Interactive Dynamics for Visual Analysis

The ACM's Queue magazine has a new, comprehensive taxonomy of visualization techniques drawing from the theories of Edward Tufte and citing examples from academia, government, and the excellent NYT visualization team. This list contains 12 steps for turning data into a compelling visualization: Visualize, Filter, Sort, Derive, Select, Navigate, Coordinate, Organize, Record, Annotate, Share, & Guide. "For developers, the taxonomy can function as a checklist of elements to consider when creating new analysis tools." The citations alone make this an artucle worth bookmarking.

Read the article

Another interesting reference article:

A TOUR THROUGH THE VISUALIZATION ZOO: A survey of powerful visualization techniques, from the obvious to the obscure.

Read it