparing numbers instead of appreciating them. He uses the examples of gun and drone strike deaths, claiming that when try to derive the significance of, lets say, 2,300 deaths via guns, by comparing them to some other cause of death, then we have already missed the point; and I agree with him. The goal of these numbers is punch you in the gut, and make you feel some kind of way.

I hope to take these lessons to heart on my analytics journey. I wouldn't want to be obsessed with digits enough to be desensitized by the weight of what that number reflects. This should not only keep me aware, but guide my data visualization strategies as well.