Data Visualizations
As the NYTimes article shows, one of the primary roles of data visualizations is to distill complex datasets into formats that are easier to digest and understand. The Times article is able to show gaps between white and black households in a visual style that helps with the brains processing of the information. The reader can literally see the information that is being conveyednot just read about it. Thus, visualizations help in breaking down data and concepts into simpler visual forms, so that readers can more easily, more quickly and more intuitively grasp complicated information. Visualizations such as charts, tables, graphs, and infographics help to make abstract numbers and statistics into clear, comprehensible visuals (Borkin et al., 2013).
Data visualizations also help to increase reader engagement (Wang et al., 2019). Unlike dense and lengthy text blocks, visual elements like charts, graphs, and maps are inherently more engaging. They not only attract the reader's attention but also make the storytelling process more interactive and memorable. The use of bright colors, interesting designs, and interactive elements, all of which help to change a mundane article into an engaging experience. And this in turn acts as encouragement for readers to invest more time and attention.
Visualizations also help the article to have a narrative arc that complements and supports the written content; it can be game changing, really, in highlighting trends discussed in the text; it can help with comparing different sets of data, or illustrating changes over time. Visualizations can be a storytelling tool. This storytelling aspect is very important in journalistic articles like the NYTimes article, as it helps the write to communicate some of the more important points of the article in bold, visual ways that appeal to the reader who might be pressed for time and patience.
References
Borkin, M. A., Vo, A. A., Bylinskii, Z., Isola, P., Sunkavalli, S., Oliva, A., & Pfister, H. (2013).
What makes a visualization memorable?.IEEE transactions on visualization and computer graphics,19(12), 2306-2315.
Wang, Z., Wang, S., Farinella, M., Murray-Rust, D., Henry Riche, N., & Bach, B. (2019, May).
Comparing effectiveness and engagement of data comics and infographics. InProceedings of the 2019 CHI Conference on Human Factors in Computing Systems(pp. 1-12).
