DTS 4132 units400 LevelFirst Semester

Data Visualization for Data-driven Decision Making

B.Sc. Data Science, University of Uyo

DTS 413 (Data Visualization for Data-driven Decision Making) is a 2-unit, 400 Level course taught in the First Semester at the University of Uyo, Akwa Ibom State, Nigeria.

The theory and craft of visual communication: perception, encoding, chart selection, dashboard design and narrative. How an analysis becomes a decision.

On Areté, DTS 413 comes with

  • 3 recommended textbooks
  • an AI tutor that has read this course’s outline and notes
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Course outline

  1. 01Why visualisation works: visual perception, pre-attentive attributes and cognitive load
  2. 02The grammar of graphics: data, aesthetic mappings, geometries, scales, facets
  3. 03Choosing an encoding: position, length, angle, area, colour, shape — and their accuracy ranking
  4. 04Chart selection for comparison, distribution, composition, relationship and trend
  5. 05Colour: sequential, diverging and categorical palettes; colour-blind-safe design
  6. 06Common distortions: truncated axes, dual axes, misleading area, cherry-picked ranges
  7. 07Dashboard design: layout, hierarchy, interactivity and the audience's question
  8. 08Interactive and web visualisation: Plotly, Dash/Streamlit, D3 concepts
  9. 09Data storytelling: narrative structure, annotation and the single message per chart

Recommended textbooks

  • The Visual Display of Quantitative Information — Edward R. Tufte

    2nd ed. — the foundational text; still the best

  • Fundamentals of Data Visualization — Claus O. Wilke

    Free at clauswilke.com/dataviz; the most practical modern guide

  • Storytelling with Data — Cole Nussbaumer Knaflic

    On the communication half; short and immediately applicable

How to pass DTS 413

  • Learn the accuracy ranking of visual encodings (position beats length beats angle beats area beats colour) — it answers most "which chart?" questions on its own
  • Never use a pie chart with more than three slices, and be ready to justify that rule in the exam
  • Collect bad charts from newspapers and rebuild them properly; critique-and-redesign is the fastest way to develop judgement
  • Every chart should have one message. If you cannot state it in a sentence, split the chart in two

DTS 413 — questions and answers

What is DTS 413 at the University of Uyo?
DTS 413 (Data Visualization for Data-driven Decision Making) is a 2-unit, 400 Level course taught in the First Semester at the University of Uyo, Akwa Ibom State, Nigeria. The theory and craft of visual communication: perception, encoding, chart selection, dashboard design and narrative. How an analysis becomes a decision.
What topics are covered in DTS 413?
The DTS 413 outline covers 9 topics: Why visualisation works: visual perception, pre-attentive attributes and cognitive load; The grammar of graphics: data, aesthetic mappings, geometries, scales, facets; Choosing an encoding: position, length, angle, area, colour, shape — and their accuracy ranking; Chart selection for comparison, distribution, composition, relationship and trend; Colour: sequential, diverging and categorical palettes; colour-blind-safe design; Common distortions: truncated axes, dual axes, misleading area, cherry-picked ranges; Dashboard design: layout, hierarchy, interactivity and the audience's question; Interactive and web visualisation: Plotly, Dash/Streamlit, D3 concepts; Data storytelling: narrative structure, annotation and the single message per chart.
What textbooks are recommended for DTS 413?
Recommended reading for DTS 413: The Visual Display of Quantitative Information by Edward R. Tufte; Fundamentals of Data Visualization by Claus O. Wilke; Storytelling with Data by Cole Nussbaumer Knaflic.
How do I pass DTS 413?
Learn the accuracy ranking of visual encodings (position beats length beats angle beats area beats colour) — it answers most "which chart?" questions on its own Never use a pie chart with more than three slices, and be ready to justify that rule in the exam Collect bad charts from newspapers and rebuild them properly; critique-and-redesign is the fastest way to develop judgement Every chart should have one message. If you cannot state it in a sentence, split the chart in two
Where can I find DTS 413 lecture notes and past questions?
Areté (https://www.aretecyb.tech/courses/dts-413) carries 3 recommended textbooks for DTS 413, plus an AI tutor that has read the outline. It is free for University of Uyo students — sign in with your email, no password.

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