Next in the FlowingData 10k Giveaway…
Information dashboard design is a subtle art. At the most basic level, it's a bunch of graphs and charts placed together, but it takes certain skills and knowledge to use the right type of visualization and data to make your dashboard worth looking at. You can have all the graphs you want and still not have a clue about what you're seeing.
Stephen Few's book Information Dashboard Design: The Effective Visual Communication of Data aims help you avoid the major pitfalls and to put together effective information dashboards. The deadline for this giveaway is Sunday, Feb 22 at 8pm EST.
Prize Description
I don't think Information Dashboard Design needs much of an introduction, but here's a brief description:
Dashboards have become popular in recent years as uniquely powerful tools for communicating important information at a glance. Although dashboards are potentially powerful, this potential is rarely realized. The greatest display technology in the world won't solve this if you fail to use effective visual design. And if a dashboard fails to tell you precisely what you need to know in an instant, you'll never use it, even if it's filled with cute gauges, meters, and traffic lights. Don't let your investment in dashboard technology go to waste.
If you're looking for eye candy, this isn't the book for you, but if you want to learn about visual perception, how to minimize distractions, and how to maximize dashboard effectiveness, then you'll like Information Dashboard Design.
How to Enter
Again, I'm gonna make it super easy to win. Just post to this thread in the FlowingData forums (NOT in comments below) and tell us what your favorite FlowingData post has been. That's all! Take a look through the archives to jog your memory. I will randomly select the winner on Sunday. Good luck.
UPDATE: This giveaway is now closed. Congratulations, Kevin! Several more giveaways to come, so keep an eye out everyone else.
How to Visualize and Compare Distributions
How to Make a Sankey Diagram to Show Flow
Interactive Time Series Chart with Filters
Visualize This
the chocolate pie chart, no doubt about it:
http://flowingdata.com/2008/11.....pie-chart/
“Mapping and Animating Growth of Target Across United States” http://flowingdata.com/2009/01.....across-us/
“Social Data Analysis by the Swarm”
http://flowingdata.com/2007/07.....the-swarm/
http://flowingdata.com/2008/09.....-yourself/
“Watching the Growth of Walmart Across America”:
http://flowingdata.com/2008/07.....e-edition/
“Pie I Have Eaten and Pie I Have Not Eaten” still takes the pie…er, cake.
http://flowingdata.com/2008/09.....not-eaten/
“Visual Guide to the Financial Crisis”
http://flowingdata.com/2008/11.....al-crisis/
As a fairly frequent traveler, I liked the posting about which seat on a plane is the safest.
I made a slight boo boo and forgot to post the link to the thread in the forums: http://forums.flowingdata.com/.....k-giveaway
For those who left a comment here already, no need to repost in the forums. Sorry for the confusion. Everyone else, please head over to the FD forums to post your answer. Thanks.
Visual Guide to the financial crisis
Walmart growth!
I enjoyed the spread of Walmart across the U.S.
http://flowingdata.com/2008/07.....e-edition/
With the financial crisis hitting us I have two favs, first:
http://flowingdata.com/2009/02.....ecessions/
It shows how bad things are, could be, might be, and why I am stuck in a crap job!
The second:
http://flowingdata.com/2009/02.....ll-street/
The experts trying to be clever, and yet they still don’t get it right….
Twitter Social Network Analysis
20K nodes :) and the colours are great
http://flowingdata.com/2008/03.....-universe/
“Flow Chart Shows You What Chart to Use”
http://flowingdata.com/2009/01.....rt-to-use/
I first heard of your site when my readers suggested I look at the growth of walmart entry. I subscribed to your site after I saw the growth of target entry. (because anybody can editorialize walmart, but only a choice few can use target to put the whole thing in perspective. Keep up the good work!