How I Learned Data Visualization

Recent years have seen me dwelve into Data Analytics. But even before that, I was exploring Data Visualization.

It all began when I ran some experiments with HTML, CSS and JavaScript to produce bar charts. That was straightforward enough, though line charts and pie charts took a lot more creativity.

HTML//CSS/JavaScript projects.

During one of my job interviews, I came across something in the list of required skills - D3 or Highcharts. I did not pass that interview, but after seeing that requirement in other job descriptions, I got curious enough to look it up. What I found blew my mind.

Exploring D3

D3 was the first thing I explored on the official website. Half of the library functions did not make sense to me and I have never been great at reading documentation. Thus, there was one thing left to do. I copied the example code and pasted it into a script, then ran it. Then I started changing the code, finding out what would happen when I commented out certain lines, or changed certain numbers. With my findings, I now knew what to look up on the documentation.

D3 projects

Within a week of practice, I was able to replicate the results of my earlier experiments, but now using D3. And then I wrote web tutorials pertaining to creating that code, because teaching code is a great way to cement that knowledge in your brain.

My experimentation was stalled somewhat due to the fact that exploring D3 naturally brought me to explore SVG as well. This was fun as well, but only peripherally related to Data Visualization.

Exploring Highcharts

This portion of my exploration was delayed due to several reasons - struggles with the chaos caused in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic, experimentation in other areas and generally, bigger fish to fry. Yet, get to it I did eventually. Again, it began with the documentation in the official website, example code and a lot of trial and error before I produced my first web tutorial.

Highcharts project

At the time of this writing, I have yet to produce as extensively as I have done with D3. The only thing I have produced is a column chart in the same vein of what I had produced earlier with D3 and old-fashioned HTML, CSS and JavaScript... yet it was so easy that I suspect that even if I were to produce as many projects, it would not take me a lot of time.

I will sing the praises of Highcharts some other time.

Exploring other Data Visualization tools

Harkening back to almost the whole of 2021, I undertook a course in Data Analytics, an experience of which I will speak of another day. Suffice to say, part of the course covered Data Visualization. To whit, I was introduced to Data Visualization software which I had never encountered prior to this, such as Tableau, Spotfire and Power BI.

Data Visualization tools

It opened my eyes. Now I was no longer writing code to display the data; it was already being handled by these tools. Instead, I was doing the work prior to the Data Visualization. The cleaning. The reorganization. Making things make sense.

In other words, I was working on another level of the Data Visualization. I won't pretend that it wasn't sometimes mind-numbingly boring work, but it did give me a greater appreciation of the process.

All in all...

My little dive into Data Visualization was mostly brought on by professional curiosity. A curiosity that was in turn triggered by my almost obsessive need to know what things my industry wants of its professionals. But all the knowledge I have gained would not have been possible had I not followed up with the work required. This sounds like a lot of patting myself on the back, but what I really want to say is - stay curious, stay committed. It'll go a long way.

Serious as a chart attack,
T___T