Nightingale

Shirley Wu

Senses & Sentiment: When data is too emotional for the screen

After doing data visualization work for eleven years, in 2021 I decided to go back to school to gain the skills and tools for creating..

Or Misgav

A Garden of Sleep: Tracking the Emotional Distance Between Two Bedtimes

For the past six months, my husband and I haven’t gone to sleep at the same time.We both work full-time and raise two young children,..

Shanfan Huang

4 Months, 2 Programs, 6 Advisers: How I Pivoted Careers through Communal Learning

When I decided to pivot my career, I quickly ruled out going back to school. Not just because it would be expensive, but because I’ve..

Fe Simeoni

Datafying Mixed Social Identities: Nonbinarity as the Complementary of Intersectionality

Capturing mixed social identities through categorical data presents significant challenges. Nonbinarity provides a conceptual, computational, and visual framework for reimagining social identities beyond binary oppositions…

Damla Çay, Dario Rodighiero & Weidi Zhang

Visualizing as a Form of Collective Care

Care is easy to recognize on a personal level, especially when it takes the form of small, attentive gestures woven into daily life. We see..

Latest articles

Lorenzo Amabili, Eduard Gröller & Renata G. Raidou

July 11, 2025

Leveraging Popular Board Games to Teach Data Visualization Through Play

What if your favorite board games didn’t just entertain you but also taught you how to interpret scatter plots, recognize chart types, and sharpen your..

Andrew Gelman & Susan Kruglinski

July 10, 2025

Statistical Graphics and Comics: Parallel Histories of Visual Storytelling

What do data visualization and comics have in common? One of these is used to communicate in science and journalism, and the other appears in..

Sylwia Nowakowska

June 25, 2025

Creating Data Art with GenAI: Diffusive Alpine Metamorphosis

Living in Switzerland, I cherish time spent in nature. The majestic Alps, winding rivers, and serene lakes are perfect places for me to find rest..

Or Misgav

June 24, 2025

A Garden of Sleep: Tracking the Emotional Distance Between Two Bedtimes

For the past six months, my husband and I haven’t gone to sleep at the same time.We both work full-time and raise two young children,..

Melissa Alexander

June 23, 2025

“Can We Have That?”: The Consequences of Under-Scoping Your Data Projects

In the ever-evolving field of data visualization, no-code/low-code tools like Tableau and Power BI have become indispensable for quickly transforming data into accessible, actionable insights...

Neil Richards

June 18, 2025

REVIEW: Be Data Literate (Second Edition) by Jordan Morrow

The first edition of “Be Data Literate” by Jordan Morrow was published in 2021, and this second edition, hot on its heels, has been updated..

Shanfan Huang

June 17, 2025

4 Months, 2 Programs, 6 Advisers: How I Pivoted Careers through Communal Learning

When I decided to pivot my career, I quickly ruled out going back to school. Not just because it would be expensive, but because I’ve..

Gulrez Khan

June 16, 2025

From Homemaker to Data Storyteller: Lessons from a Local Analytics Class

Recently, I concluded a 6-weeks intensive Data Analytics Course in our local community. I vividly remember how participants responded when I asked each to introduce..

Fe Simeoni

June 10, 2025

Datafying Mixed Social Identities: Nonbinarity as the Complementary of Intersectionality

Daria Voronova

June 9, 2025

The Shape of Why

From descriptive to prescriptive: How AI in data visualization is evolving from plotting the “What” to telling the “Why”.Today’s AI systems can draw charts. Some..

Sachi Mahajan

June 5, 2025

Decoding the Influence of Visual Data in Consumer Decisions

Do you ever wonder why your eyes dart to a flashy “50% OFF” sticker? or an appetite-stimulating visual of potato chips on a pack in..

Damla Çay, Dario Rodighiero & Weidi Zhang

June 4, 2025

Visualizing as a Form of Collective Care

Care is easy to recognize on a personal level, especially when it takes the form of small, attentive gestures woven into daily life. We see..

