Kemi Elizabeth Ojogbede

People’s attention spans have been getting shorter, which sets a challenge for data and visual storytellers. This, coupled with Google’s switch to mobile-first indexing, has triggered a trend in simpler visuals catering more to mobile than desktop. This minimalist approach makes visuals easier to understand. With descriptive titles, labels and legends, readers get a seamless user experience. And using high-contrast colours, alt text and clear navigation can help boost accessibility for those with colour blindness and cognitive difficulties. While different datasets present their own unique features, overcomplicating a visualisation for the sake of aesthetics can mean we exclude some users because of a range of factors - including the size of their device. One visual trend that combats this is “scrollytelling”: a dynamic display method that reveals the data visualisation as readers scroll down. The move towards simplicity could be an after-effect of the fake news era. Intuitive visualisations - coupled with clear references to sources and methods - give readers the data in a straightforward manner that saves a lot of time and ultimately builds trust. In a nutshell, the task of creating a data visualisation has become really simple: Say it quick, and say it well.