class: center, middle, title-slide .title[ # Telling a story ] .author[ ### Claus O. Wilke ] .date[ ### last updated: 2023-01-19 ] --- ## How did I end up teaching a class on data visualization? -- <img src = "telling-a-story_files/cowplot-logo.svg", width = 30%, style = "position:absolute; top: 22%; left: 13%;"></img> -- <img src = "https://clauswilke.com/dataviz/cover.png", width = 30%, style = "position:absolute; top: 20%; left: 53%; box-shadow: 3px 5px 3px 1px #00000080;"></img> --- ## What is a story? -- A story is a collection of observations, facts, or events presented in a specific order such that they create an .highlight[emotional reaction] --- ## Every story has an arc -- .center[ Opening ] -- .center[ <img src = "telling-a-story_files/arrow.svg", width = 3%, style = "margin-top: -0.5em; margin-bottom: -1em"></img> Challenge ] -- .center[ <img src = "telling-a-story_files/arrow.svg", width = 3%, style = "margin-top: -0.5em; margin-bottom: -1em"></img> Action ] -- .center[ <img src = "telling-a-story_files/arrow.svg", width = 3%, style = "margin-top: -0.5em; margin-bottom: -1em"></img> Resolution ] --- ## Every story has an arc .center[ Opening ] .center[ <img src = "telling-a-story_files/arrow.svg", width = 3%, style = "margin-top: -0.5em; margin-bottom: -1em"></img> .highlight[Challenge] ] .center[ <img src = "telling-a-story_files/arrow.svg", width = 3%, style = "margin-top: -0.5em; margin-bottom: -1em"></img> Action ] .center[ <img src = "telling-a-story_files/arrow.svg", width = 3%, style = "margin-top: -0.5em; margin-bottom: -1em"></img> .highlight[Resolution] ] .absolute-bottom-right[ Challenge and resolution are<br>the two most important parts ] --- ## Mapping my story onto this format -- **Opening:** We need to make many data visualizations in my lab -- **Challenge:** I end up telling my students the same things over and over -- **Action:** I go and write a book about data visualization -- **Resolution:** The book is written. But now I teach the material, so I still keep saying the same things over and over --- ## Other story structures -- .center.move-up-1em[ Action ] -- .center[ <img src = "telling-a-story_files/arrow.svg", width = 3%, style = "margin-top: -0.5em; margin-bottom: -1em"></img> Background ] -- .center[ <img src = "telling-a-story_files/arrow.svg", width = 3%, style = "margin-top: -0.5em; margin-bottom: -1em"></img> Development ] -- .center[ <img src = "telling-a-story_files/arrow.svg", width = 3%, style = "margin-top: -0.5em; margin-bottom: -1em"></img> Climax ] -- .center[ <img src = "telling-a-story_files/arrow.svg", width = 3%, style = "margin-top: -0.5em; margin-bottom: -1em"></img> Ending ] -- .absolute-bottom-right[ (Better for action movies<br>than for scientific reports) ] --- ## Mapping my story onto this format -- **Action:** In May 2017, I embark on a major project: Write a book on data visualization -- **Background:** I do this because we need to make many data visualizations in my lab, and I end up telling my students the same things over and over -- **Development:** Writing the book takes me almost two years; along the way, I add many features to ggplot2 and become a member of the ggplot2 team -- **Climax:** The book is released in April 2019 -- **Ending:** Now I'm a dataviz teacher --- ## Other story structures <br><br> -- .center[ Lead ] -- .center[ <img src = "telling-a-story_files/arrow.svg", width = 3%, style = "margin-top: -0.5em; margin-bottom: -1em"></img> Development ] -- .absolute-bottom-right[ (Commonly used in newspaper articles) ] --- ## Mapping my story onto this format -- **Lead:** Because I see the need for more education in data visualization, I have written an entire book about the topic -- **Development:** I had previously written an R package to improve figure design, but it wasn't sufficient: Good judgement cannot be automated -- So I wrote a book; the book is entirely about concepts, not about coding, and it is meant as a resource for anybody doing data visualizations, regardless of their preferred visualization software [//]: # "segment ends here" --- class: center middle ## Writing a scientific paper --- ## Writing a scientific paper: The Introduction -- Three paragraphs: -- **Paragraph 1:** What is the broad research area?