Heike Hofmann
University of Nebraska-Lincoln, NE·Mathematics & Statistics
People use charts and graphs every day to make sense of scientific information that affects their lives. Yet much of the standard advice on designing clear data graphics has never been tested on a group that truly represents U.S.
- Fields
Mathematics & Statistics
Social Science
Psychology
- Topics
data visualization
statistical graphics
science communication
- Grants
- 1 known grant, through Sep 2027
What they work on
- Measure how accurately U.S. adults interpret different data visualizations, such as bar and line charts, through an online survey of 2,000 respondents from a nationally representative, probability-based panel.
- Test how design elements, such as chart type and the amount of supporting context, affect viewers' understanding, using generalized linear models to analyze survey answers.
- Analyze open-ended written conclusions with natural language processing and text analysis to see how chart interpretation varies across demographic groups.
More about the research
adults. This project asks how accurately ordinary people read different kinds of data visualizations. It also asks whether understanding differs across demographic groups.
Why it matters
Clear charts help people make informed decisions about science that affects their health and lives. By testing how a nationally representative sample of U.S. adults reads common chart types, this work could give scientists, journalists, and public agencies evidence-based guidance for designing graphics. The goal is for graphics to communicate accurately to all groups, not just to expert or convenience audiences.
Known grants
From NIH and NSF research grants. Labs often have other funding we can't see.
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Develop mixed methods combining graph-based and natural-language machine learning with qualitative analysis to identify dominant beliefs about social issues in large datasets from X and Parler.
The school
University of Nebraska-Lincoln: 17 labs on PI Pages, $657M a year on research, 261 research doctorates a year.
Reach out
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