The Importance of Propositional Density in Data Visualization

Actionauts Robert Rouse and Keith Helfrich continue their explorations of everyday design practices in this latest episode of The Sensemaker’s Video Podcast. Robert and Keith look at principles of mapping and sorting in chart design, trade-off in UIs, and Robert introduces the concept of propositional density (the relationship between the elements of a design and the meaning they convey) and how, by increasing propositional density, more information can be communicated in a single mark.

Robert argues that by rethinking our data visualizations, and applying a bit of extra design work, we can move beyond the defaults and create a more intuitive and efficient way of communicating information.