Please post your updates as a comment on this post. Include links to any sketches, code, prototypes, notes, graphics, data-files, etc! Show me TANGIBLE progress.
Remember, these updates are part of your final grade for the project/course, and are required assignments.
Post a SHORT note on your project progress here. Please post by tomorrow night, 11/28. Include a sentence or two about what you’ve been up to, and links to any reference material (such as existing example visualizations or projects that inspired you, etc) that you’ve found useful, and be sure to note any challenges that you might have encountered!
Example Update: “This week I cleaned my data and made a plan to return to the library to take photos on Saturday. My main difficulty so far is determining which fields I will use in the visualization– is the media type important? I found this review of using maps in visualization helpful.”
Write a final project proposal and post it as a comment below. I would like you to work with the BHS data; if you have another interest we can discuss. In your proposal, be sure to write three or four sentences on each of the following points:
Also, include a list of steps and delivery dates for completing your project in the weeks that remain in the semester, an example of this plan narrative might be:
If you have any questions, please let me know ASAP. We’ll do progress check-ins throughout the process, and I can tailor class lectures to meet specific needs.
Happy Thanksgiving!
Throughout the week(s), gather data about your daily life to visualize. You can collect any kind of data: moods, sleeping habits, coffee intake, music listened to, text messages, phone conversations, commute times, etc etc. You may want to gather two categories of data to compare and explore relationships. Some data may be available to you on a device you use already (iTunes, for example or your smartphone records). Some data you may have to collect in other ways. Try to be as diligent and precise as possible, and get as much data as you possibly can (at least 30-40 data points, so you have something to work with). Get this data into some kind of manageable format– a spreadsheet or table. We won’t visualize it yet, just collect if for now. But start thinking about the questions you might want to answer with this data now.
For inspiration, see Nicolas Felton’s Annual Reports (NYT article for background). Also, look at Daytum, though don’t use it for collection, since it’s functionality is limited and you may not be able to extract your data from the software.
This week, two assignments:
1. Redesign one of the inaccurate data visualizations from the Design for Data Lecture. Think about the design pitfalls we discussed, of misleading scales, missing context, improper labeling, design variation vs. data variation, data distortion, and chart junk. Aim for accuracy, showing something that was previously unseen, making understanding the data easier for the viewer, and making a visualization that is aesthetically appealing. You can do this work in ANY FORM YOU CHOSE… analog (paper pen, objects, etc), digital (Photoshop or Illustrator), etc.
2. Experiment more with Processing. Make at least two new sketches. As a challenge, take the sketch called “ifSatementSwitchDir” and try to get the ball moving along the x axis as well as the y axis. I demonstrated this in class, and you can use the if statement we wrote as a model. IF this goes well, add additional balls that move differently than the first one. Feel free to play with the colors, speeds of the balls, and “drawing” with the ball’s motion (hint: don’t refresh the background each time through the draw loop). I’d also like you to add text to your sketches, see “superSimpleTextDisplay” for an example. And, in advance of next weeks lesson, take a look at the sketch entitled “superSimpleLoop”, which is heavily commented. We’ll talk about for loops in the next class. All code examples are here.
There are 2 parts for this homework.
1.Analog Visualization
Your job is to think of a question you have about the class group, and choose data from the data sett that might answer that question. Visualize this data using ANALOG methods (ink, paper, physical objects, organized in space, or some other non-digital means of displaying the data). Review the example of analog representations I showed in class if you need inspiration. It’s fine to make a visualization that you can’t bring to class as long as you document it and bring images to show in class. Come to class next week with your visualization or documentation of it. Have fun! Be creative.
2. Processing Experiments
Make two “screen drawings” in Processing, using shape functions and colors. You do not need to use setup or the draw loop. See the Processing Reference documents for more info on functions.
If you would like, animate your screen drawing in a loop, using a variable. Here you will need to use setup() and draw().
See the code examples from last night’s lecture for extra help. Email me or Sepand with any questions about Processing.
ALSO: Read selection from “Form And Code.”