Whether you are new to data and information visualization or have been using visualization tools and techniques for a long time, there is always something new to learn. Here are short web tutorials that we think will help get you started .

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Getting It Right: Talking to Your Visualization Expert

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Public Context: Audience and Considerations

1. Public and Elected Officials.
   This audience can be one of the most critical to communicate with - and a tough audience to please. Agency and elected officials will tend to be very knowledgeable about the places that they work in and represent. They will seek out the location and appearance of specific buildings, landmarks, and facilities within the context of the visualization. They will also be very sensitive to how a project affects their constituents, the people they are beholden to. On the other hand, this is the group that a transportation agency may be most interested in communicating with to get their support for a project or proposal. This dynamic will be important to consider in designing visualization for this group.
2. Leaders of Community Associations, Community Groups and Neighborhood Groups, and Special Interest Groups.
   Visualizations being developed for Community Advisory Committees, task forces, small group meetings, or similar groups comprised of individuals leading or representing specific communities or neighborhoods will be very focused on function and form of a project within the community, or very focused on a specific issue of interest to the group that they represent. This is a tough public to design a visualization for (or any type of public interaction!). These individuals will tend to ask a lot of questions and want more details than perhaps are even available. For example, a project may be in planning but concerns may be expressed regarding its operation. Those designing the visualization and planning for this meeting will need to consider ways in which to keep the participants focused on germane issues and offer opportunities for other issues of interest to be explored in other forums or media.
3. General public.
   Visualizations to be used in large public meetings, on websites, publications, or other media targeting a large population of the general public typically don't face specific challenges or needs. It's important that the visualizations be clear and focused on the subject matter of interest to the decision making process. Therefore, it will be important to consider the full range of public issues that could arise from the various sectors of the public discussed.
4. Special Publics.
   Project visualizations targeting special interest groups such as the elderly, children, or a user group will require special consideration of the interests and needs of the targeted group. Examples of issues that might affect the quality and content of a visualization include a community's comfort level with technology and computers (such as the elderly), their facility with the English language (or other linguistics), their knowledge of the larger context in which a project is set - other communities, user groups, or interested parties. It's important also to think about how a given special group might be affected by a proposed project or plan to determine what issues to highlight in visualization. For example, a lower income community will be more interested in knowing about the effects of a proposed toll lane or tolled highway facility on free adjacent roads since they may be more inclined to seek the lower cost solution.

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