Data Visualization

This section covers both sides of data visualization: how to communicate and use data for decisions -why, for whom, and with what message-, and how to build the visualizations in Python. Start with the concepts, then move to the tools.

Strong analysis only creates value once someone understands it and makes a better decision because of it. These pages cover reading your audience, choosing a clear form, and designing honest visuals, along with the relationships and tools that let evidence inform real decisions, and then how to produce those visuals in code.

Communicating and using data

The conceptual, tool-agnostic layer, useful whether or not you write code. Start here.

Communicating with Data. Why communication is part of the analysis, reading your audience, and the who, what, how framework.
Data Visualization Principles. Decluttering, human perception, Tufte’s data-ink rule, and responsible color.
Choosing the Right Chart. Table versus graph, which chart fits which message, and when to use a map.
Turning Data into Impact. Why evidence goes unused, and how audience mapping, tailoring, and timing close the gap.
Dashboards for Decisions. Design monitoring dashboards that help decision-makers choose what to do next.

Creating visualizations with Python

The hands-on layer, a workshop for producing publication-quality figures with seaborn.objects and the grammar of graphics. Best read after the concepts above.

Introduction to Seaborn. Why visualization matters in research, and your first plot with the seaborn.objects interface.
The Grammar of Graphics. Map data variables to visual properties like color, size, and shape.
Marks and Geometric Objects. Dots, lines, bars, areas, and bands, and how to combine them in layers.
Labels, Scales, and Customization. Titles, legends, axis limits, palettes, and accessibility.
Faceting and Layering. Small multiples and combining plot types into rich displays.
Statistical Transformations. Aggregations, confidence intervals, regression lines, and histograms.
Themes and Final Polish. Professional themes and saving publication-quality figures.