Winning Combinations: Putting Data and Design Together

Helping people find meaning in large, complex datasets is becoming an increasingly important consideration in UX design. While the need may be clear, the steps of transforming unprocessed data into effective visualizations are not always so apparent. Data are of various distinctive types, and different data types lend themselves more naturally to certain kinds of visual representation than to others. In addition, some visualization designs are more effective than others in summarizing and highlighting various characteristics of data. How do you assess and assemble all of the disparate elements in the most informative way? At least for me, the more familiar I become with different data types and their related depictions, the more confident I feel in applying and exploring visualization design ideas.