In taking this class, I hoped to learn how to create data visualizations in order to round out my studies as a Media and Communications Studies major at UW Bothell. Being able to produce a visual or a graphic alongside textual information is, in my opinion, a necessary skill in communicating data to a larger audience. Additionally, I have limited experience using visualization software or coding, so I thought that this would be a good introduction to both. In communications fields such as journalism and public relations, data visualizations are a good way to convey the meaning of a message, therefore upon taking this class I was interested in learning how I could implement the skills learned in this class in my future career plans.
One of the obstacles I had to overcome in this class was learning and implementing code in RStudio, as it did not come as easy to me as Tableau, the other visualization software we worked with in the course. I think I realized with increasing frequency, how much of a visual learner I am, while taking this class. For example, in Tableau you can essentially look at your visualization as you create it, step-by-step, whereas with R the code must be written first. When first using R, I felt like I did not know where the information was coming from, but I was still somehow making visuals. To overcome these difficulties, I took time to look at online resources on how to use R, and leaned on those in my circle who have experience coding. The main takeaways I learned from reaching out online and in person were that taking time to learn something is necessary in order to understand difficult concepts, as well as the importance of utilizing outside resources.
Over the course of the quarter, I learned a lot about the importance of data visualization in conveying data in addition to how to utilize Tableau and RStudio to create effective visuals. Through homework assignments and the final project, I was able to become somewhat comfortable navigating and creating visuals within either software. If tasked to create a visualization in either Tableau or RStudio, I believe that I could create a readable visual. Through class readings and discussions, I also learned the importance of creating an effective visualization, and the implications of creating a misleading or biased one. In addition, I have also learned how to be a discerning consumer of visualized data, and have found myself thinking more critically about the visualizations I see outside of class, specifically on news media platforms, as they produce a lot of visualized content that may not always be accurate or straightforward.
The information I have learned in this course will allow me in the future to look at the content I am producing and analyze whether or not there is any inherent bias playing out, or instances of misleading data. As a media professional, I think I will benefit from some of the communicative lessons I learned in this class, especially those relating to accessibility of information and clarity of presented ideas. Though it remains to be seen if I will end up in a place where I will be visualizing data in the future, the information I have received and lessons I have learned can be translated to any media or communications field I decide to pursue.