Description:

Now You See It: Visual Exploration and Communication of Patterns in Data

Wednesdays@NICO | 12:00-1:00 PM, May 25, 2016 | Chambers Hall, Lower Level

Steve Franconeri, Department of Psychology, Northwestern University

Abstract

Within a well-designed visualization, your eyes can be a powerful tool for exploring and understanding patterns in data. But within a poorly-designed depiction of the same data, the same tasks can be inefficient, or even overwhelming. We'll discuss how data visualization relies on the systems that we use to perceive the natural world, and how research into the power and limits of those systems inspires prescriptions for effective visualization design.

Bio

Steven Franconeri is a Professor of Psychology in the Weinberg College of Arts & Sciences at Northwestern, Director of the Northwestern Cognitive Science Program, as well as a Kellogg Professor of Management & Organizations by Courtesy. His research is on visual thinking, visual communication, and the psychology of data visualization. He directs the Visual Thinking Laboratory, where a team of researchers explore how leveraging the visual system - the largest single system in your brain - can help people think, remember, and communicate more efficiently. His undergraduate training was in computer science and cognitive science at Rutgers University, followed by a Ph.D. in Experimental Psychology from Harvard University, and postdoctoral research at the University of British Columbia. His work on both Cognitive Science and Data Visualization has been funded by the National Science Foundation, the Department of Education, and the Department of Defense. He has received an National Science Foundation CAREER award, and a Psychonomic Society Early Career award, for his research on visual thinking.