Manifesto for Putting 'Chartjunk' in the Trash 2021!
Derya Akbaba, Jack Wilburn, Main T. Nance, Miriah Meyer
TL;DR
This provocative paper argues that the term chartjunk carries historical baggage that hinders precise discussion of non-data-ink in visualizations. It proposes dissolving chartjunk from the visualization lexicon and showcases a maintenance-art program—embodied in a Wikipedia edit, an IEEE paper-cutting video, and a scanned repository—to catalyze rethinking and community engagement. By linking historical critique with performative artifacts inspired by Ukeles, the authors seek to move toward more precise terminology and inclusive discussions of visualization design. The work emphasizes public scholarly maintenance as a way to reframe values and practices in visualization research.
Abstract
In this provocation we ask the visualization research community to join us in removing chartjunk from our research lexicon. We present an etymology of chartjunk, framing its provocative origins as misaligned, and harmful, to the ways the term is currently used by visualization researchers. We call on the community to dissolve chartjunk from the ways we talk about, write about, and think about the graphical devices we design and study. As a step towards this goal we contribute a performance of maintenance through a trio of acts: editing the Wikipedia page on chartjunk, cutting out chartjunk from IEEE papers, and scanning and posting a repository of the pages with chartjunk removed to invite the community to re-imagine how we describe visualizations. This contribution blurs the boundaries between research, activism, and maintenance art, and is intended to inspire the community to join us in taking out the trash.