Surprise can change mindsets or soften viewpoints.
In his TED Talk on The beauty of data visualization, David McCandless offers illustrations of how data visualizations can alter perspectives by placing information in context. His examples startle by meaningfully juxtaposing data or by showing relative figures where absolute figures are usually employed.
David McCandless: The beauty of data visualization
Many people have seen Hans Rosling’s original TED talk about GapMinder, Stats that reshape your worldview (below). It is, after all, one of the most popular talks on TED of all time. Hans Rosling’s TED Talks have very effectively introduced the idea of visualization to a popular audience. One of the things that we will be exploring in this blog is the difference between visualization and simulation, and how these technologies can be used to explore social innovation.
Rosling also hosted a one-hour documentary, The Joy of Stats. This was broadcast by the BBC in 2010, and is viewable online in full.
Social Innovation Simulation 