Designing for an Audience - Data Points: Visualization That Means Something - page 600

FIGURE 6-16 More details on a region

Although Polar Bear is interactive, the same can be done with static visu-
alization. Create multiple graphics and present them sequentially. Think of
it as a tour through data, and you're the guide who points to and explains
interesting facets.

THINGS TO CONSIDER

Put yourself in the tourists' position. You're on a tour of a city where historic
things have occurred over the centuries. What do you want out of your tour
guide? You want him to tell you about when and where events occurred,
maybe what the people were like at the time, or why that building is colored
and labeled in that weird way. You don't mind that the guide injects his per-
sonality into the tour, but you want him to stay on course and stick to the
subject that you paid to hear about. Above all else, you hope that the guide
tells you the truth and doesn't make up content on the spot. If he doesn't
know an answer to a question, he should say so.