The Five Types of People Who Use Visualization

Not all visualizations are created equal — some educate, some help to get a job done, and some simply amaze. The audience is clear on which one they want, but all too often they get a one-size-fits-all solution where some needs are met only some of the time. As my daughter’s preschool teacher liked to say, “You get what you get, and don’t pitch a fit.”

In the recent past, limitations in the tools and techniques of data visualization made this a reasonable approach. However, the proliferation of accessible tools and masters to learn from has dramatically decreased the time and cost of creating customized visualizations for a diverse set of users. Knowing this, users want and expect visuals that are tailored to who they are and what they’re trying to accomplish.

One approach could be to create a unique solution for each and every one of them so that all needs are met all of the time, but a world in which all those solutions have to be managed and maintained is not a world anyone wants to live in. The maximum usefulness of total customization is not worth the maximum effort required to pull it off.

A better approach is to consider how a visualization’s target users share important similarities with a larger group of user types, and then design for the most common needs of the group. This allows for a more reasonable…