Today, billions of people across a wide array of interests rely on data to make critical decisions. Data visualization is a go-to approach because it leverages our natural abilities as humans to see trends, spot patterns, and identify outliers. A good visualization amplifies cognition and improves decision making. This works very well for those who can see.

So the question is this: How do we represent data in a way that provides the same value to everyone, regardless of ability? As a co-author of Material Design’s Data Visualization Guidelines, I’ll reframe Google’s six principles for data visualization and outline how we’re applying them at scale to create more inclusive and accessible representations of data that provide value and insights for everyone.