https://padlet.com/tiuatunisa/fi6xrgq0b7fu 2.1 - Visualisation Data Types - Post a screengrab of your favourite example from David McCandless TED presentation en-us 2019-02-06 22:48:44 UTC 2026-03-10 21:37:53 UTC hello@padlet.com halsy0231 https://padlet.com/tiuatunisa/fi6xrgq0b7fu/wish/774293935 It was an interesting video. Some funny parts, but also informative. I found the below graph (timestamp: 7:00) to be both hilarious and useful. 
It was effective because it clearly shows the data collected, and the sample size was relatively large: 10,000 Facebook statuses.
Also, it did not have any information or confusing colour schemes that weren't absolutely necessary to presenting the data.]]> 2020-09-24 01:40:58 UTC https://padlet.com/tiuatunisa/fi6xrgq0b7fu/wish/774293935 https://padlet.com/tiuatunisa/fi6xrgq0b7fu/wish/783068880 I'm afraid im also a big fan of the graph at the 7minute mark. 

I'm old fashioned when it comes to a simple line graph.

Its very easy to read, in my opinion, with peaks and troughs. The data is also an interesting subject matter, so it's surprise to read what the graph is telling us.

I wonder if anything could be done to make this more pleasant? Adding colour without adding extra cognitive load. Maybe Facebook blue. Otherwise, it might be best to leave it as it is. Currently, the cognitive load is small in deciphering the peaks over the year.

]]> 2020-09-28 01:51:10 UTC https://padlet.com/tiuatunisa/fi6xrgq0b7fu/wish/783068880 https://padlet.com/tiuatunisa/fi6xrgq0b7fu/wish/783448090 I found the graphic at 4:10 the most interesting.
To begin with, I found the choice of graph style, how it seemed to be more of an "art piece" fitting the title/theme (Mountains out of Mole hills) rather than conveying information effectively. After learning about "3D" graphs, I thought about the various ways it was overdone and could be made simplier.
But, it became my "favourite" once he spoke about the effect Sept 11th had on "the world's fears".
He seemingly created this visualisation to highlight how the media seems to drive fear-mongering, but when true fear occurred all these other fears "disappeared" and created the gap. It is something that rung true with me and I may never forget, and all that from a simple visualisation telling a story.
Ultimately, the decision to tie the "Mountains out of Molehills" theme with how to display the data made a greater impact on the storytelling than if it were a simple line or bar graph.]]> 2020-09-28 05:57:11 UTC https://padlet.com/tiuatunisa/fi6xrgq0b7fu/wish/783448090 s3792973 https://padlet.com/tiuatunisa/fi6xrgq0b7fu/wish/784059935 I also found the graph at 4.07 to be really interesting.  The gap around 9/11 when something that was genuinely frightening was happening in the world which effectively 'shushed' all the other panic inducing stories at the time was so interesting.  

I also think the pattern that was identified with the 'violence in video games' data was something you may not even detect without creating a visualisation like this.  The fact that November and April continue as spikes, and the thought process behind this is very thought provoking.  Although, it also does seem to be tapering out towards the right hand side of the data.  

The choice of visualisation allows so much information to be conveyed and understood with very little effort, and I think it communicates a lot of different things really effectively.]]> 2020-09-28 11:55:50 UTC https://padlet.com/tiuatunisa/fi6xrgq0b7fu/wish/784059935 https://padlet.com/tiuatunisa/fi6xrgq0b7fu/wish/786221004 The graph below captured at 11:45 I found effective in portraying the importance of taking other data into consideration and how visualisations can be biased. The previous graph on the video shows China to have the most amount of soldiers. However, it drops to 124th in line when comparing how many soldiers per 100,000 people of the total population.

Although, the graph is not relative to showing China being in position 124th.


]]> 2020-09-29 00:05:54 UTC https://padlet.com/tiuatunisa/fi6xrgq0b7fu/wish/786221004 https://padlet.com/tiuatunisa/fi6xrgq0b7fu/wish/790282802 My favourite example from the Ted Talk was at 12:25. 

I hadn't come across a balloon race diagram before, so I was fascinated by it. The idea of higher balloons having stronger evidence was easy to understand and the use of colour also makes it easy to follow. It is also extremely useful information (assuming you can trust the source). 

