Communicating with Data

Chapter 6. Visual Context

Context is key. A well-constructed chart can convey a lot of information, but all the other elements on the page can change how the audience interprets that information. This chapter focuses on the page/screen elements that form the context for your data visualization, from title to background color. Context is the circumstances in which your analysis happens, the baseline it’s based on, and the influencing factors that surround it. Context positions the points you are communicating in the audience’s minds.

The cumulative effect of your visualization and its context can determine whether your audience notices, reads, or remembers your work. The key messages should jump off the page.

Creating memorable but clear data communications is a balancing act between focus and context. Some of the contextual elements this chapter covers include the following:

• Titles

• Text and annotations

• Contextual numbers

• Legends

• Iconography and visual cues

• Background and positioning

I’ll finish the chapter with a look at interactive elements that can help users dive deeper into your analysis.

Titles

Titles set out what the audience should see. A clear title will direct the reader to refer to the right pieces of content, while poorly conceived titles can frustrate or confuse them.

Main Title

Titles can describe many things about the content of a work, such as its subject, the question the work poses, or the key finding from the data. What you choose guides the user’s ...