DVS Readers' Club: Visual Villainy in Data Viz

Welcome to the Data Visualization Society Readers' Club, a monthly gathering where early career individuals and seasoned professionals in the realm of data visualization come together to delve into the fascinating world of data storytelling. Our club is a community dedicated to exploring the intersection of data, design, and technology through the lens of literature. Each month, we select books or collections of articles centered around a common theme (ranging from color theory and accessibility in visualization -  to the revolutionary impacts of artificial intelligence on our field).

We’ve all seen charts that provide misleading insights. This month we’ll dive into the world of how using sensitive data without clear consent from third parties, and design decisions such as starting charts not from 0 or sorting data to make it more dramatic has implications on messaging and how data is consumed.

It's okay to not have read/watched the entire collection ahead of time. If you are time-limited, just focus on the inclusions that most tickle your fancy.

Visualization for Villainy (~20 min)

Visualization for Villainy (video presentation)  (7 min)

Black Hat Visualization (~20 min)

Ethical Dimensions of Visualization Research (~20 min)

Visual Villainy: How to Undermine Humanity with Dataviz (video) (~1 hour)

MIT exercise (~10 min)

Misleading Data Visualizations (~10 min)

Advanced Techniques in Lying using Data Visualizations  (~10 min)

Additional Recommended Reading:

“How Charts Lie” by Alberto Cairo

Date: Saturday December 14th

Time: 3pm EST (7pm UTC)

Zoom Link: Will be emailed the day of the event 

The Discussion Questions.

Adapted from the Datawrappers' format. Integrating feedback from past discussions, we are replacing one of the prescribed question sections with an Open Discussion section, where attendees are welcome to discuss anything related to the book (optional prompts provided).

Prepare 1-2 sentences ahead of time so you can simply copy/paste and spend more time reading and responding to others' thoughts.

• What was your general impression? Likes, dislikes?
• Having read the collection, what will you do differently the next time you create a data visualization?
• Open Discussion (Optional prompts: Which article was the most impactful to you? What is your biggest take-away? Is there anything you disagreed with? Is there anything you were missing from the readings?)
• Questions for Andrew! Bring any and all questions you have for them.

What is the Discussion Format?

Following in the footsteps of Datawrappers' Dataviz Book Club, this book discussion will be entirely virtual - no cameras, no microphones. Rocking it like it's a 2004 online forum, we will be posting our answers to a set of questions and then responding to each other's questions via an interactive notebook (yopad.eu). The questions are posted below, providing a handy guide by which to approach reading the book and allowing everyone an opportunity to prepare responses ahead of time. Read a review of this format here.

Why a virtual, text-based discussion?

• Inclusivity: It allows for multiple conversation streams to take place at once, meaning you can interact with more people in the discussion club than you can in a traditional discussion format. Everyone has an equal opportunity to participate.
• Accessibility: Written discussions are more accessible to individuals who have auditory processing difficulties, speaking difficulties, an aversion to public speaking, etc.
• Clarity and Focus: Written discussions can lead to clearer communication, as participants have the opportunity to carefully craft their responses and ensure that their points are understood. It also helps keep the conversation focused on the topic at hand.
• Flexibility and Reference: Participants can read and respond at their own pace, and people can review the conversation at any time (including after the meeting has finished)

Check out past discussions:

• Joyful Infographics including Q&A with Nigel Holmes
• Topic: Color in Dataviz, including Q&A with Lisa Charlotte Muth
• The Art of Insight, including Q&A with Alberto Cairo
• Building Science Graphics, including Q&A with Jen Christiansen

Join Us! Don't miss out on this opportunity to explore the depth and breadth of data visualization in a friendly, inspiring environment. Register today and be part of a community that celebrates the power of data storytelling. And check out the Data Visualization Society if you're interested in these and similar events!

Looking forward to seeing you at our next meeting!

For any questions or more information, please contact Simran Parwani (earlycareer [at] datavisualizationsociety.org).

Event Venue

Online