17.04.2008
Many Eyes: Democratizing Visualization
Lecture by Fernanda Viégas held on November 13th, 2007 within the context of Visualizar 07, a broad program of research, reflection and production activities about data visualization and its social, artistic and cultural applications. The first edition took place at Medialab-Prado from November 12th through 28th, 2007.
Related people
Data visualization has historically been accessible only to the elite in academia, business, and government. But in recent years web-based visualizations--ranging from political art projects to news stories--have reached audiences of millions. Unfortunately, while lay users can view many sophisticated visualizations, they have few ways to create them. In order to "democratize" visualization, we have built Many Eyes, a web site where people may upload their own data, create interactive visualizations, and carry on conversations. The goal is to foster a social style of data analysis in which visualizations serve not only as a discovery tool for individuals but also as a means to spur discussion and collaboration. This talk will provide an overview of Many Eyes, patterns of usage on the site, and what those patterns suggest about the future of visualization.