I presented a version of this at a P&G Pet Care Global F&A Lunch and Learn. P&G-specific slides have been removed. Content from a Dan Young (P&G Corporate CMK) presentation shared with permission.

1. Data Visualization
Cognitive Psychology and Design
Principles for Effective Visual
Communication
Dan Sweet
March 2012

2. Finance & Accounting Challenges
• Communication
• Influence others more senior than you
• Effectively and persuasively share analysis
However, the bulk of the people we work with
are human. Humans are emotional creatures of
habit and don’t always listen to reason.

3. F&A’s role
• Rational objective analysis
• Accurate
• Impartial
• Dispassionate
ASSUMPTION: Objective Reality Exists
Does it?

7. Deciding on having surgery…
90% chance of survival
10% chance of death
Will you have the surgery?

10. Problem with humans
• Action preferred over accuracy
• Ambiguity is inherent in life
• Ambiguity ≈ Risk
• Risk  Negative Emotions
• Motivation: Pursuing Gains or Avoiding Losses
• Avoiding Losses > Pursuing Gains
Result is a tendency to make decisions on feelings
instead of knowledge
“Human Based Visual Communication” presentation by Dan Young – Corporate CMK

11. Much Information Processing is:
•Holistic
•Low Involvement
•Habitual
•Affect/Emotion Driven
•Driven by past experiences
“Human Based Visual Communication” presentation by Dan Young – Corporate CMK

12. Low Involvement Logic
Benefits of graphics that can be processed at this
level:
• Fluent Processing Of Highly Accessible
Information
• Feelings of Familiarity
• Approach Behavior
Key Question:
Given the question and the broader communication
context, is your graphic “message” intuitive?
“Human Based Visual Communication” presentation by Dan Young – Corporate CMK

13. Tell a Story
• Integrate information presented
• Create a more concrete and familiar context
• Lead to increased fluency/ease of processing the
information
• Create relevant emotions/affect
• Help link to existing knowledge
Make your message more memorable and likely to
impact behavior
“Human Based Visual Communication” presentation by Dan Young – Corporate CMK

14. Design Principles

15. Data-Ink Ratio

17. 2D vs. 3D

18. Why is 3D “harder”?
“Human Based Visual Communication” presentation by Dan Young – Corporate CMK

19. http://www.slideshare.net/janwillemtulp/data-visualization-5724069

20. http://www.slideshare.net/janwillemtulp/data-visualization-5724069

21. http://www.slideshare.net/janwillemtulp/data-visualization-5724069

22. http://www.slideshare.net/janwillemtulp/data-visualization-5724069

23. Accessibility

24. Using
Color

25. Application

26. Redesigned credit: www.perpetualedge.com

27. Credits
Cognitive psychology elements from a Dan Young
(Corporate CMK) presentation titled “Human Based
Visual Communication” presented at the 2011
Statistics Symposium.
Books written by Edward Tufte and Stephen Few
Stephen Few’s site: perceptualedge.com
http://www.slideshare.net/janwillemtulp/data-
visualization-5724069