Data Visualization, Part 1

This issue aims to reach a broad and diverse set of practicing evaluators and researchers who are regularly required to communicate data and information to stakeholders. The issue is Part 1 of a two-part series on data visualization and evaluation. In Part 1, we introduce the evaluation community to recent developments in the quantitative and qualitative data visualization field and provide a historical perspective on data visualization, its potential role in evaluation practice, and future directions. The chapters in this part will discuss quantitative visualization methods such as tree maps, sparklines, and Web-based interactive visualization. The qualitative visualization chapter describes a conceptual framework for understanding the different types of qualitative data visualizations before providing examples of visualizations in various evaluation contexts. The end of Part 1 contains a toolography describing additional data visualization tools and software, along with brief descriptions of their major strengths and limitations. Our goal throughout this series is to introduce some fundamental concepts in data visualization, linked to daily practice. This volume is intended as a reference and as a source for guidance and ideas for evaluators who are interested in, designing, and struggling with data visualizations.