Importance of Context in DV:

Why data visualizations?

When we view visual imagery instead of only numbers, our minds are able to make sense of
information more quickly than if we were just looking at numbers by themselves. I’m not talking
about simply perceiving the existence of the information, but actually understanding its meaning,
in context.

This is important for reasons beyond expediency. With all the data most business professionals
deal with, the ability to communicate a lot of information quickly and effectively is very
valuable.

That old saying, “a picture is worth a thousand words” hits the nail on the head when it comes to
data visualization.

Visual imagery helps us identify relationships more easily. Whether it’s the parts of a whole, like
in a puzzle or a connection that is easy to see, but hard to discern using logic, visuals sometimes
make relationships clearer. 

Seeing two people holding hands tells us something about the closeness of their relationship that
would be hard to discern so quickly and clearly any other way. 

Another benefit of using visuals is that it allows us to find information that we might not
otherwise have found because of the way we process visual information. Aberdeen Group
research tells us that, managers who used data visualization tools were 28 percent more likely to
find timely information than those who didn’t use visualization tools.

Overview of Gestalt principles of visual perception

If you read about Gestalt principles, you’ll probably run across this quote from Kurt Koffka a lot:
“The whole is other than the sum of the parts.” It’s an overarching idea that encapsulates Gestalt
theory and it’s a good thought to keep in mind when pondering visualizations of any kind. If
your final product doesn’t improve on simply presenting data elements on their own, you’ve
probably gone wrong somewhere.

There are six core principles of visual perception in gestalt psychology that apply to data
visualization. They are proximity, similarity, closure, continuation, figure/ground, and
symmetry/order. 
The concept of proximity says that when items are near each other our brains perceive they are
part of a group. Similarity is the idea that when items look much the same, our minds perceive
them to be of the same type. We naturally assume that shapes that look the same are related. The
principle of closure describes how our eyes tend to add missing pieces of familiar shapes or
patterns. If two sections are taken out of a circle, for example, people still perceive the whole
circle. Continuation, also called continuity, is what makes people perceive objects as continuing
to move in a certain direction when they see them moving. Depending on how people look at a
picture, they see either the foreground or background as more prominent. That is the idea of
figure/ground. Our minds tend to lean toward visually symmetrical things, so the principle of
symmetry tells us to avoid giving someone a visual that is out of balance, or missing, or wrong
whenever possible.

How Context affects visualizations

Context is information that helps viewers of your visualization better understand what they’re
looking at. In the example below, the text “Record High” helps the person viewing the graph
know that the data item shown is the highest ever recorded. Without this small bit of text for
context it would be difficult to show this visually without showing the entire history of data for
this item. Even then, the text might do the job better.

Adding context is often helpful, so consider when it can add to your presentation.

Here are three simple rules for adding context:

 1. Brevity - Use as few words/letters as possible. Keep it to one line when possible. For
example, use TTM instead of trailing twelve months if you can.
2. Simplicity - Use simple words or acronyms. For example, use vs. utilize.
3. Clarity - Be clear and specific. Don’t say good or bad if you can provide an objective and
specific piece of information that speaks for itself.

Data visualization functionality is increasingly making its way into may technology tools. There
are also purpose-built data visualization software applications you can use to create effective
visualizations. Whether you opt for a separate piece of software or use the functionality already
incorporated in tools you currently have, using the concepts discussed here will help you create
more effective visualizations.

Data Visualization and Context

Data visualization allows users to look at data from different perspectives, placing that data into
the context the visualization creator devises. Creating context, therefore, is the responsibility of
the person who is making the data visualization. There are many methods to create context
(labeling, chart choice, color, etc.). After all, a line graph and a scatter chart can hold the same
data but communicate different ideas. The key, therefore, is to understand what you need to
communicate and then finding the right visual elements to convey it.
Ask yourself: what is the message, and what base information does my audience need to
understand that message? If, for example, you need viewers to understand why website traffic
suddenly increased, consider a month-over-month graph and an area chart to help them
understand. By illuminating different angles of the same information, you give your data context
and – most importantly – help your audience see the context.

Data Context and Your Audience

As a dashboarder, your goal is to present the right context of data to the right audience. The
information you provide to stakeholders, for instance, is probably different from the data you
want consumers or the public to see. While the data itself might be the same, the context will be
different because separate implications matter to each party. When setting up a dashboard for a
specific set of users, take their goals and priorities into consideration. Ask yourself the following
questions:

 What is important to this particular audience?