DVS Editor

June 3, 2025

What Can Business Dashboard Designers Learn from the Information Is Beautiful Awards?

Why do I still love the field of data visualisation after 20 years? It’s the levers that exist between form and function, beauty and insight,..

Andy Krackov

June 3, 2025

Data About America’s Communities Are In Jeopardy, and Lives May Hang in the Balance

Over the years, I’ve worked with counties across California focused on combating drug overdose in their communities. My goal is to help local organizations leverage..

Kenneth Odoh

May 22, 2025

Scrollytelling with Closeread: The Super Low-Code Way to Bring Your Data Project to the Web!

Introduction What is Scrollytelling?Scrollytelling is a dynamic, interactive storytelling technique often used in web-based formats, that reveals insights, visuals, and narrative elements as the user..

Some of our favorite articles:

Topics in Dataviz

What Makes A Data Visualisation Elegant?

On a dedicated channel, #dvs-topics-in-data-viz, in the Data Visualization Society Slack, our members discuss questions and issues pertinent to the field of data visualization. Discussion..

Topics in Dataviz

Asterisk Nation: One Tribe’s Challenge to Find Data About its Population

The Yurok Tribe in far northern California needs to address a condition plaguing numerous rural communities in the United States: addiction and substance misuse. Across..

Topics in Dataviz

Six Ways to Bring Empathy into your Data

One of the big challenges in visualizing data, and quantitative research in general, is helping readers connect with the content. Connecting directly with people and..

Topics in Dataviz

Visualizing Small Victories

Everyone loves a trophy! Okay, it’s not that simple. Still, we humans love to mark milestones and accomplishments. Trophies are tangible reminders of those fleeting moments of victory...

Topics in Dataviz

Indelible Impressions: Why You Won’t Forget the Map Room Project

In my quest to improve data fluency among those who think of themselves as non-data people, I am always on the lookout for physical manifestations..

Design

What Board Games Teach Us About Data Visualization

Recently I visited the biggest trade fair for board games in the world. The Internationale Spieltage (Spiel) takes place annually in my current hometown of Essen in..

Topics in Dataviz

The Soul of Data: Data Physicalizations on Fabric

When my area went into lockdown in March of 2020, initial case counts were relatively low in my state, even as the coasts were plunged into..

Topics in Dataviz

Did Data Visualization Erase the Woman from Women’s Work?

As the world changed over the past two years, more and more of my friends took to handcrafts like quilting and knitting as a counterbalance..

Spotlight on community:

Jason Forrest

April 3, 2025

My 6 Years at Nightingale: 1,443 Digital Articles, 5 Print Magazines, and a Whole Lot of Love

This article will mark my last one as the Editor-in-chief of Nightingale. Yes, it's time for me to pass the torch to the current team, and announce our new editor-in-chief: RJ Andrews! In this article I tell the story of Nightingale and reveal of my master plan of the last 6 years.

datacitron

March 15, 2025

Good Morning Data #10 | The Inspiration Geotag

The Inspiration Geotag or “Why are we unable to find inspiration when we try to locate it?”Sure, I could wait five minutes more, right? I..

Nightingale Editors

March 6, 2025

3 Data Points from New DVS Board Members

The start to 2025 saw the induction of four new Data Visualization Society board members. As they begin their respective duties to elevate DVS, we..

Frederic Fery

February 4, 2025

Harnessing Data for a Better World

The world is filled with challenges, but also opportunities. As a data professional, I’ve always believed in the transformative power of data to solve problems..

Celebrating the dataviz of W.E.B. Du Bois:

Topics in Dataviz

W. E. B. Du Bois’ staggering Data Visualizations are as powerful today as they were in 1900 (Part 1)

One of the most powerful examples of data visualization was made 118 years ago by an all-black team led by W.E.B. Du Bois only 37..

