Data visualization is not about data — it's about the questions you make possible
Q1After years of creating data visualizations for NYT and The Pudding, I've come to believe the profession fundamentally misunderstands itself. We talk about 'making data accessible' or 'telling stories with data.' But the most powerful visualizations don't tell stories — they enable questions that couldn't be asked before.
Q2Yes! That's why I'm moving toward interactive, explorable explanations — what Bret Victor calls 'explorable explanations.' Let people manipulate parameters, see consequences, develop intuition. The visualization becomes a thinking tool, not a presentation device.