Summary

Open data is a great buzzword, but actually making such data understandable and useful to people is a very different issue. Attempts at creating "visualization for the masses" websites have apparently fizzled out, but the hunger for information is still there. It appears that infographics are filling that need for now, though with debatable success and value. In this talk, Kosara will look at some of the reasons why social visualization websites have failed, what roles infographics should and should not play, and how we can engage people with information-rich visualizations that are also visually interesting.

Biography

ROBERT KOSARA Associate Professor of Computer Science at University of North Carolina, Charlotte, currently on sabbatical with Tableau Software in Seattle, WA. His academic work covers the visualization of categorical data, perception and cognition in visualization, and the development of more rigorous theoretical foundations for the field. Robert's interests span all of visual communication, however: photography, design, painting, as well as any kind of visual storytelling. He runs a blog on visualization and visual communication.

Official WEBSITE