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What you will learn in Everyday Data Visualization

Design effective charts and dashboards

by Desiree Abbott

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Chapter by chapter

Concepts explained in this book

• fontA font is a specific set of letterforms in a particular typeface design, style, and size or digital specification.
• visualizationA graphical technique for representing data so that patterns, comparisons, trends, or other information can be perceived.
• code readabilityReadability is the ease with which written characters, words, and passages can be visually recognized and understood.
• white spaceIntentionally unoccupied visual area surrounding or separating elements in a composition, also called negative space.
• brightnessThe HSB color coordinate representing the apparent illumination of a color, with zero producing black and the maximum producing the brightest result.
• stakeholderA stakeholder is a person or group with an interest in, influence over, or responsibility for a project or its outcomes.
• filteringA filter is a rule or control that restricts a dataset or visualization to records or values satisfying specified criteria.
• small multiplesA visualization technique that displays a series of similarly structured charts, each representing a subset or category of the data.
• bar chartA chart that represents quantitative values with rectangular bars whose lengths or heights encode the values.
• color paletteA color palette is a selected set of colors intended to work together in a visual design or visualization.
• dashboardA dashboard is a visual interface that combines multiple charts or other information displays to support monitoring or analysis.
• saturationThe HSB color coordinate representing the intensity or vividness of a hue, ranging from gray at zero to the fullest color at the maximum.
• font-weightA typographic variation that controls the relative heaviness of a typeface's strokes.
• colorColor is a visual encoding that communicates distinctions or values through differences in hue, lightness, or saturation.
• typographyTypography is the design and arrangement of written text to control its appearance, tone, readability, and visual emphasis.
• data modelA data model is an organizational structure that specifies the kinds of data to store and how each data item is described.
• color blindnessA condition involving reduced or altered ability to perceive or distinguish certain colors, commonly called color blindness.
• visual hierarchyThe organization of visual elements so that their relative importance guides attention and interpretation.
• product requirements documentA product requirements document is a formal document that specifies a product's intended capabilities, requirements, and scope.
• prototypingA prototype is an early-stage version of a design created to test concepts or demonstrate potential options rather than serve in production.
• stacked bar chartA bar composed of segments whose combined length or height represents a total and whose segments represent components.
• user interactionInteractivity is the capacity of a visualization or interface to respond to user actions by changing what is displayed or how it behaves.
• color wheelA color wheel is a circular arrangement of colors that represents relationships among hues and supports their combination or comparison.
• font familyA coordinated family of letter, numeral, and symbol designs sharing a common visual style.
• interaction designThe practice of designing how people interact with digital systems, including the controls, responses, and behaviors those systems provide.
• wireframeA low-detail representation of a potential interface or visualization design used to evaluate its rough structure and purpose.
• feedbackFeedback is information or evaluation provided about a product or process to guide its improvement.
• additive color modelA color model in which colored light is combined to produce other colors, including white light when the primary components are combined.
• WCAGThe Web Content Accessibility Guidelines, a W3C standard for making web content accessible to people with disabilities and impairments.
• letterformA letterform is the visual shape used to represent a written character.
• color spaceA model for representing colors as coordinates or values in a defined set of color dimensions.
• mapA visual representation of geographic locations and relationships, often encoding additional information through symbols or visual variables.
• preattentive attributeA preattentive attribute is a visual property that can be detected rapidly and with little or no focused attention.
• categorical paletteA categorical color palette is a set of distinguishable colors assigned to separate data categories.
• data labelText attached to a visual element or data display that identifies or explains the represented value, category, measure, or element.
• pie chartA circular chart divided into segments whose angles or areas represent quantities or proportions.
• sans serif typefaceA typeface whose letterforms lack the small finishing strokes called serifs.
• serifA typeface whose letterforms have serifs.
• contrastContrast is the visual difference between adjacent colors or elements, commonly expressed through their relative luminance or color properties.
• hierarchyA data structure in which values contain or are organized within other values or structures.
• communication patternAn interaction pattern is a recurring way that an interface responds to user actions and presents controls or information.
• requirementsA stated need, capability, constraint, or condition that a project, product, or system is expected to satisfy.
