15 Mar 2018
Beers and Burrows define data visualisation as visual representation of data and datasets which communicate precise information and values1. In that sense, anything that does not lead to precise information and values in the dataset is not a data visualisation. As the information design is evolving it is becoming harder to define data visualisations, for instance force layouts are not precise representations of the data. Force layouts are an abstraction to a level that it is almost impossible (if not impossible) to get to the actual data underlying the relationships between the nodes. The distance between the nodes in a balanced force layout is irrelevant, it’s just the best layout the indeterministic algorithm could find. The edge between 2 nodes symbolises relationship between them , but it is not apparent how ‘closely’ those nodes are connected. Some visualisations try to encode the ‘closeness’ in the visual stroke weight of the edge or colour of the edge. From visual perception studies, we know that for humans (target audience) position, distance, length is more relevant as compared to thickness or colour.