Our lives are inundated by charts, graphs, and myriad visual expressions. The way we make sense of the world increasingly rests on our ability to unpack the data in these visuals and the stories they tell. Yet visual storytelling is rhetorical. It is the culmination of the judgements and choices made by various people since the birth of the data. Visuals can lead us astray from reality. In this presentation, I discuss how cognitive biases affect visual storytelling. Cognitive biases are human tendencies to make suboptimal judgements. They can reinforce our extant beliefs, shut off our sensitivity to alternative sources, and trick us to draw false conclusions. I discuss how people generally use information, extrapolate biases that prey visuals, and offer UX professionals ways to mitigate biases.
Dr. Quan Zhou is Professor and Chair of the Department of Technical Communication and Interaction Design at Metropolitan State University, where he also directs the Design of User Experience graduate certificate. Quan studies the design of human-centered content and information experiences. He holds a Ph.D. in Technical Communication from the University of Washington. He was also a visiting researcher the School of Industrial Design Engineering at the Delft University of Technology in the Netherlands.
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Schedule
6:00 pm - 7:00 pm - Intro and Presentation
7:00 pm - 7:30 pm - Questions
Location
Zoom Webinar Link to be emailed to attendees
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