• chartjunkExtraneous visual decoration in a chart that distracts from or obscures the data and its message.
• hueThe HSB color coordinate representing a color's position around a circular color spectrum, conventionally measured from 0 to 360 degrees.
• x-heightX-height is the height of a typeface's lowercase letters, conventionally measured by the height of the letter x.
• interviewA structured conversation conducted to learn a person's needs, experiences, knowledge, or opinions.
• missing valueA missing data point is an expected observation or value that is absent from a dataset or visualization.
• dimensionThe blue-yellow axis is a color-space dimension whose opposing directions represent blue and yellow.
• optimizationAn iterative development cycle is a repeated process of developing, evaluating, and refining a product across successive phases.
• tooltipA tooltip is a transient interface label or information panel that appears when a user hovers over or activates a visual element.
• data literacyThe ability to understand, interpret, evaluate, and communicate with data.
• bubble mapA map that represents locations with bubbles whose sizes encode quantitative values.
• error messageAn error message is user-facing text that explains a failure, its cause, or a possible remedy.
• enclosureA visual grouping technique in which a boundary or contained area signals that its contents belong together and are more related to one another than to elements outside it.
• measureA data value that represents a quantity and supports meaningful numerical operations such as aggregation or averaging.
• Gestalt principleA design principle describing how perception organizes patterns and simplifies complex visual information into unified forms.
• overviewA summarized initial view that presents the broad structure, scope, or main findings of information.
• Visual Information-Seeking MantraA visual-interaction design sequence that presents an overview, supports zooming and filtering, and reveals further details on request.
• counterAn enclosed or partially enclosed area of empty space within a letterform.
• interactive visualizationA data visualization whose displayed content or level of detail can be changed through user interaction.
• accessibilityAccessibility is the extent to which content or an interface can be perceived, operated, and understood by people with disabilities and varied access technologies.
• data explorationData exploration is the process of examining data to discover patterns, relationships, or useful questions.
• color pickerA color picker is an interface for selecting and adjusting a color and its representation in a color model.
• choropleth mapA map visualization that encodes data values for geographic regions using varying colors or shades.
• density mapA map that represents the spatial concentration of observations or events, commonly through varying visual intensity.
• tile mapA map that places uniformly sized geometric shapes near the geographic locations they represent to make regional patterns easier to compare.
• granularityGrain is the level of detail defined by what one row in a data table represents.
• cap heightCap height is the height of a typeface's uppercase letters.
• distinguishabilityDistinguishability is the ease with which visually similar characters can be told apart and identified.
• JSONJSON is a text-based data interchange format that represents values, arrays, and objects using a structured notation.
• line-height propertyLine spacing is the vertical distance between successive lines of text.
• line lengthLine length is the horizontal extent of a line of text measured by its characters or rendered width.
• sparsitySparse data is data containing relatively few observations or values compared with the possible observations or values being considered.
• alt-textText associated with an image or other non-text content that communicates its content for users who cannot perceive it visually, including through assistive software.
• ARIA labelA WAI-ARIA attribute that directly supplies an accessible name for an interface element.
• calendar viewA visual display that arranges information according to calendar dates or time periods.
• dashboard layoutThe spatial arrangement of interface elements and information displays within a dashboard.
• mockupA visual prototype of a design that represents its intended appearance at a specified level of fidelity.
• lining numberA lining number is a numeral designed with uniform vertical alignment and an upright baseline for tabular or general display.
• tabular numbersA tabular number is a numeral designed to occupy the same horizontal width as other numerals for vertical alignment in columns.
• uniwidth fontA uniwidth font is a font in which each individual character retains the same width across the font's available weights, while different characters may have different widths.
• keyboard interactionInteraction with a digital interface using keyboard input without relying on pointer devices or touch.
• contrast (minimum)A WCAG success criterion specifying minimum contrast ratios for text and large-scale text against backgrounds.
• contrast ratioA contrast ratio is a numeric comparison of the relative luminance of a lighter color with that of a darker color.
• toneTone is the emotional or stylistic character conveyed by a visual design or written communication.
• non-text contrastNon-text contrast is a WCAG success criterion requiring sufficient contrast for meaningful user-interface components and graphical elements.
