How many iterations does it take before you publish a visualisation? Do you feel that your iterative process is effective?
I’ve recently created the visualisation below for the Viz for Social Good project.
While this final version looks clean and polished, it did take me several days to get it right. I had the idea for the layout early on—inspired by many amazing sankey visualisations—but I struggled with the choice of colour. I needed two colours, one for each step in the sankey diagram. I tried dozens of variations, many of which looked horrible! Here’s a snapshot of them all.
I had a breakthrough when I showed this to the head of design at work (thanks Mike!). He suggested I use analogous colours that do not both scream for attention. That was exactly what I needed! Two colours that were different enough to be seen as separate but similar enough to create a harmonious ensemble.
That’s how I ended up with the iteration #18 at the bottom right of the screenshot above.
Drawing from this design experience, here are three tips that can make your iterations more effective:
What’s your secret for effective iterations? Do share! 🙌