Understanding Data Visualization Design Practice
Paul Parsons

TL;DR
This study explores how data visualization practitioners design in real-world settings, revealing they rely on situational judgment and precedent rather than systematic processes, which impacts research and education.
Contribution
It provides an in-depth, practice-led understanding of visualization design processes, highlighting differences from academic research approaches.
Findings
Practitioners rely on situated knowledge and judgment.
Design processes are non-systematic and context-dependent.
Practitioners draw from precedent and adapt methods in real-time.
Abstract
Professional roles for data visualization designers are growing in popularity, and interest in relationships between the academic research and professional practice communities is gaining traction. However, despite the potential for knowledge sharing between these communities, we have little understanding of the ways in which practitioners design in real-world, professional settings. Inquiry in numerous design disciplines indicates that practitioners approach complex situations in ways that are fundamentally different from those of researchers. In this work, I take a practice-led approach to understanding visualization design practice on its own terms. Twenty data visualization practitioners were interviewed and asked about their design process, including the steps they take, how they make decisions, and the methods they use. Findings suggest that practitioners do not follow highly…
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