Most designers know that yellow text presented against a blue background reads clearly and easily, but how many can explain why, and what really are the best ways to help others and ourselves clearly see key patterns in a bunch of data? This book explores the art and science of why we see objects the way we do. Based on the science of perception and vision, the author presents the key principles at work for a wide range of applications--resulting in visualization of improved clarity, utility, and persuasiveness. The book offers practical guidelines that can be applied by anyone: interaction designers, graphic designers of all kinds (including web designers), data miners, and financial analysts. *First work to use the science of perception to help serious designers and analysts optimize understanding and perception of their data visualizations. * Major revision of this classic work, with a new chapter on visual thinking, new sections on face perception and flow visualization, and a much expanded chapter on color and color sequences. *New to this edition is the full color treatment throughout, to better display over 400 illustrations.
Most designers know that yellow text presented against a blue background reads clearly and easily, but how many can explain why? Information Visualization: Perception for Design explores the art and science of why we see objects the way we do.
Although more technical than most graphic design books, the book "is intended to make [the data from the science and study of visualization] available to the non-specialist." Each chapter focuses on a different facet of human vision, like "Lightness, Brightness, Contrast, and Constancy" in chapter 3, or "Static and Moving Patterns" in chapter 4.
Although the author tries to put a great deal of scientific research data into pedestrian terms, the nature of the subject matter and the papers from which he culls his information make this task an uphill battle from the start. As a result, the book is full of valuable information, but it may not necessarily be right for the average graphic designer looking for a new inspirational spin. Serious interface designers, presentation designers, data analyzers, or any artist tasked with presenting ideas in a visual format, though, should come away from Information Visualization with a clearer understanding of the inner workings of perception. At the very least, they'll be able to explain why yellow text against blue is a good combination. --Mike Caputo
Customer Reviews:
Avg. Customer Rating: 4.0 / 5.0
Classic introduction to InfoVis:
This is a basic introduction to InfoVis, covering topics from human perception to improving the decision-making processes with visualizations. It is worth having if you are in the field or are serious about improving your visualizations. Some of the negative comments in reviews must refer to the first edition. My second edition has (some) color images as appropriate throughout the book. There are still a few errors, but not a large number. There are definitely a few low quality examples.
Not applicable and not a suitable text book:
The book gives sme guidleines (supported by research) but it won't be suitable for practioners but as a text book of no very good use for an information visualization course. It was tedious to have it as our text book I don't know if this is what I think or is it the actual case.
Great for Interface designers or visualizationers:
WOW. This guy did his homework! Ware covers the basics and more advanced topics. I felt he goes beyond most books on this subject by giving his suggestions and not just stating facts.
The best one volume book out there, but not perfect:
This is the best single volume book on the subject of information visualisation that I've read. Sure, there are other very nice books on diagrams, maps, data analysis, modelling and scientific visualisation. However, none of them have the scope of this book.
And therein lies the problem. For a single volume book Ware's effort tries to cover too much and some of the chapters are quite weak (chapter 0 and 10). Also, the fact that it was written by a psychologist shows in a good and bad way: human visual... more info
