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Re: Accessibility of data visualizations

for

From: Jonathan Avila
Date: Feb 4, 2016 11:31AM

> When graphs and charts get to the point where the complexity makes them difficult for anyone to understand I often ask the person who created the chart what information they are attempting to convey.

I'd recommend a multi-pronged approach.
1. Provide a way for the user to jump into the data and navigate through it and interrogate it.
2. Provide an alternative view such as a table, nest listed, etc.
3. Provide a summary of the information

In those ways the user doesn't have to figure out the summary with great pain that could have been quick to visually determine but they are not limited to a person's inadequate or bias summary of the information.

Jumping into a graph and moving around the graph with the keyboard and having keystrokes to ask about information and an relationships of points in the graph allows users an immersion experience that I believe is very important and isn't easily provided by a table or a summary.

Jonathan

Jonathan Avila
Chief Accessibility Officer
SSB BART Group
<EMAIL REMOVED>
703.637.8957 (o)
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