Since when did a coat become more than just a coat? When scholars and researchers begin to unpack and explore fields of nascent inquiry, we are presented with information seen through a different lens.
The nexus described above highlights the distinctions of functions of an article of clothing. The function of a product, such as a coat, is twofold, according to Dagmar Steffen, practical functions–for warmth, protection from rain, chemicals, etc–and product language functions–style, aesthetics, fashion statements, etc. What Steffen explores and explains is the function of language and how we interpret categories. A coat falls under the broad category of clothing. Under the ambiguous, yet somewhat specific category, we fall prey to losing traction as we know coats could also be categorized under particular seasonal lines: fall, winter, spring, and summer–nominal data. Michael Castello clearly simplifies the ways in which data collection, databases, and visualizations are conceptualized and visualized. The free online “guide” lays out the “how-tos” to the “ta-da, we’re done.” What he explains with an analogy to a supermarket and food, is how we measure data with categories such as nominal, ordinal, interval, and ratio. I mentioned nominal earlier when I said fashion lines by seasons. The seasons are nominal data.
Similar to the grocery food categories, the coats under each season could be calculated as percentages and not averages to gives us a representation.