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A Critical Reflection on the Values and Assumptions in Data Visualization

Shehryar Saharan, Ibrahim Al-Hazwani, Miriah Meyer, Laura Garrison

TL;DR

This short position paper examines a set of values that are seen underlying the seminal works of Jacques Bertin, John Tukey, Leland Wilkinson, Colin Ware, and Tamara Munzner and articulate three prominent values - universality, objectivity, and efficiency.

Abstract

Visualization has matured into an established research field, producing widely adopted tools, design frameworks, and empirical foundations. As the field has grown, ideas from outside computer science have increasingly entered visualization discourse, questioning the fundamental values and assumptions on which visualization research stands. In this short position paper, we examine a set of values that we see underlying the seminal works of Jacques Bertin, John Tukey, Leland Wilkinson, Colin Ware, and Tamara Munzner. We articulate three prominent values in these texts - universality, objectivity, and efficiency - and examine how these values permeate visualization tools, curricula, and research practices. We situate these values within a broader set of critiques that call for more diverse priorities and viewpoints. By articulating these tensions, we call for our community to embrace a more pluralistic range of values to shape our future visualization tools and guidelines.

A Critical Reflection on the Values and Assumptions in Data Visualization

TL;DR

This short position paper examines a set of values that are seen underlying the seminal works of Jacques Bertin, John Tukey, Leland Wilkinson, Colin Ware, and Tamara Munzner and articulate three prominent values - universality, objectivity, and efficiency.

Abstract

Visualization has matured into an established research field, producing widely adopted tools, design frameworks, and empirical foundations. As the field has grown, ideas from outside computer science have increasingly entered visualization discourse, questioning the fundamental values and assumptions on which visualization research stands. In this short position paper, we examine a set of values that we see underlying the seminal works of Jacques Bertin, John Tukey, Leland Wilkinson, Colin Ware, and Tamara Munzner. We articulate three prominent values in these texts - universality, objectivity, and efficiency - and examine how these values permeate visualization tools, curricula, and research practices. We situate these values within a broader set of critiques that call for more diverse priorities and viewpoints. By articulating these tensions, we call for our community to embrace a more pluralistic range of values to shape our future visualization tools and guidelines.
Paper Structure (15 sections, 3 figures)

This paper contains 15 sections, 3 figures.

Table of Contents

  1. Introduction
  2. Method
  3. Seminal texts
  4. Analysis
  5. Values Embodied in Normative Visualization
  6. Universality
  7. Objectivity
  8. Efficiency
  9. Value Interconnections
  10. Reflections
  11. Pedagogy
  12. Tools and practice
  13. Research
  14. Limitations
  15. Call to action

Figures (3)

  • Figure 1: Three illustrative cases of the Gestalt closure effect.
  • Figure 2: Illustrative spectrum of visual encodings for numerical data, drawing on established work in the field on visual channel effectiveness, such as Munzner’s framework munzner2014visualization, Cleveland and McGill’s graphical perception studies cleveland1984graphical, and Mackinlay’s ranking of perceptual tasks Mackinlay. The figure also lists visual attributes that are generally not ideal or inappropriate for representing quantitative information, like hue. These guidelines demonstrate how structured, procedural, and rule-based design systems shape typical encoding decisions and promote consistency in visualization practice.
  • Figure 3: The four datasets composing Anscombe's Quartet anscombe1973graphs. All four sets have identical statistical parameters, but a clean, straightforward visual representation readily illustrates their differences.