• relative luminanceRelative luminance is a normalized measure of the light emitted or reflected by a color relative to a reference white.
• use of colorUse of color is a WCAG success criterion requiring that information not be conveyed by color alone.
• WCAG conformance levelA graded WCAG designation indicating the extent to which web content satisfies applicable accessibility requirements, such as A, AA, or AAA.
• WCAG success criterionA success criterion is a testable WCAG requirement used to determine whether an accessibility guideline has been met.
• multiline chartA line chart containing multiple plotted lines that represent separate series across a shared dimension.
• population densityPopulation density is the number of people inhabiting a unit of geographic area.
• categorical dataData whose values represent categories for which the ordering of values is not inherently meaningful.
• annotationAn explanatory label or graphic that draws attention to a specific feature or region of a visualization.
• requirements analysisRequirements gathering is the process of documenting what a project should build, why it should build it, and whether stakeholders confirm those requirements.
• subtractive color modelA subtractive color model represents colors by combining pigments or other materials that absorb light, with combined colors reflecting less light.
• arrayAn array is an ordered collection of data elements represented in JSON with square brackets and comma-separated values.
• userA person who interacts with or is intended to use a visualization, application, or other product.
• font styleA font style is a variation of a typeface defined by properties such as weight, width, slant, spacing, or serif treatment.
• data aggregationAggregation is the process of combining multiple data values into summarized results such as totals, counts, or maximums.
• data typeA data type is a classification that specifies the kind of value data can contain and the operations or representations appropriate for it.
• line plotA chart that connects plotted values with lines to show change or relationships across an ordered dimension.
• aria-labelledbyA WAI-ARIA attribute that supplies an accessible name by referencing the identifiers of visible labeling elements.
• screen readerA screen reader is assistive software that converts displayed content into synthesized speech or braille output.
• WAI-ARIAA W3C standard defining roles, states, properties, and attributes that improve the accessibility of dynamic web content.
• color blindness checkerA color blindness checker is a software feature that simulates how a visual design appears under different color-vision deficiencies.
• figure-ground principleThe figure-ground principle is a perceptual distinction in which visual elements are organized as foreground figures against a background.
• D3.jsD3.js is a free, open-source JavaScript library for producing dynamic, data-driven documents and visualizations in web browsers.
• JavaScriptJavaScript is a general-purpose programming language widely used for interactive behavior in web browsers and other environments.
• MatplotlibMatplotlib is a Python library for creating static, animated, and interactive visualizations.
• PythonPython is a general-purpose programming language known for readable syntax and a broad ecosystem of libraries.
• RR is a programming language and software environment designed primarily for statistical computing and graphics.
• proportionA proportion expressed as a number out of one hundred.
• future-proofingFuture-proofing is the practice of designing a system or visualization to accommodate anticipated future changes or additional data.
• name-value pairA key-value pair is a named data association in which a key identifies and a value supplies the associated data.
• cone cellA light-sensitive retinal photoreceptor that responds preferentially to a range of wavelengths and contributes to color vision.
• affordanceAn affordance is a perceptible aspect of an object or interface that indicates how it can or should be used.
• visible lightLight is electromagnetic radiation that can propagate as waves and that is visible within a limited range of wavelengths.
• continuous dataA data dimension whose values may take any position or value along a continuous spectrum or interval.
• discrete variableA data dimension whose values are separate, distinct, and individually identifiable rather than varying continuously across a range.
• toggle buttonA toggle switch is an interface control that lets a user switch between states or viewing options.
• cross-filteringCross-filtering is an interactive visualization technique in which selecting data in one view filters the data shown in other coordinated views.
• Jakob’s LawJakob's Law of Internet User Experience is the principle that users prefer interfaces whose interaction conventions resemble those of familiar interfaces.
• JSON objectAn unordered JSON collection of named members enclosed in curly braces, each consisting of a string key and a value.
• tidy tableA tidy table is a tabular data structure with one row per observation and each variable stored in its own column.
• mental modelA person's internal conception of how a system, visualization, or part of the world works.
• vector imageA digital image represented by geometric paths and shapes that can be resized without loss of resolution.
• diverging color paletteA color palette that uses contrasting color progressions on either side of a meaningful midpoint to represent diverging values.
