Assessing the Quality of a Visualization

It is important to know how to assess the quality of a visualization. Knowing how to do so will allow us to choose one visualization over another.

A lot, however, depends on the goal of the visualization.

For example, if the aim is to convey certain information effectively, a visualization that is easier/faster to read and interpret would definitely be preferred to a visualization that isn't.

Generally speaking, designing an effective visualization warrants the need for:

• Knowing the Design Space: It is important to be able to create multiple alternative designs

• Being Able to Compare the Alternatives: To do so, it is important to have an understanding of how the human perception of graphical representations works

Evaluation of the quality of a visualization is covered in a later section.