Reading through our book, I have come to realize that for the one creating the visualization it is a scientific process. However to the public that will be exposed to our creation, it might mean that the results will go through the lenses of everyone eyes. Since taking this class I am more sensitive to hindered message. I have also asked some friend to interpret things that I encountered...interpretation are always different when the message is abstract. Think about the collage in class.
My question is: How do we account for the subjectivity factor when working on a project?
Very good question. Of course the collage is not really a visualization intended to convey quantitative information, so that would be an example of the most subjective kind. In the infovis or datavis however, we at least try to communicate clearly with an audience. That is why as part of the design process we must understand our target audience and avoid abstractions that make no sense. Some of the issues could be cultural (like color meanings for example).
ReplyDeleteBelow is an interesting approach, using storytelling as a way to clarify data as well as engage the imagination of the user. Not that this solves the problem of subjectivity but it can help.
What storytelling can do for information visualization