JavaScript and jQuery for Data Analysis and Visualization

Introduction

When it comes to the web, you may have heard the expression “Content is king.” Coined by Bill Gates in the 1990s, this oft-repeated mantra stresses the importance of information above all else. Think about it: The average user doesn't visit your site to admire a beautiful design or cool animation—she goes there for content. In that sense, everything we do as web professionals—whether it's design, development, or marketing—has a single goal: conveying information to the user.

And what better source of information is there than raw data? That said, raw data by itself is nothing more than static noise. Data visualization allows us to bridge that gap, turning raw data into meaningful content.

At this point, you've probably gathered that data visualization is a lot more than flashy widgets to impress your boss. Although this book does cover some impressive tools—such as the comprehensive D3 library—the focus at all points is on the information. At a minimum, data visualization conveys this information to the user. But you're going to go deeper than that. That's because data visualization is capable of so much more; in addition to conveying information, data visualization analyzes information to provide meaningful insights.

Good data visualization doesn't just aggregate data into more digestible chunks. Good data visualization leads users to powerful conclusions. It shows rather than tells, and in our experience there is no better way to get your point across. There's ...