ISOM 475/575 · Data Visualization
Course information, schedule, and materials for ISOM 475/575 Data Visualization.
ISOM 475/575 · Data Visualization
- Course
- ISOM 475/575, Fall 2026
- Instructor
- Prasanna Parasurama
- TA
- Kevin Sheng
- Class meetings
- Mondays 6:30–9:30 PM · GBS W131
- Course home
- This site + Canvas
- Syllabus
- View syllabus →
This course introduces the techniques and tools used to create effective visualizations that clearly and efficiently communicate relationships within data. Students will learn how to perform exploratory analysis through visualization, create professional-looking visualizations for business reports and presentations, and design interactive visualizations and dashboards. Students will analyze real datasets and use Tableau and other tools to design and prototype their visualizations.
Schedule
This is a living document for all course activities, and will be updated and modified as we go along.
| Week | Date | Topic | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Week 1 | Mon, Aug 31 | 00 · Class Intro; 01 · Fundamentals of Data Visualization | |
| Week 2 | Mon, Sep 7 | Labor Day — no class | |
| Week 3 | Mon, Sep 14 | 01 · Fundamentals of Data Visualization | |
| Week 4 | Mon, Sep 21 | 02 · Tableau Primer | |
| Week 5 | Mon, Sep 28 | 03 · Exploratory Visual Analysis | |
| Week 6 | Mon, Oct 5 | 03 · Exploratory Visual Analysis | |
| Week 7 | Mon, Oct 12 | Fall break — no class | |
| Week 8 | Mon, Oct 19 | Midterm Exam | |
| Week 9 | Mon, Oct 26 | 04 · Visualization for Communication | |
| Week 10 | Mon, Nov 2 | Viz Critique Presentations | |
| Week 11 | Mon, Nov 9 | 04 · Visualization for Communication | |
| Week 12 | Mon, Nov 16 | 05 · Interaction and Dashboard Design | |
| Week 13 | Mon, Nov 23 | 05 · Interaction and Dashboard Design | |
| Week 14 | Mon, Nov 30 | 05 · Interaction and Dashboard Design | |
| Week 15 | Mon, Dec 7 | Final Project Presentations |
Course materials
Module 00 · Class Intro
Module 01 · Fundamentals of Data Visualization
Focus: definitions, viewer tasks, visual encoding, perception, Gestalt grouping, and misleading design.
Lecture slides 3
- Lecture 01: What Is Data Visualization? Definitions, purposes, and viewer tasks.
- Lecture 02: Perception and Cognition Visual channels, attention, grouping, and memory.
- Lecture 03: Bad Practices Misleading scales, dimensions, and decoration.
In-class activity 1
- Graphical Perception Lab Estimate values and compare the accuracy of different encodings.
Required readings 2
- Cleveland and McGill, “Graphical Perception.”
- Few, Show Me the Numbers, Chapter 5. Copies are in Canvas.
Quiz 1
- Module 01 quiz on perception, encoding, grouping, and misleading design. Complete it in Canvas.