Canadian Lawyer

18 O C T O B E R 2 0 1 7 w w w . C A N A D I A N L a w y e r m a g . c o m Recent research identifies two trends for dataviz: first, the sheer growth in data and information that must be pro- cessed for new understanding and deci- sion-making; and second, the increase in visual learners and thinkers. The blame for this increase lies in our new Instagram-like communication modes and the prevalence of touch-screen technologies. Together they create more visual interactions and experien- ces than reams of paper-based text and numbers ever did. Turning the dots of data on a page into an infographic or chart has the potential to illustrate new and differ- ent insights. There are some famous examples of this, such as "The Bil- lion-Dollar-Gram" by the Information is Beautiful website. It is an excellent example of visualizing data to provide new context. "289 billion spent on this. 400 billion spent on that. When money reaches this level it literally becomes mind-boggling. Yet these figures are regularly issued by the government — and the media — as if they are self-evident facts that everyone understands." David McCandless created the visualization to put these huge numbers in perspective and to create deeper meaning along the way. Tables of numbers ask the reader to find patterns and draw their own con- clusions. In contrast, the authors behind visualizations create connections on our behalf. They lead us to the insights that they have uncovered. We aren't forced to study and interpret the facts and figures to draw conclusions. But it also means we need to apply a more discern- ing eye to dataviz, infographics, charts and dashboards when we come across them. We need to ask ourselves whether we completely understand what we are seeing in the data. The tools for translating data into visuals are now easy and cheap; anyone can now convert a spreadsheet into a pretty chart with the click of a button. And some of those charts and visualiz- ations are pretty awful as a result. Head over to the Junk Charts blog (among others) to see some hilarious, and often worrying, examples of how easy it is to misinterpret data and draw wrong conclusions. This has led to calls for a "visual grammar" to apply rigour when creating such graphics. And as readers we need a visual literacy to engage deliberative and logical thinking when @k8simpson O P I N I O N Showing legal information in a more visual format has many benefits, but it can also be misleading By Kate Simpson Data visualizations an Roam wrote a book back in 2008 called The Back of the Napkin. It quickly became one of my essential reference books on my bookshelf. It seemed to give me permission to be terrible at drawing but at the same time to keep at it when words and numbers don't work. And, sometimes, they don't. In fact, recent studies suggest that by com- bining pictures and words (or numbers), we can achieve a deeper level of understanding than if we used either pictures or words alone. Combining text, numbers and visuals to draw deeper insights from text-bound law is behind the oncoming legal tidal wave of "data visual- izations" (or "dataviz" as the cool kids call it). D L E G A L I N N O VAT I O N N O W

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