Here is the good stuff for October.

This week we imagine what we would do if the tool we relied on the most were to disappear.

This week, I heard that stats are for losers. I had to check it out, because I’ve always thought stats were for winners.

Hey, it’s Nathan Yau. This is The Process, the weekly newsletter for FlowingData members. We look at the many ways to visualize data and how design choices can change a message and interpretation. I’m a little early this week. Given the topic and situation in Florida, I’m making this issue public.

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As election day in the United States draws closer, the probabilities, odds, and forecasts are in full swing, which gives us a chance to check the ways in which we currently communicate the fuzzy numbers.

Here’s the good stuff for September 2024.

Visualization always involves trade-offs between audience, insights, and resources. Sometimes you make the wrong choice.

It’s easy to look at data and assume truthiness. Numbers! Facts! Concreteness! A lot of the time that’s just not the case.

Default visualization settings are useful when it’s just you analyzing data. However, visual focus is better when it’s time to present.

Every month I collect tools and resources to help you make better charts. This is the good stuff for August 2024.

You spent time and effort on a data project and it ends up in unexpected places. Do you just shrug and let it pass or do you try to get a handle on the work so that it’s not misconstrued out of context?

Choosing colors can seem like a burden when you just want to make something quick, which is why some people just use default color schemes. But the few extra minutes is worth it.

This is the 300th weekly issue of The Process. Have things changed? Do we visualize data differently now? Where is this headed?

Bad charts and maps are common, but there’s usually a better response than pointing and laughing. Not all the time, but usually.

Here’s the good stuff for July.

The slider, a common UI element with a range and a handle that you can drag, has been around for a long time. It’s proven to be useful for visualization.

To make space for your map on a small screen, maybe just cut the map in half.

Here is the good stuff for the month.

Visualization and analysis is usually about minimizing uncertainty to more clearly see patterns. On the other hand, games force you to play through uncertainty.

Visualization tends towards familiarity and convenience, which is useful for getting things done and reading data quickly. But the familiar is also less fun and can be stifling.