"Data Insights" offers multi-disciplinary perspectives and useful information about how visualizations can open your eyes to data. This thought-provoking book takes a conversational approach to presenting an overview of the subject, while also focusing on key details. It highlights the ideas and work of a variety of people who are actively contributing to this still emerging field. Case studies from business analytics, healthcare, games, security, and network monitoring, among others, portray what is going on in data visualization today. A diverse blend of original illustrations and real-world examples, both classical and cutting-edge, help fill in the picture. This book provides an approachable overview of important aspects of data visualization, and. Demonstrates, with a variety of case studies, how visualizations can foster a clearer and more comprehensive understanding of data. Answers the question, "How can data visualization help me?" with discussions of how it fits into a wide array of purposes and situations. Makes the case that data visualization is not just about technology; it also involves a deeply human process.
Data Insights: New Ways to Visualize and Make Sense of Data
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"Hunter Whitney thoughtfully interprets 20 years of technical successes in information visualization for a broader audience. He tells the grand story of scientific breakthroughs in an engaging way for a wide audience, packed with thought-provoking quotes and eye-catching examples that powerfully present this profound advance in human capacity for insight." --Ben Shneiderman, University of Maryland
About the Author
Hunter Whitney is a User Experience (UX) Designer who has helped create useful and usable interface designs for clients in areas ranging from bioscience and medicine to information technology and marine biology. In addition to his UX work, he has written numerous articles about a range of subjects, including data visualization, for various online and print publications. His aim is to encourage conversations among people with diverse skills and perspectives about presenting data in ways that are more widely accessible and engaging. He received dual bachelor's degrees-one in English Literature from UCLA and the other in Biology from UCSC-and has completed post-graduate neuropsychology research at UCLA. The combination of these multidisciplinary studies reflects his longstanding interest in the intersection between the humanities and the sciences (www.hunterwhitney.com).
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1 of 2 people found the following review helpful
5.0 out of 5 stars
This author completely gets it, and brings fun to the topic!
15 Dec 2012
By Rani
- Published on Amazon.com
Format:Paperback
As someone who works with scientific and medical data on a regular basis, I found "Data Insights" to be such an interesting and enjoyable read. While being informative about basic and complex ideas, various elements are also explained with great humor and fun which makes the concepts easy to understand. The notion of collaboration is a theme that forms an essential thread throughout the book. We don't work with data in a vacuum; multiple individuals with different skill sets are involved in the process of 'interpreting data'.
An intriguing chapter is "A More Beautiful Question". The author writes, "You can look at data visualizations from many different perspectives. For one, they can be seen as a means to arrive at answers to complex problems. But visualizations can play an even more essential role in sparking important questions that would not have arisen otherwise. When people begin problem solving, they may start off with a baseline set of assumptions and premises that are vague or misleading. To respond effectively in those cases, they may have to accept the idea that their initial set of ideas could be wrong or that the most important question to ask is one they never considered. The willingness to change one's mind and the ability to respond with new sets of questions can be more useful than the skill of crafting queries that can prove to be irrelevant."
Hunter Whitney completely gets it. The notion that one doesn't always have to ask a question first is validated by the approaches my colleagues and I take in understanding data in a more holistic way. We often explore existing datasets to look for any patterns that may emerge. This process enables us to consider questions that we didn't originally pose, and has enriched our scientific discovery methods.
I highly recommend this book to those who have an interest in the topic and want to learn more as well as those with experience in the field of data visualization for they, too, would gain useful insights to help them in their day-to-day work.
An intriguing chapter is "A More Beautiful Question". The author writes, "You can look at data visualizations from many different perspectives. For one, they can be seen as a means to arrive at answers to complex problems. But visualizations can play an even more essential role in sparking important questions that would not have arisen otherwise. When people begin problem solving, they may start off with a baseline set of assumptions and premises that are vague or misleading. To respond effectively in those cases, they may have to accept the idea that their initial set of ideas could be wrong or that the most important question to ask is one they never considered. The willingness to change one's mind and the ability to respond with new sets of questions can be more useful than the skill of crafting queries that can prove to be irrelevant."
Hunter Whitney completely gets it. The notion that one doesn't always have to ask a question first is validated by the approaches my colleagues and I take in understanding data in a more holistic way. We often explore existing datasets to look for any patterns that may emerge. This process enables us to consider questions that we didn't originally pose, and has enriched our scientific discovery methods.
I highly recommend this book to those who have an interest in the topic and want to learn more as well as those with experience in the field of data visualization for they, too, would gain useful insights to help them in their day-to-day work.
1 of 3 people found the following review helpful
2.0 out of 5 stars
Impractical
7 Feb 2013
By Dimitri Shvorob
- Published on Amazon.com
Format:Paperback
I'll simply ask - what "new ways to visualize and make sense of data"? I have difficulty recalling any, and feel that the author's English-literature degree is visible in the (wordy) book more than his UI-designer experience. Considering the alternatives, Tufte's books are, of course, the gold standard, and "Visualize this" by Nathan Yau is an excellent, hands-on introductory book.
PS. Ah, yes, a quick negative vote after the review got posted, then another when I revised and reposted; I think I know where the black ball is coming from.
PS. Ah, yes, a quick negative vote after the review got posted, then another when I revised and reposted; I think I know where the black ball is coming from.
1 of 3 people found the following review helpful
5.0 out of 5 stars
Chapter 3 is a must read before you create your next presentation
13 Jan 2013
By Carla D
- Published on Amazon.com
Format:Paperback|Amazon Verified Purchase
I am always fascinated and often appalled by the statistical information bandied about in the news. As someone who has enough education in mathematics to be dangerous I know how easy it is skew information. In many ways we are living in a data rich and information poor world right now.
Hunter's book tackles the issues facing those who are trying to provide meaningful visual information with all the data we have at our fingertips. I loved all of his real life examples of how to visually represent data. Chapter 3 should be required reading for anyone who does presentations as part of their job.
Hunter has done something that is next to impossible with this book, he has created a book for the end user of data; which is most of us and yet offers great insight for those who create data visualization as part of their job.
As we are entering the hyper zone of the "Big Data" craze in the enterprise this book is even more important to understand how to provide insight with Big Data and to understand what Big Data is about.
Hunter's book tackles the issues facing those who are trying to provide meaningful visual information with all the data we have at our fingertips. I loved all of his real life examples of how to visually represent data. Chapter 3 should be required reading for anyone who does presentations as part of their job.
Hunter has done something that is next to impossible with this book, he has created a book for the end user of data; which is most of us and yet offers great insight for those who create data visualization as part of their job.
As we are entering the hyper zone of the "Big Data" craze in the enterprise this book is even more important to understand how to provide insight with Big Data and to understand what Big Data is about.
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