The recent Healthcare Communications Association (HCA) conference keynote on data visualisation from David McCandless still has me thinking!
With so much information around us, we need all the help we can get to effectively communicate complex ideas.
Data visualisation helps reveal the story behind the numbers. The clarity and beautiful design access different parts of our brains, helping us make sense of the information.
For example, just look at the image below explaining how multiple conditions increase COVID-19 transmission risk:
It distils complex data into an easy-to-understand message, as does the one below talking about at-risk groups.
I’m struck by how demystifying and democratising this is. It allows all of us to access information without specialist training. And if we can understand it, we can act on it.
That’s important in an age where information is everywhere.