• color scaleA color palette that assigns colors along a continuous progression to represent ordered values in continuous data.
• sequential paletteA continuous color palette in which color variation represents increasing or decreasing values along a meaningful order.
• language modelA large language model is a machine-learning model trained on extensive text data to process and generate human language.
• realistic dataRealistic data has structures, values, and distributions that plausibly resemble those of the intended real-world data.
• test dataTest data is deliberately created or collected data used to exercise a system or develop a visualization before real data is available.
• spatial positioningA visual encoding that represents values or categories through their locations in a visual space.
• motionMotion is the visible change in position or configuration of a visual element over time.
• structured dataData organized into rows and columns according to a shared set of fields.
• call-to-actionA concluding communication that asks the audience to take a specific action in response to the presented information.
• climaxThe turning point of a story or visualization where the central conflict or main insight reaches its greatest intensity.
• expositionThe opening narrative element that establishes the setting, characters, context, and overall tone of a story or visualization.
• falling actionThe narrative element after the climax that shows consequences unfolding and tension decreasing before the ending.
• trend lineA line in a visualization that represents the direction or pattern of change in plotted data.
• resolutionThe concluding narrative element that settles the consequences of the story and presents its final outcome or response.
• rising actionThe narrative element that develops background, stakes, conflict, and momentum toward a turning point.
• highlighting interaction patternA highlighting interaction pattern visually emphasizes the interface element currently under a pointer or in focus.
• hypertext linkA hyperlink is an interactive reference that lets a user navigate to another document, location, or resource.
• closureA visual grouping principle in which perception completes incomplete forms by mentally filling gaps to create a whole.
• connectionA visual grouping principle in which elements with connected forms are perceived as correlated and belonging to the same group.
• continuityA perceptual organization principle in which elements following a smooth or continuous path are seen as related.
• translationSymmetry in which repeated elements are shifted by regular intervals while retaining the same orientation.
• spectrumThe range of electromagnetic wavelengths detectable by human vision and perceived as colored light.
• wavelengthA wavelength is the spatial period of a wave, describing the distance between corresponding points in successive cycles.
• primary colorA color treated as a fundamental component in a particular color system from which other colors can be produced or represented.
• dyslexiaDyslexia is a neurobiological specific learning disability characterized by difficulties with accurate or fluent word recognition, spelling, decoding, and phonological processing.
• animationAnimation is the presentation of visual changes through a sequence of displayed states over time.
• symmetryA structural correspondence in which elements have matching positions or forms according to a transformation.
• focusable elementA focusable element is an interface element that can receive keyboard or programmatic input focus.
• scope driftScope creep is the uncontrolled expansion of a project's requirements beyond its original plan, potentially delaying completion or changing the intended outcome.
• sketchSketching is the practice of quickly recording visual ideas in a low-fidelity form before committing to development.
• aggregate tableAn aggregate table is a table whose rows contain summarized results produced by combining more detailed rows.
• columnA column is a vertical field in a table containing values for one attribute across rows.
• primary keyA primary key is a field whose value uniquely identifies each row in a table.
• data storytellingThe practice of communicating data insights through a narrative shaped for an intended audience.
• design softwareSoftware for creating and editing visual designs and graphics.
• chart titleA heading that identifies a chart and frames its subject or intended interpretation.
• RGBRGB color space is a color representation that specifies colors through red, green, and blue components and is commonly used by computer monitors.
• researchThe systematic study of users' needs, behaviors, expectations, and experiences to inform design decisions.
• sequenceData whose values have a meaningful order that should generally be preserved when displayed.
• data cleaningData cleaning is the process of detecting and correcting inaccurate, inconsistent, or improperly formatted data.
• database keyA key is a field or mapping structure that identifies or associates corresponding records across data tables or systems.
• joinA join is an operation that combines rows from tables according to matching or related fields.
• character spacingCharacter spacing is the horizontal distance or tracking applied between adjacent characters in text.
• dyslexia-friendly fontA dyslexia-friendly font is a font promoted as potentially improving reading for people with dyslexia.

These guides are generated from the text of Manning books by Manning's knowledge graph and link to the sections they draw on. The full books are available on liveBook and at manning.com.