]]> 2020-09-30 05:18:03 UTC https://padlet.com/tiuatunisa/fi6xrgq0b7fu/wish/790282802 https://padlet.com/tiuatunisa/fi6xrgq0b7fu/wish/1750075763 The 'Mountains Out of Molehills' was also my favourite example. In general I think it is able to show a huge amount of interesting observations in a very simple way. You have the choice of looking at overall patterns or being drawn in to the minor questions and details.

The colours are used well and I think make it quite clear to be able to highlight the different features. The changing depth/ 3D is interesting as it could be confusing however I think in combination with the colours it allows a bit more seperation of features. Some of the smaller features would be lost if this aspect was removed.

I think this visualisation really only works with explanations and the varied points of highlighting particular features so only as a interactive or similar presentation. Without that it is very busy and can be confusing without the walkthrough.




]]> 2021-09-18 06:44:28 UTC https://padlet.com/tiuatunisa/fi6xrgq0b7fu/wish/1750075763 https://padlet.com/tiuatunisa/fi6xrgq0b7fu/wish/1758869037 I actually really like the boxes graphic in the first example at the one minute mark.

I like its ability to give the viewer perspective quickly and with ease. Different sizes align with the human perspective that larger items are associated with more, more importance, larger values or in this case more money. Also, adding the additional dimension by adding colour to the visualisation as a way to label different sectors provides additional depth to the data displayed. This graphic can be given to any ordinary person and can be easily understood without any additional documentation.]]> 2021-09-22 02:54:39 UTC https://padlet.com/tiuatunisa/fi6xrgq0b7fu/wish/1758869037 https://padlet.com/tiuatunisa/fi6xrgq0b7fu/wish/1768030605 I thought I would pick up on the importance of the statement or question that the graph is depicting.   

On the graph shown at around the 11:45 min mark and the preceding graph 11.30 min, the presenter talks about the need for 'connected' figures and that absolute figures don't tell the whole story.   What the presenter also did when preparing these visualisations was change the title of the graph from "Who has the most soldiers ?" to "Who has the most soldiers per 100,000?"   

I am sure that if the soldiers in the North Korea Army had to go up against China's Army, they would take little comfort in knowing that the for every 100,000 people, they have far more soldiers than China.

Therefore if the title of the graph hadn't changed the second visualisation information would obviously be very inaccurate and could lead to very poor decisions being made.

In terms of the design elements, the graph had ordered data and focus points which made the graph quick and easy to read.]]> 2021-09-26 03:40:17 UTC https://padlet.com/tiuatunisa/fi6xrgq0b7fu/wish/1768030605 https://padlet.com/tiuatunisa/fi6xrgq0b7fu/wish/1768171258 I really like the middle east relationship map, but before the labels are applied. To me, it demonstrates the ability of a good visualisation to covey both scale and relationship in a very natural and intuitive way.
Whilst a lot of the other visualisation in the presentation were informative and in some cases quite comical, this visualisation stands out to me for its simple elegance and efficient.]]> 2021-09-26 06:42:58 UTC https://padlet.com/tiuatunisa/fi6xrgq0b7fu/wish/1768171258 https://padlet.com/tiuatunisa/fi6xrgq0b7fu/wish/1773459541 The data shown from 10:20 onwards shows a perfect example of how bias can be shown in data visualisations.

When considering the biggest military budget, the temptation to take the problem statement literally is clear to just take the absolute value, but as he continues, he shows that the value is not relative.

Depending on what the person wants to convey, this is a very effective visualisation, whether it is to highlight the bias taken, or to show the data in a biased way instead.]]> 2021-09-28 05:25:54 UTC https://padlet.com/tiuatunisa/fi6xrgq0b7fu/wish/1773459541 https://padlet.com/tiuatunisa/fi6xrgq0b7fu/wish/1783437043 I found the presentation interesting overall, and although there was an emphasis on how presenting data differently can give different insights I also found that a lot of the talking about the re-visualising of the data came across as more 'well actually this disproves that initial graph' and less of 'this new way can inform how we look at the first graph'. As many of the initial graphs (such as the military budget one) do bring up important points that should be discussed, especially when putting the numbers into context (such as diminishing returns for military spending) is really important.

