Guides

This is an update to the guide I wrote in 2009, which as it turns out, is now mostly outdated. So, 2016. Here we go.

For those who work with R and d3.js, the differences between the two…

Visualization is complex, but if I were to break it down simply, I’d…

Here are some tips to get you started, based on my own experiences with R, and more recently, the JavaScript library d3.js.

Figure out which is best with a side-by-side comparison.

“What tool should I learn? ” I hesitate to answer, because I use what works best for me, which isn't necessarily the best for someone else or the “best” overall. Nevertheless, here's my toolset.

Venn diagrams seem straightforward, but why all the mistakes? Here's a guide to avoid the snafus.

There are visualization rules and there are visualization suggestions. Most are suggestions. The ones that are rules exist because of how our brains process visual information. There's just no getting around it.

There are rules—usually for specific chart types meant to be read in a specific way—that you shouldn't break. When they are, everyone loses. This is that small handful.

The rarely used chart type for time series data is actually quite nice, once you get the hang of it. Although it does have its limitations.

Accessing government data from the source is frustrating. If you’ve done it, or…

Here's where to go next once you've covered the basics of visualization. When it's time to actually start making things.

Data is an abstraction of something that happened in the real world. How…

Tips on making it through, what I would tell my previous self going in, and advice on taking advantage of the unique opportunity that is graduate school.

Visualization is a great way to explain and describe data to people who…