Seven Hats of Data Visualization
Data visualization has several subjects that form the basis of its unique nature of art and science. Additionally, the field of data visualization is gaining popularity and has become part of mainstream data resources. Data visualization has significant technical capabilities in enabling the writing and reading of data; however, it also has significant challenges, especially for learners trying to master the subject. For instance, data visualization creators have to acquire the skill of demonstrating sufficient knowledge using data visualizations.
The seven hats of data visualization refer to various non-scientific characteristics based on an instinctive sense of what is considered essential (Smit, Haan, & Buijs, 2014). The seven hats are randomly resented, in that there is none that has weight over the other. Generally, the seven hats do not have any hierarch, instead they present a collection of duties that require covering off.
One of the seven hats is the initiator. The initiator represents a leader, who is the individual seeking a solution to a particular problem. The initiator hat is of an explorer, whose primary aim is to explore data. The initiator also seeks to explore various design avenues to find answers that will address their audience’s problems or evidence according the researcher’s mindset. Initiators can either be commissioned with projects to explore these aspects or identify them on their own and conceive them. In cases where an initiator conceives a project on his own, he or she do it to fulfil the natural aspect of a thinker. This hat plays a vital role as it establishes the analytical direction that a project should take by identifying the purpose and motive. The initiator also identifies a key parameters around a project, such as definition of the brief. The leader is also responsible for identifying the audience size.
References
Kirk, A. (2016). Seven hats of data visualization.
Smit, G., Haan, Y., & Buijs, L. (2014). Visualizing news. Digital Journalism, 2(3), 344-354.
https://doi.org/10.1080/21670811.2014.897847