Historic Dataviz

Data Journalism in the study of W.E.B. Du Bois’s “The Negro Problem” (Part 2)

One of the most powerful examples of data visualization was made 118 years ago by an all-black team led by W.E.B. Du Bois only 37..

Topics in Dataviz

Exploring the Craft and Design of W.E.B. Du Bois’ Data Visualizations (Part 3)

One of the most powerful examples of data visualization was made 118 years ago by an all-black team led by W.E.B. Du Bois only 37..

Topics in Dataviz

Style and Rich Detail: On Viewing an Original W.E.B. Du Bois Data Visualization (Part 4)

An all-black team led by W.E.B. Du Bois made one of the most powerful examples of data visualization 118 years ago, only 37 years after..

Topics in Dataviz

The Legacy of W.E.B. Du Bois’s “The Exhibit of American Negroes” (Part 5)

An all-black team led by W.E.B. Du Bois made one of the most powerful examples of data visualization 118 years ago, only 37 years after..

Topics in Dataviz

Discovering an Unknown Chart from W.E.B. Du Bois’s “The Exhibition of American Negroes” (Part 6)

Activist and sociologist W. E. B. Du Bois created “The Exhibit of American Negroes” at the Exposition Universelle of 1900 in Paris in collaboration with Booker T. Washington, prominent black..

Alena Boucher & Christina Stoiber

May 20, 2025

Cards, Charts, and Strategy: A Game-Based Approach to Data Visualization for Pattern

In today’s society, the ability to read and interpret data visualizations has become a critical skill in both professional and academic contexts. Therefore, fostering visualization..

Shafeeq Ur Rahaman & Mahe Jabeen Abdul

May 15, 2025

Transforming AI-Driven Data Analytics with DeepSeek: A Critical Analysis of Visualization Capabilities

Artificial intelligence (AI) has made significant strides in revolutionizing data visualization. From simplifying complex datasets to automating real-time insights, AI-powered tools are changing how businesses,..

Stefanie Plankensteiner & Christina Stoiber

May 13, 2025

Drawagram: A Game-Based Learning Approach to Teach Time-based Data Visualization

Drawagram is a card game based on creativity and interaction that explores the fundamental ideas behind the development of simple time-based data visualizations. Players create..

Shirley Wu

April 30, 2025

Senses & Sentiment: When data is too emotional for the screen

After doing data visualization work for eleven years, in 2021 I decided to go back to school to gain the skills and tools for creating..

Teodora Popescu

April 29, 2025

The Art of the Trump Tracker: How Data Viz Can Combat News Fatigue

Since coming into office for his second term, President Donald Trump has issued more than 124 executive orders—with nearly as many lawsuits filed in response...

Yuqi Liao

April 24, 2025

Do students around the world think they know more than they do?

Analyzing PISA data to uncover patterns of overclaiming in mathematics. CategoriesTopics in Dataviz TagsData HumanismData VisualizationInteractives

Emma Rubin

April 21, 2025

The Endless Stories in Baby Name Data

Throughout my time as a student I was used to being known with a last initial. My first name Emma has consistently ranked in the..

Jason Forrest

April 16, 2025

The “Dashboard” is Broken

The value of dashboards has eroded. When executives hear the word “dashboard” today, they envision standard charts in BI platforms—obligatory elements for meetings rather than..

Nightingale Editors

April 7, 2025

The ‘Gale Archive

The ‘Gale has been a staple of information sharing and communication for Nightingale readers since 2021. Here you will find an archive of past issues,..

Christian Osborne

April 4, 2025

The Hidden Toll: Microaggressions and the Impact on People of Color in the Workplace

Minority groups face microaggressions regularly in their day-to-day lives, but these incidents are most encountered in the workplace, often more than are documented. Many in..

Natalia Kiseleva

March 26, 2025

Paperbase: A Window into Photographic Paper History

The Lens Media Lab at Yale University’s Institute for the Preservation of Cultural Heritage has created Paperbase, an interactive platform for exploring the world’s largest..

