Data visualization for science communication

Data visualization is a powerful tool for communicating scientific findings. However, not all visualizations are equally effective - poor design choices can mislead audiences or fail to convey the correct message. This workshop will help you create clear and engaging visualizations while avoiding common pitfalls.

Why should you attend?

In this workshop, you will learn how to tailor visualizations for different contexts and apply best practices for clarity and accessibility, making sure your message gets across as intended. The workshop will cover key concepts and examples, where you will gain insights into effective data visualization techniques. There will also be hands-on learning, during which you will create data visualizations using provided datasets.

Who should attend?

This workshop is for students, researchers, professionals, and anyone interested in science communication. No prior experience in data visualization is required. Participants will use Excel to create data visualizations, with a step-by-step guide provided. 

What this workshop will not teach

This workshop will not delve into data cleaning or statistical analysis. The focus will be on designing data visualization for effective science communication.

Content

This workshop will combine theory, discussion, and practical exercises to help you create impactful data visualizations. 

1. Understanding the purpose of your visualization - How visualizations adapt based on the message, audience, and medium.

2. Best practices and common mistakes - How to effectively choose titles, captions, and colors, avoid misleading elements, and convey your message clearly.

3. Hands-on learning - Design a data visualization, adapting it for a specific context.

Preparation

• The workshop requires no preparation.

• It is recommended that you bring your own laptop. If you don’t have a laptop, please contact t.j.van.mourik@rug.nl so we can arrange one for you.

Result

By the end of this workshop, you will have a refined data visualization that effectively communicates a message to a specific audience. You will also gain a better understanding of how to apply best practices in data visualization to ensure clarity, accessibility and engagement.

Trainer

This course will be given by Cristina Pop and Theo van Mourik.

Enrollment and course fee

Attendance is free for UG staff and PhD-students, but registration is required.

More information

You can mail the coordinator Theo van Mourik (t.j.van.mourik@rug.nl) for more questions

_{This is Research Support Hub workshop. The Research Support Hub is a CIT initiative to support all researchers and PhD-candidates from throughout the University of Groningen on data management, geo-services, statistics, machine Learning, AI-tools and high performance computing.}