 What charts and graphs can I use to show the data they need to see?

 What context do I need to provide to each audience?

 How should context differ between audiences?

 Which visual elements can help me highlight contextual snippets most important to this
audience?
The Importance of Context in Data Visualization

Data Visualization is not only about the tools and the charts that you are going to use to make it
effective, but it is also about understanding the context for the need to communicate. In this
article, we will focus on the important components of context and discuss some strategies to
communicate with the data effectively.

Exploratory vs. Explanatory Analysis

It is very critical to understand the difference between these two analyses as they play different
roles at different times. Exploratory Analysis is to understand the data by cleaning and plotting
various charts and finding out what might be noteworthy or interesting to highlight to others.

When we do exploratory analysis, it's like hunting for diamonds in stones. We might have
hundreds of stones but not all stones are diamond. So this is what exploratory analysis is.

When we are at the point of communicating with the stakeholders, we want to share diamonds or
the specific story which is worthy for them to make the decisions instead of sharing the details
about all the analyses that we did. So, this is what Explanatory Analysis is all about.

It is very critical to share the stories which are relevant for the stakeholders, so explanatory
analysis plays a role here.

Who, What and How

Before visualizing any data or creating content, it is critical to know who are we communicating?
It is important to know who is our audience and how they perceive us which will help us to have
a common ground.
Second, comes is What we want our audience to know or do? We should be clear how we want
our audience to act and take into account how we will communicate to them and the overall tone
that we want to set for your communication.

It’s only after we can concisely answer these first two questions that we’re ready to move
forward with the third: How can we use data to help make our point?

Who

Our Audience

The more specific we are about our audience, the better positions we will be in for successful
communication. We should not generalize the audience, 'One for all' never works here.
Sometimes we have to create different communication for different stakeholders which will help
us resonate with stakeholders properly.

You

It is very helpful to think about the relationship that we have with our audience and how we will
expect that they will perceive us. Are we meeting for the first time? Do they trust us? Do we
have an established relationship? Do they already trust us an expert, or do we need to work to
establish credibility? These are important considerations in determining how to structure our
communication and when to use data.

What

Action

This is the point where we think through, What we want our audience to know or do? and make
communication which is relevant for the audience. We should always want our audience to know
or do something.

Sometimes we have to revisit whether we want to communicate in the first place. This can be an
uncomfortable space for many as they may consider the audience knows better than the presenter
and therefore should choose whether and how to act on the information presented. This
assumption is false. As we are the one who is creating a visualization, analyzing the data and
communicating to the audience, so we likely know it best and we are a subject matter expert. In
general, those who are communicating should be very confident of the result being presented.

It is not only important to communicate but also important to ask for action with the audience to
have a productive reaction from the audience.

Mechanism

How we will communicate with the audience plays an important role. We can think of the
communication mechanism as a live presentation and the written mail.
In a live presentation, we have control over communication over what findings we want to
present. For a live presentation, practice makes perfect. Reading just slides will not attract
curiosity in the audience, we should be well prepared about all the slides that we are going to
present.

In written documents or mail, we have less control. In this case, the audience is in control of
how they consume the information. The level of details required is quite high as we are not
there to see and respond to the queries of audiences.

At this point, we should be clear what mechanism we want to use to communicate our
findings by considering all the pros and cons.

Tone

The tone you desire for your communication will have implications on the design choices
that we will discuss in future chapters. For now, think about and specify the general tone that
you want to establish when you set out on the data visualization path.

How

Finally, after we have considered Who and What it becomes important to identify how we
want to present the visualization and findings. Whether we want to use Excel, Tableau or any
other tools, this decision making comes at this stage.

Taking the decision is based on multiple points, like do we have the required infrastructure
and resources available. All the pros and cons need to think of before making the decision.

Story Making

It is very important to have a crisp and concise story that you want to share with the
stakeholders, instead of having large story which is hard to grasp. The author gives two
concepts; 3-Minute Story and Big Idea.

3-Minute Story

It is exactly that: Supposing you have only three minutes to share the insights on what you
will share with the stakeholders. Obviously, we want to share only relevant insights and
ignore irrelevant things. This process would definitely help you to just share the things which
are relevant. Being able to do this removes you from dependence on your presentation.

Big Idea

It boils down even further: to a single sentence. Big Idea has three components:

1. It must articulate your unique point of view;

2. It must convey what’s at stake; and

3. It must be a complete sentence.

When you’ve articulated your story this clearly and concisely, creating content for your
communication becomes much easier.