Information Visualization
- by Shekhar Parkhi
Displays that exploit the visual potential of location
Where are the average sensor readings higher for 2013?
​
In these two displays, I'm informing the viewer about where are the average sensor readings higher for the year 2013 and by how much. Anyone who is familiar with the map of the University of Washington would be able to recognize that on the left of each display is the outline of the floor plan of the Suzzallo Library, while on the right it is that of Allen Library.
In the first display, I have used proportionate circles to represent the two values. This gives an idea to the viewer regarding which value is higher by just looking at the size of the circle, without even reading the actual value written inside it. To know exactly how much higher is the value, he or she can read the two values and guage the difference.
In the second display, I have used a symbol which looks like lightening, that evokes the sense of "electricity" or "power". The key/legend tells us how much is the value of each symbol in kWh. Again, just by looking at the visual, the viewer may realize which value is higher without even counting the number of symbols in each library. To know the exact value, he may then go ahead and count the symbols.
The colors used are same as the ones used in the model inforgraphic (purple, gold, blue, gray). The major two colors (purple and gold) are used to differentiate between the outlines of the floor plans of the two libraries (Purple is Suzzallo and Gold is Allen).
The text used inside the circles representing data and inside the legend box is white in color. The titles and the footnotes are purple in color, as in the model to be emulated. Moreover, the titles are written on a gold ribbon-like strip as in the model inforgraphic.
The entire display as a whole is layed out just as the model infographic, with the UW logo, title, subtitle, purple background and distinct columns in white, inside which the actual content is put.
Critique Feedback
​
The first and the third persons did not quite get what the "Average" readings exactly meant. The first person commented that she did not like the light blue color used on purple or gold colors. She did like the fact that the sizes of the circle represented the difference in the two values of consumption in the first display. Regarding the second display, she said that it is more exciting visually. But, she said that the legend was too big and it actually felt to be a part of the floor plan. She recommended to use lightening bolts of varying sizes as per the values of the electricity consumption.
The second person commented that the footnote wasn't that clear. He also wasn't sure if the two circles in the first display were proportional. The fact that a person not too familiar with the UW campus wouldn't be able to tell which of the two buildings are Suzzallo and Allen, was also pointed out by him. The second display required you to think too much, he commented.
The third person had similar opinions in that the color and sizes of the various elements were good. He also understood the meaning of the footnote. In the second display, he felt that too much energy of the person had to be invested to calculate the value and the fractionally filled lightening bolts made it even moredifficult to find out the exact value.
My professor gave some very valueable feedback by saying that these displays exploit the visual potential of location very minimally. Due to this, I completely changed my displays. I decided to show: "Where are the Suzzallo and Allen Libraries Located on the UW Campus?" I had to deviate a little from the model which I was trying to emulate. In the model as well, the colors of the "NSF" logo used are different than that of the other elements. Hence, in my revised location displays as well, I used the UW campus map, which is used everywhere on the official websites of UW, and has different colors than that of the other elements of the model. But, I felt this to be necessary to effectively exploit the visual potential of location.