Seeing Data Clearly: Visualization Literacy in a Data-Driven World

Visualization literacy—the ability to interpret, evaluate, and create meaningful visual representations of data—is essential for informed decision-making in today’s data-driven world. This talk delves into the process of developing a concise and accurate assessment tool for measuring visualization literacy, focusing on its design, implementation, and refinement. Additionally, it highlights ongoing efforts to adapt and expand the tool for more generalized and global contexts, addressing the challenges of balancing simplicity, precision, and cultural relevance. This session serves as a call to action, encouraging participants to actively advance visualization literacy as a critical global initiative. 

Free and open to all, registration requested for Zoom link.

Speaker Bio:  

Dr. Alvitta Ottley is an Associate Professor in Computer Science & Engineering Department at WashU, with a courtesy appointment in the Department of Psychological & Brain Sciences. She uses interdisciplinary approaches to solve problems such as how best to display information for and how to design human-in-the-loop visual analytics interfaces that are more attuned to how people think. Her research supports effective decision-making in various domains, such as health communication, intelligence analysis, and scientific discovery.