Signal: Understanding What Matters in a World of Noise

I have found how Stephen Few explains things, laying a foundation of knowledge and then building on it throughout the rest of the book, to be very effective for me. This hold true for this book as well. In this book he present how to discover and monitor key features of our data (i.e. signals). I plan on re-reading it so that I apply the concepts and techniques cover in the book using my data and my tools (Tableau).

The literature about visualization has become increasingly large in the past decade or so. Few is the author of some of the most important books about it, such as 'Show Me the Numbers', 'Now I See It', and 'Information Dashboard Design'. Signal, Fews fourth book, nicely integrates with the previous ones by covering something that is usually overlooked by most authors: How to use simple charts to get insights from the data. As it has become in Few's oeuvre, the book is well illustrated and written in a clear style

Great book and tips on how business problem can be solved. Some great ideas shared by Author. Some detailed approaches would be awesome and handy...

This book is a most excellent way of learning how to find, communicate, and use information. If you need these skills and you don't have time to read a pile of textbooks, this is a good place to start.Data analysis is taught anywhere, but data synthesis is a much rarer skill. With Signal we have a resource that covers both of these angles, is easy to use, and comprehensive in coverage. This is an excellent standalone guide but would also be a great overview to the subject prior to deeper studies.

Makes a modest contribution at best. If you want depth, Few mostly points you to other in-depth books by statisticians who developed the original graphical methods. If you know nothing about visualization then you may find this book enlightening but if you have read a few books or have moderate expertise then this book isn't offering too much. It also seems to be singularly focused on one-best-way to discover signals. I could also do without the allegorical writing ("surveying the land"). The physical book and printing quality is top-notch.

Have read first chapter, good so far.

Amazing content. A must read for those who work with data analytics and reporting

This book offers a clear case for data visualization with believable business examples that show how to find signals in noisy data. The admirable clarity of Stephen Few’s writing tells lucid stories of how to look at data so as to produce actionable insights. Few is fearless in condemning big data excesses such as those who claim that “more [data] trumps better”, which Few labels as “an ignorant claim.” Few counters the big data pressures for volume, velocity, and variety (3Vs) by celebrating the virtues of small, slow, and sure (3Ss). The remarkable aspect of this book is that it provides a solid course in statistics, but it replaces mathematical formulas with visually compelling examples. It deals with means, medians, distributions, and correlations for numeric data and also includes spatial data with well-crafted maps. I’m pleased that this book also covers advanced visualizations such as treemaps, parallel coordinates, and coordinated displays with highlighting and filtering. It closes with ample references and a personal moral perspective about seeing the world more clearly.

Another great book by Few. Covers key subjects like business context and its relevance to discovering the most powerful things. Great approach to the subject matter, well written, great examples. Easy to read.