Simile, a project MIT, has created several open source tools for visualizing data on the web. The interfaces are clean and free of unnecessary decoration, and the AJAX interaction encourages exploration and questioning. These are an excellent addition to the information design toolbox.
Timeplot is a “DHTML-based AJAXy widget for plotting time series and overlay time-based events over them (with the same data formats that Timeline supports).” Timeplot requires no software installation, server-side or client-side, and can be used with a simple comma-delimited file or with XML. The graph has a liquid layout size so it doesn’t impact your site’s design.
The example below shows an interactive look 3 factors: New Legal Permanent Residents in the U.S. (per year) vs. U.S. Population vs. U.S. History.
My example of a timeplot
Exhibit 2.0 “creates interactive data-rich web pages without ever touching a database or a web server, or doing any programming.”
Timeline “is a DHTML-based AJAXy widget for visualizing time-based events. It is like Google Maps for time-based information.”
My example of a timeline
Ideas and thoughts related to customer experience, usability, learning, cognitive science, and whatever else I find interesting.
