Data Visualization
Foundational Concepts and Theories
IT 7113 Data Visualization
J.G. Zheng
Spring 2023
http://idi.kennesaw.edu/it7113/
https://www.edocr.com/v/e6ql9njn/jgzheng/data-visual-foundation
Overview
The foundational theories and concepts covered in this lecture notes:
• Representing data - data visualization process
– Visual mapping
– Visual attributes/variables/properties (SCOPeS)
– Visual perception and cognition
• Presenting data
– Pre-attentive processing
– Gestalt principles
Data visualization is a cross disciplinary field which has its theoretical roots in human
information behavior and cognitive science. This lecture notes summarize some of the
major theories and concepts that support our data visualization developments.
Some brief understanding of these concepts can broaden our knowledge of the field. We
are not going to dive deeply in these theories but will focus more on their practical
implications, which can be used to guide our data visualization designs and dashboard
developments.
Data Visualization Process
• Generally, visualization can assist human (making things easier)
in processing information on shaping attention, memorizing,
understanding, learning, and communicating.
• Why and how exactly can visualizations help? Let’s examine the
Data Visualization Process first and see how visualizations
impact human perception and cognition (some explanations
from cognitive science, psychology, and physiology studies)
The Visualization Process
Extended reading:
A survey, classification and analysis of perceptual concepts and their application for
the effective visualisation of complex information
http://dl.acm.org/citation.cfm?id=1082104
Visualizations directly
impacts and enhances
perception.
The representation
part of the definition
Visual Mapping (Encoding)
• Mapping is the process of connecting visuals
to data (meanings) – the representation part
Visual mapping = data + visual
• The mapping (encoding) should be
appropriate and fitting to the data and the
story to tell
The