Introduction:
In this conversation Miguel talks with Amanda Cox, Graphics Editor at The New York Times about creating information visualizations at the NYT. Amanda is one of the superstars in the field and you can find many of her visualizations here.
Guest Background:
Amanda Cox joined the Times graphics desk in 2005, where she creates charts and maps for the newspaper and its website. With a focus on data visualization, her work with colleagues has won several dozen awards, including top honors at Malofiej, the largest international infographics competition. She has a masters degree in statistics from the University of Washington and received the 2012 Excellence in Statistical Reporting Award from the American Statistical Association
Full Interview:
Note: Here is a link to Amanda’s visualization on unemployment which is mentioned during the interview.
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A couple of insights from the conversation include:
1. Keep your objective in mind.
Are you designing something to educate, entertain, enlighten, make decisions.
2. You are only as good as what you throw away.
Iterate, cut fat, and don’t be afraid to leave things out.
3. Distributions are more interesting than averages.
Respect data, understand that averages often disrespect what is truly happening in the world or in your story.
