Assignment #3 Visualization Critique

JOUR 479D/779D
Assignment #3: Visualization Critique

Out: October 24, 2016
Due: November 7, 2017

Overview.
The goal of this assignment is to develop and practice a critical eye towards data visualization. You will select a data visualization from a list of provided options and write a ~1000 word critique including appropriate illustrations or screenshots to make your points.

Getting Started.
You can get warmed up by reading an example, or two, or three of a visualization critique. You can learn more about the context of visualization criticism in this blog post by Robert Kosara and in this post by Viégas and Wattenberg.

You should choose one of the following pieces to serve as the object of your critique.

• Ritchie King and Nate Silver. Which Flight Will Get You There Fastest? FiveThirtyEight. Link
• The Best and Worst Places to Grow Up: How Your Area Compares. New York Times. Link
• Lena Groeger, Charles Ornstein, and Ryann Grochowski Jones. Treatment Tracker. ProPublica. Link
• Gasoline Prices Around the World: The Real Cost of Filling Up. Bloomberg. Link

Writing the Critique

"Critique is a form of analysis that uses critical thinking to determine whether a design is expected to achieve its desired objectives (and adhere to any pertinent best practices or heuristics)" - Conor and Irizarry in Discussing Design

How is the visualization a success or a failure? In your critique be sure to assess the range of design choices you observe such as the use of color, visual representations and encodings, accuracy of data or visual representations, data quality, use of space (e.g. gestalt laws) or ordering and architecture of information, the effectiveness of use of labels, annotations and other context, interactivity and navigation, usability, clarity, and ethical considerations. You can consult the general and visualization-specific lists of design heuristics for additional ideas of things to critique.

In constructing your analysis try to answer the following four questions: (1) What is the objective of the design? (2) What elements of the design are related to that objective? (3) Are those elements effective in achieving the objective (4) Why or why not?

You should consider what appears to be the intent of the visualization: is it explanatory, exploratory, a mix of the two? What is the story that the author(s) appear to be trying to convey, and is the design effective for that story? For each critical statement you make try to identify a specific aspect of the design, relate that aspect to an objective or best practice, and describe how and why the aspect works to support or not support the objective or best practice. Supporting your statements with rationale, i.e. explaining why is key and you are expected to draw on the material you've learned throughout the course such as guidelines, heuristics, best practices, etc. Remember that your critique should be driven by evidence and design principles and is not about your taste, opinion, or "gut reaction".

Your critique will be evaluated according to your consideration of a diverse set of design and usability criteria, the appropriate use and application of design rationale, contextualization and explanation of the apparent intent and story portrayed, and the overall clarity of the write-up.

Submission. Note: This is an individual assignment and you may NOT work in groups. All work should be your own.

Your should submit your critique as ~1000 words including screenshots to help illustrate your points. Mail a PDF (filename of “ASGN3_<lastname>.pdf”) of your write-up to Professor Diakopoulos: [email protected] before class on the due date.