Dawn Arvelo

March 21, 2025

Mentorship Trumps DEI

Whether you are for or against diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI), you have undoubtedly seen or heard about it. The Trump Administration signed an Executive..

Data Humanism

Beyond the Binary: Improving Data Visualization for Intersectional Identities

Personal and group identity are foundational to the human experience, shaping our values, relationships, and self-perceptions. These identities intersect across categories like gender, race, ethnicity,..

Kidz Dataviz

From Moonsighting to Ramadan Data Journaling

As I was heading out to the mosque for the evening prayer, I heard a soft voice from the kitchen—”Abbu, wait! I’ll join you.”It was..

Topics in Dataviz

Why Your Teen Doesn’t Care About Driving

My own parents were baffled when I showed no interest in getting a permit or driver’s license in high school, and looking around my school,..

Historic Dataviz

Napoleon, Trump, and the Best Statistical Graphic Ever Drawn

Now that I have your attention, let me ask you three simple yes-or-no questions. Why you have seen Minard’s diagram of Napoleon’s invasion of RussiaWhen..

Topics in Dataviz

How to Get a Job

This article was originally published in Nightingale Magazine Issue 5 as “How to Get Work”.Not many people know this, but I had a protracted search..

Topics in Dataviz

What Does AI Understand About a Graph?

A Conversation With a Chatbot About a Graph How much does AI know about understanding and producing graphs? I don’t mean mathematical graphs of nodes and edges. Rather, I mean common graphs..

Topics in Dataviz

Good Morning Data #9 | The Error Message Longing

The Error Message Longing or “How we should always treasure our mistakes“The conversation was loud and happy, scattered with high-pitched laughs that were probably annoying..

Topics in Dataviz

The 4th Wave: Democratization

This article is a continuation of A Changing World Speaking a shared languageData visualizations are themselves accessibility tools to see patterns and make comparisons, sometimes..

Topics in Dataviz

The 4th Wave: A Changing World

For decades now, we’ve seen data visualization become a part of our lives politically, socially, and culturally, rather than just being a tool at work..

Kidz Dataviz

Cultivating Data Literacy with Board Games

बस हवा से भरे गुब्बारे हैं ये सुई चुभा दो तो फट जायेंगे।लोग गुस्से में Bomb नहीं बना करते !~Gulzar Rough translation of the above lines..

Business Intelligence

Healthcare Insights Using Voice-Generated Data Visualizations

Dr. Erin Stevens collapses into her office chair after another hectic day at the clinic. She just spent 10 straight hours bouncing between patients without..

Topics in Dataviz

I Stopped Using Box Plots: The Aftermath

I recently learned that my 2021 article about why I no longer use box plots is now the second-most-read article in Nightingale’s history🤯 (or, at..

Topics in Dataviz

This Map Helps Fascists

The Size of Countries is Not Meaningful in Any SenseYou’ve surely seen this map or a variation of it somewhere on the internet. If, like..

Topics in Dataviz

Building Community With Data and Visualization

Stumbling into a small peer support communityI arrived at Outlier 2021 eager to learn and explore. I was a few years into my transition from..

Topics in Dataviz

Insights from NYC’s Holiday Tipping Tradition

Every December, New Yorkers face a unique dilemma: the holiday tipping tradition. In buildings with doormen, supers (live-in maintenance staff), and porters (cleaning and maintenance..

Data Art

Healing Through Data Visualization

This project shows data visualization I used to reflect on my healing process and find closure after a traumatic event. I recorded the literal number..

Topics in Dataviz

Three Minutes and Forty Seconds: A Slow Horse Running

In Apple TV+’s Slow Horses, River Cartwright spends exactly 3 minutes and 40 seconds running in Season 1 alone. This observation started as a joke..

Dataviz Horror Stories

Community

Dataviz Horror Stories: Shirley Wu

Have you ever made an embarrassing mistake in a data visualization? Did you utterly fail to meet your client’s or boss’s vision? Did you proudly..

