Grafische Communicatie
Announcements 2002
- Oct. 15, 2002: The description of the final project
is now available. Students who opt for a final project
are exempted from the examination.
Description
This course in graphical communication concerns
informational graphics---how information is transmitted by means of
pictures, including the visual accompaniement of oral and written
presentations of the sort found in scientific or business
communications. In this course we critically examine graphical
communication in a bottom-up fashion, i.e., by looking at lots of
different kinds of graphics rather than proceeding from a general
theory. Students will bcome acquainted with graphical communication
not only through critical examination, but also by experimenting with
graphical renderings made by readily available software. Most of the
following will be the subject of study: textual tables, `bullet lists'
(lists of keywords set off by `bullets', i.e., heavy dots), headings,
schedules, barcharts, histograms, piecharts, line graphs,
scatterplots, maps, schematics, flowcharts, genealogical trees,
organizational charts, time series, Gantt and Pert charts.
Nederlandse Beschrijving
Goals
The focus of the course is on informational graphics, of
the sorts listed in the description above. We shall
have little to say about graphics which appeal to emotion, such as
most advertisements, photos, sketches.
At the end of this course students should be able to do all of the
following:
- understand common types of informational graphics;
- criticize common informational graphics, especially
those which distort information or are otherwise
misleading;
- create simple informational graphics effectively using
standard software, in particular tables; histograms and bar
charts, scatter-plots, node-and-edge graphics; and
- use these graphics in written reports and verbal
presentation
The technical means needed to make graphics accessible via the World-Wide
Wide is not the subject of this course, but rather the
subject of Electronisch Publiceren (in Alfa-informatiekunde) and Tekst en
Informatietechnologie (in Communicatie- en Informatiewetenschap).
Book
Edward Tufte The Visual Display of Quantitative
Information Cheshire, Conn, USA: Graphics Press. 1983.
Instructors
John Nerbonne, nerbonne@let.rug.nl, H1311.436
Nicolaas Roelfsema, N.D.Roelfsema@let.rug.nl, H1311.427
Office Hours (JN): Mon. 17-18 (after lecture)
Meeting Times (2002)
Lecture: Mon. 15-17 pm Academiegeb. 8
Laboratory: Thurs.9-11 am H1312.126-132
Practical Sessions
For practical assignments we assume you have an account on LO1. You
can obtain an account from Mr. Da Costa, Harmonie 1313, room 438,
Mon-Fri-vrij 10.30-12.00, Mon-Thurs 14-15.30. Bring your collegekaart
along!
Grading
This course is normally taken for three credit hours (studiepunten).
In that case, grades depend on practical exercises (20%), an oral
presentation supported by visual material (20%), and
a written exam (60%). The course may also be taken for four points,
in which a small project must be done reporting on a form of
informational graphic which isn't otherwise covered. We have
several suggestions for addtional projects
which may be done. In the four-point variant the exam counts 40%,
the extra project 20%, and the other sections the same.
Lectures
| Week |
Theme |
Readings |
Sheets |
Remarks |
| 1. Sept 2 |
Why Graphically? |
|
Motivation
|
|
| |
Context |
|
Graphics in Oral, Written Presentation
|
Bertin's
Graphic Classifier
|
| 2. Sept. 9 |
Weather Maps |
Tufte, Ch.1,5 |
Looking Closely
|
Weather map notes
|
| |
Tables |
|
Organizing Tables
|
Table notes.
|
| |
|
|
|
Table notes, 2.
|
| 3. Sept 16 |
Numerical Graphs |
Tufte Ch.2-4 |
Basic Numerical Graphs
|
Numerical notes |
| 4. Sept. 23 |
|
|
Problematic Numerical Graphs
|
|
| |
|
Tufte, Ch.6 |
Numeric Relations
|
|
| -- Sept. 30 |
No class. |
|
No class. Instructor abroad. |
|
| 5. Oct. 7 |
Node & Edge Graphs |
|
Family Trees, Syntax Trees
|
Org Charts
|
| |
Dynamic Edges |
|
Classification, State Diagrams, and Internet Communication
|
|
| |
|
|
Flowcharts, Dataflow Diagrams, Chemical Diagrams
|
Flowcharts
|
| 6. Oct. 14 |
Time |
|
Gantt and Pert Charts
|
Management graphics |
| |
|
|
|
Animation
|
| 7. Oct. 21 |
Principles |
Tufte, Part II |
Kosslyn's Maxims
|
|
| 8. Oct. 28 |
Maps, Schematics |
|
Maps, Intro
|
Map notes |
| |
|
|
Dialect Maps
|
|
| 9. Nov. 4 |
|
|
Roelfsema on Pictograms
|
|
| 10. Nov. 11 |
Graphics in User Interfaces
|
|
Usability
|
Usability and Graphics |
| |
Exam Preparation |
|
|
Sample Exam |
Acknowledgements
A good deal of the material, particularly that in the notes, was
originally collected and analysed by students. I'm pleased to thank
the following: So Young van Hoeven (Weather Maps); Manfred
Schürhof (Class Schedules); Martijn Langenhuizen and Rutger
Wessels (Top Pop Charts and "How-To's" in Word, HTML & Excel Tables);
Arthur de Groot (Maps); Esra van den Akker and Marten de Vuyst
(Organization Charts); Ielka van der Sluis (Flowcharts); and Rutger
Wessels, Robert Bouma, and Martijn Langerhuizen (Project Management
Graphics). Nicolaas Roelfsema put together most of the practical
exercises, and Peter Meindertsma cleaned up the .html in the
practicals.
Five written exercises plus one power point presentation.
John Nerbonne
Last modified: Tues Sept 10, 2002
