Telling a story

class: center, middle, title-slide

.title[
# Telling a story
]
.author[
### Claus O. Wilke
]
.date[
### last updated: 2024-01-29
]

---

## How did I end up teaching a class on data visualization?

---

## 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

.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

## Telling a story with figures

---

## Example: Preprints in biology

.center[
<img src="telling-a-story_files/figure-html/preprints-part1-1.svg" width="75%" />
]

.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[
<img src="telling-a-story_files/figure-html/preprints-part1-repeat-1.svg" width="75%" />
]

<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[
<img src="telling-a-story_files/figure-html/preprints-part2-1.svg" width="75%" />
]

.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[
<img src="telling-a-story_files/figure-html/arrival-delay-vs-distance-1.svg" width="75%" />
]

???

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[
<img src="telling-a-story_files/figure-html/mean-arrival-delay-nyc-1.svg" width="75%" />
]

<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