What does a bento box have to do with data visualization?

Have you ever eaten a meal where the entire experience was just a failure? Maybe you waited a long time to sit down, the waiter was rude, the food took forever, it came on a floppy paper plate, the table was dirty, and the ketchup had that crusty dried glop blocking the spout? Yuck. Not a pleasant meal.

Alternatively, you've probably had a meal where everything was just perfect - right down to the beautiful bento box full of sushi and tempura. It was appetizing to the eye, the food didn't run into each other, it looked clean and pristine, and I bet it tasted better. These things make a huge difference.

The bento box is aesthetically pleasing, but it is also functional. It serves a dual purpose. And it improves the meal on both counts. Data visualizations should also be "functionally aesthetic", which is the focus of this episode.

Lesson: Functional Aesthetics in Data Visualization

In this lesson, I expand on this idea and make a strong case for how important it is that you strive to make your visualizations functionally aesthetic.

Listen: Functional Aesthetics in Data Visualization with Vidya Setlur and Bridget Cogley

In this conversation with Bridget Cogley and Vidya Setlur , we talk about what "functional aesthetics" means, how it applies to data visualization, and their book on this important topic. We cover a range of related topics, like the balance between theory, practice, and research-driven best practices; the semantic components of data visualization; and much more.

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