CS5044: Information Visualisation
This module is offered in 2025-26.
Aims
- To provide an overview of the area of information visualisation and how it is applied in different professional and casual contexts.
- To introduce the principles and methods of creating effective information visualisations.
- To allow students to experiment with different ways of visualising data in a hands-on way.
- To provide the skills to critically assess existing visual displays of data.
Learning Outcomes
On successful completion of this module, the student should:
- Be able to design and justify the design of a visual representation of a given data set.
- Be able to critically assess the design of a data visualisation based on the nature of its underlying data, targeted audience, and general purpose.
- Be able to make use of existing low- and high-level visualization toolkits to create effective information visualisations.
- Be able to communicate and document their visualisation design process and outcomes.
Syllabus
- The purpose and principles of information visualisation and visual analytics.
- What to visualise: data types, datasets and attributes.
- How to visualise information: visual variables and perception.
- Why to visualise information: actions, tasks, and goals.
- Basic visualisation techniques.
- Interaction design: facilitating interactive analysis and exploration.
- Visualisation toolkits.
- Application areas.
- Evaluation of information visualisations.
Compulsory Elements
This module has no compulsory elements beyond those common to all modules (mark of 4 in each assessment component).
Module Delivery
- Areti Manataki
- Abd Ardati (support)
- Angela Miguel (support)