As for a specific graph I'd like to point out the political graph. Initial I thought it wasn't that great, as boiling down political affiliation to a set ideas (data not even based on numerical values) was just stereotyping. But when he says he sees himself finding traits he has in himself on 'the other side', I think it shows how a visualisation like this can open peoples minds if they approach it in an open way. ]]> 2021-10-01 06:01:32 UTC https://padlet.com/tiuatunisa/fi6xrgq0b7fu/wish/1783437043 https://padlet.com/tiuatunisa/fi6xrgq0b7fu/wish/1788780661 I found this visualization particularly interesting. As someone who has always been a little fuzzy on what is considered left and right in politics, this is extremely clear. It is around the 16 minute mark in the video.

I like how it breaks things down in to areas like "Beliefs", "Family", "Equality" to make things clearer. The use of colour to show the sides (with a note that he has used the colours normally associated with the left and right "camps") was a great touch.]]> 2021-10-04 07:16:45 UTC https://padlet.com/tiuatunisa/fi6xrgq0b7fu/wish/1788780661 https://padlet.com/tiuatunisa/fi6xrgq0b7fu/wish/1808931982 In week 1 we learnt that we should try to maximise visual processing and minimize cognitive load to make it quicker and easier for people to understand the information we are trying to present. This visualisation is focused on the senses, but the little white box in the bottom right-hand corner represents the amount we are aware of; which I think reiterates the point above.
It conforms to the Gestalt rules for simplicity but I do think the bright yellow and pink for hearing/smell and taste draw a little too much attention.]]> 2021-10-11 22:52:56 UTC https://padlet.com/tiuatunisa/fi6xrgq0b7fu/wish/1808931982 https://padlet.com/tiuatunisa/fi6xrgq0b7fu/wish/2302793449 At 1.30 we see the monetary amount (measured in billions) of very expensive things, as reported by the media. This graphic maintains CONTEXT by providing a very clear visual that allows the eye to compare different items. ]]> 2022-09-19 11:20:13 UTC https://padlet.com/tiuatunisa/fi6xrgq0b7fu/wish/2302793449 https://padlet.com/tiuatunisa/fi6xrgq0b7fu/wish/2303813594 I quite liked this graphic because it was very visually simple, although the authors assertion that the volcano is carbon neutral due to grounded planes could be too simplified (perhaps this was a meant as a joke).

]]> 2022-09-19 22:42:13 UTC https://padlet.com/tiuatunisa/fi6xrgq0b7fu/wish/2303813594 https://padlet.com/tiuatunisa/fi6xrgq0b7fu/wish/2312754634 I really liked the visual of all the supplements and their popularity vs evidence (13 min). Like David said in the talk; it compresses an enormous amount of information and research into something that can be understood at a glance.]]> 2022-09-26 01:18:35 UTC https://padlet.com/tiuatunisa/fi6xrgq0b7fu/wish/2312754634 https://padlet.com/tiuatunisa/fi6xrgq0b7fu/wish/2313698738 2022-09-26 13:55:31 UTC https://padlet.com/tiuatunisa/fi6xrgq0b7fu/wish/2313698738 https://padlet.com/tiuatunisa/fi6xrgq0b7fu/wish/2317170722 I thought this was a great visualisation with well thought out and purposeful elements to concisely show and make sense of a lot of information. There was a clear meaningful understanding of the data through the use of size, colour and the order of data points. It would be easy to action decision making based on this visualisation.]]> 2022-09-28 09:43:08 UTC https://padlet.com/tiuatunisa/fi6xrgq0b7fu/wish/2317170722 https://padlet.com/tiuatunisa/fi6xrgq0b7fu/wish/2321805923 I enjoyed looking at this visualisation because it was interactive and vibrant. Very attractive to the eyes. As David mention on his TED Talk around 9:30-9:50 that "Our eyes are exquisitely sensitive to patterns in variations in colour, shape, and patterns. It loves them, and it calls them beautiful. It's the language of the eye. If you combine the language of the eye with the language of the mind, which is about the words and numbers and concepts, you start speaking two languages simultaneously, each enhancing the other. This is exactly what my eyes and my mind was doing visualising this concept. Correct me if I am wrong, it kind of implements The Law Of Pragnaz in Gestalt Laws. The higher up the bubble the more evidence the supplements have. ]]> 2022-10-01 05:22:21 UTC https://padlet.com/tiuatunisa/fi6xrgq0b7fu/wish/2321805923