Community

Histórias Aterradoras em Visualização de Dados: Jorge Camões

Read this article in English here. Alguma vez cometeu um erro constrangedor numa visualização de dados? Passou por completo ao lado da visão do cliente..

Topics in Dataviz

Dataviz Horror Stories: Jon Schwabish

Jon Schwabish, co-author with Alice Feng of the “Do No Harm” guide, tells his children five things: Be honest Be kind Be respectful Be hard..

Topics in Dataviz

Dataviz Horror Story: How I Crashed the Top Exec’s Email

Have you ever made an embarrassing mistake in a data visualization? Did you utterly fail to meet your client’s or boss’s vision? Did you proudly..

Community

Dataviz Horror Story: Miriam Quick

Have you ever made an embarrassing mistake in a data visualization? Did you utterly fail to meet your client’s or boss’s vision? Did you proudly..

Community

Dataviz Horror Story: Jacque Schrag

We’ve all made embarrassing dataviz mistakes, whether we’re beginners or superstars. This series of Horror Stories aims to normalize “failure” as part of professional development...

Data Journalism

Charting Progress: Mapping Women’s Advancement in Entrepreneurship and Financial Inclusion

In 1985–the year I was born–there were only two women holding the role of CEO at Fortune 500 companies. To date, 52 women now hold..

Data Science

Distortion by Design

Distortion noun /dɪˈstɔːr.ʃən/ — A change to the intended or true meaning of something; a change to the original or natural shape of something; a..

Community

Dear Nightingale: It’s Natural

This article originally appeared in Issue 5 of Nightingale magazine. (Get your copy here!) This challenge is brought to you by data visualization artist Jessica Russo. ChallengeCreate a..

Topics in Dataviz

No Pain (Points), No (Design) Gain: Strengthen Feedback by Making It About Their Needs

Feedback elevates work, but only when it is done right. If the feedback is personal—or solely about potential solutions—it can stand in the way of..

Topics in Dataviz

The XYZ of Work-Related Stress

How various stress factors show up in different generationsAccording to the 2024 State of the Global Workplace report by Gallup, people’s mental well-being has deteriorated..

Topics in Dataviz

Bargaining, Bending, Breaking Boundaries: CEST-LA-VIZ Conference Highlights

RENDEZVOUS AT CEST-LA-VIZ ren·dez·vous [noun] — a meeting at an agreed time and place.Last year, the S-H-O-W Conference by Graphic Hunters was meant to be..

Community

A Note from the Program Manager of the 2024 Information is Beautiful Awards

As the Program Manager for the 2024 Information is Beautiful Awards, I am honored and thrilled to play a role in celebrating the artistry, innovation,..

Data Art

From Data to Art: Making “Rat Revolution”

In March 2024, we unveiled “Rat Revolution” at the Data Through Design exhibition. “Rat Revolution” can be described as a light sculpture or a physical..

Topics in Dataviz

Good Morning Data #8 | The Mysterious Affair of Style

The Mysterious Affair of Style or “How do you (and should you in fact) find your style in data visualization?“It was the doom scrolling the..

Nightingale

Senses & Sentiment: When data is too emotional for the screen

A Garden of Sleep: Tracking the Emotional Distance Between Two Bedtimes

4 Months, 2 Programs, 6 Advisers: How I Pivoted Careers through Communal Learning

Datafying Mixed Social Identities: Nonbinarity as the Complementary of Intersectionality

Visualizing as a Form of Collective Care

Latest articles

Leveraging Popular Board Games to Teach Data Visualization Through Play

Statistical Graphics and Comics: Parallel Histories of Visual Storytelling

Creating Data Art with GenAI: Diffusive Alpine Metamorphosis

A Garden of Sleep: Tracking the Emotional Distance Between Two Bedtimes

“Can We Have That?”: The Consequences of Under-Scoping Your Data Projects

REVIEW: Be Data Literate (Second Edition) by Jordan Morrow

4 Months, 2 Programs, 6 Advisers: How I Pivoted Careers through Communal Learning

From Homemaker to Data Storyteller: Lessons from a Local Analytics Class

Datafying Mixed Social Identities: Nonbinarity as the Complementary of Intersectionality

The Shape of Why

Decoding the Influence of Visual Data in Consumer Decisions

Visualizing as a Form of Collective Care

What Can Business Dashboard Designers Learn from the Information Is Beautiful Awards?

