Data visualization is a great way to tell a story about data. But what is the best way to do it? An understanding of human perception and cognition can help designers do it effectively.
People have used visuals to help tell stories and illustrate answers to essential questions for thousands of years. The earliest example of data visualization is probably a map from around 27,000 years ago, and for a long time, it was rare to see data visualizations for anything other than geography.
Is our brain uniquely built to recognize patterns and connections? Today, we live in a golden age of data visualization. Effectively communicating data can prove challenging, and though graphs can help us understand complex data and even see it from a new perspective, when it comes to properly transmitting a message to an audience or making business decisions based on data, visualization may be a pivotal way to accomplish it. But what is behind the power of data visualization?
