Is data visualization, at its core, about making the data aesthetically pleasing? In this session, Tim will make the case that the answer is an emphatic, “No!”…but that that is often a beneficial side effect of data visualizations that do what they most need to do: help the audience understand the information being presented. “Understanding” is a function of the brain, so it makes sense that effective data visualization should be grounded in neuroscience and psychology. In this session, Tim will introduce some foundational concepts from these fields: the three types of memory, Miller’s Law, cognitive load, and normative conformity. From there, he will cover specific techniques that are a natural outgrowth of these concepts, including maximizing the data-pixel ratio, the power of McKinsey titles, and why horizontal bar charts generally (but not always!) are more impactful than pie charts. These concepts will all be demonstrated with examples that drive home their breadth of applicability and impact.