What Does Big Data Look Like? Visualization Is Key for Humans
One of the most valuable means through which to make sense of big data, and thus make it more approachable to most people, is through data visualization. Data visualization is wayfinding, both literally, like the street signs that direct you to a highway, and figuratively, where colors, size, or position of abstract elements convey information. In either sense, the visual, when correctly aligned, can offer a shorter route to help guide decision making and become a tool to convey information critical in all data analysis. However, to be truly actionable, data visualizations should contain the right amount of interactivity. They have to be well designed, easy to use, understandable, meaningful, and approachable.
Author David Hoffer is Head of User Experience at Declara.
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