<br>(Opening) -- **Paragraph 2:** What specifically do we not know?<br>(Challenge) -- **Paragraph 3:** What was done, what was found?<br>(Action/Resolution) --- ## Writing a scientific paper: The Results section -- Repeat the following structure for each experiment/analysis/figure: -- - What do we want to know? (Challenge) -- - What did we do? (Action) -- - What did we observe? (Results from the action) -- Don't interpret the findings, just report them --- ## Writing a scientific paper: The Discussion section -- First paragraph, repeat everything said so far: -- * What do we want to know? -- * What did we do? -- * What did we see? -- <br> Subsequent paragraphs, elaborate on these issues: -- * How can we interpret our findings? -- * How do our findings relate to other works in the field? -- * What are weaknesses/drawbacks of our work? [//]: # "segment ends here" --- class: center middle ## Telling a story with figures --- ## Example: Preprints in biology .center[ <!-- --> ] .absolute-bottom-right[ Opening ] ??? Figure redrawn from [Claus O. Wilke. Fundamentals of Data Visualization. O'Reilly, 2019.](https://clauswilke.com/dataviz) --- ## Example: Preprints in biology .center[  ] <div style = "position: absolute; top: 50%; left: 57%; width: 3.8in; background: white;"> What happened in 2014 to curtail the growth? </div> .absolute-bottom-right[ Challenge ] ??? Figure redrawn from [Claus O. Wilke. Fundamentals of Data Visualization. O'Reilly, 2019.](https://clauswilke.com/dataviz) --- ## Example: Preprints in biology .center[ <!-- --> ] .absolute-bottom-right[ Resolution ] <div style = "position: absolute; top: 65%; left: 60%; width: 3.8in; background: white;"> bioRxiv opened in 2014 </div> ??? Figure redrawn from [Claus O. Wilke. Fundamentals of Data Visualization. O'Reilly, 2019.](https://clauswilke.com/dataviz) --- ## Keep in mind -- - Every figure needs a clear purpose within the story arc -- - A complete arc will usually require at least two figures --- ## Prepare figures that make a clear point -- .center[ <!-- --> ] ??? Figure redrawn from [Claus O. Wilke. Fundamentals of Data Visualization. O'Reilly, 2019.](https://clauswilke.com/dataviz) --- ## Prepare figures that make a clear point .center[ <!-- --> ] <div style = "position: absolute; top: 24%; left: 45%; background: white;"> American and Delta<br>have the shortest delays </div> ??? Figure redrawn from [Claus O. Wilke. Fundamentals of Data Visualization. O'Reilly, 2019.](https://clauswilke.com/dataviz) --- ## Make your figures memorable --- background-image: url("https://clauswilke.com/dataviz/telling_a_story_files/figure-html/petownership-bar-1.png") background-position: left 50% top 60% background-size: 65% ## Make your figures memorable ??? Figure from [Claus O. Wilke. Fundamentals of Data Visualization. O'Reilly, 2019.](https://clauswilke.com/dataviz) --- background-image: url("https://clauswilke.com/dataviz/telling_a_story_files/figure-html/petownership-isotype-1.png") background-position: left 50% top 60% background-size: 65% ## Make your figures memorable ??? Figure from [Claus O. Wilke. Fundamentals of Data Visualization. O'Reilly, 2019.](https://clauswilke.com/dataviz) [//]: # "segment ends here" --- ## Further reading - Fundamentals of Data Visualization: [Chapter 29: Telling a story and making a point](https://clauswilke.com/dataviz/telling-a-story.html) - Joshua Schimel (2011) Writing Science: How to Write Papers That Get Cited and Proposals That Get Funded