HIMS 640

Catalog description

The course introduces the systematic use of visualization techniques for supporting the discovery of new information as well as the effective presentation of known facts. Properly constructed visualizations allow us to analyze data by exploring it from different perspectives and using the power of our visual system to quickly review reveal patterns and relationships. Based on principles from art, graphic design, perceptual psychology and rhetoric, this course offers students an opportunity to learn how to successfully choose appropriate visual languages for representing various kinds of data to support insights relevant to the users goals. Covers principles of visual perception and color theory for revealing patterns in data; narrative strategies for communicating and presenting information and evidence; and the critical evaluation and critique data visualizations. Students will also learn how to use Tableau, a state-of-the-art information visualization tool to produce and deliver visualizations and dashboards quickly and easily. Skills learned in this course are demonstrated with the creation of a dashboard and a final data visualization project.