Data About America’s Communities Are In Jeopardy, and Lives May Hang in the Balance

Scrollytelling with Closeread: The Super Low-Code Way to Bring Your Data Project to the Web!

From our sponsors

Some of our favorite articles:

What Makes A Data Visualisation Elegant?

Asterisk Nation: One Tribe’s Challenge to Find Data About its Population

Six Ways to Bring Empathy into your Data

Visualizing Small Victories

Indelible Impressions: Why You Won’t Forget the Map Room Project

What Board Games Teach Us About Data Visualization

The Soul of Data: Data Physicalizations on Fabric

Did Data Visualization Erase the Woman from Women’s Work?

Spotlight on community:

My 6 Years at Nightingale: 1,443 Digital Articles, 5 Print Magazines, and a Whole Lot of Love

Good Morning Data #10 | The Inspiration Geotag

3 Data Points from New DVS Board Members

Harnessing Data for a Better World

Celebrating the dataviz of W.E.B. Du Bois:

W. E. B. Du Bois’ staggering Data Visualizations are as powerful today as they were in 1900 (Part 1)

Data Journalism in the study of W.E.B. Du Bois’s “The Negro Problem” (Part 2)

Exploring the Craft and Design of W.E.B. Du Bois’ Data Visualizations (Part 3)

Style and Rich Detail: On Viewing an Original W.E.B. Du Bois Data Visualization (Part 4)

The Legacy of W.E.B. Du Bois’s “The Exhibit of American Negroes” (Part 5)

Discovering an Unknown Chart from W.E.B. Du Bois’s “The Exhibition of American Negroes” (Part 6)

Cards, Charts, and Strategy: A Game-Based Approach to Data Visualization for Pattern

Transforming AI-Driven Data Analytics with DeepSeek: A Critical Analysis of Visualization Capabilities

Drawagram: A Game-Based Learning Approach to Teach Time-based Data Visualization

Senses & Sentiment: When data is too emotional for the screen

The Art of the Trump Tracker: How Data Viz Can Combat News Fatigue

Do students around the world think they know more than they do?

The Endless Stories in Baby Name Data

The “Dashboard” is Broken

The ‘Gale Archive

The Hidden Toll: Microaggressions and the Impact on People of Color in the Workplace

Paperbase: A Window into Photographic Paper History

Mentorship Trumps DEI

Beyond the Binary: Improving Data Visualization for Intersectional Identities

From Moonsighting to Ramadan Data Journaling

Why Your Teen Doesn’t Care About Driving

Napoleon, Trump, and the Best Statistical Graphic Ever Drawn

How to Get a Job

What Does AI Understand About a Graph?

Good Morning Data #9 | The Error Message Longing

The 4th Wave: Democratization

The 4th Wave: A Changing World

Cultivating Data Literacy with Board Games

Healthcare Insights Using Voice-Generated Data Visualizations

I Stopped Using Box Plots: The Aftermath

This Map Helps Fascists

Building Community With Data and Visualization

Insights from NYC’s Holiday Tipping Tradition

DVS Member directory

DVS Fireside Chats

Archives

Healing Through Data Visualization

Three Minutes and Forty Seconds: A Slow Horse Running

Dataviz Horror Stories

Dataviz Horror Stories: Shirley Wu

Histórias Aterradoras em Visualização de Dados: Jorge Camões

Dataviz Horror Stories: Jon Schwabish