Description:
[video 7 begin]
After considering the Accuracy of your data, consider the Story you wish to tell with your visualization.
In this section we will discuss some methods for planning your data visualization.
To visualize or not to vizualize? That is the question. A visualization will only be effective if words cannot say it better. The visualization should be dynamic, worth your effort to create, and worthy of your viewers’ attention.
What is the headline of your data’s story ? The story can reveal itself when you are clear on what the data is telling you. Image cue screen capture over this passage. Your data must be well organized in a spreadsheet for you to clearly see the outliers, trends and counterintuitive facts in your data. The outliers are results that appear to be outside the norm. The trends are the directional flow of your data such as a steady increase in quantity or something occurring at a faster rate. The counterintuitive facts are statistics that go against what you’d expect. Here, look for comparisons and surprises from what you’d think would occur in the data. These are what will make the data interesting and worth talking about illustratively. This will be the plot twist to your story and engage your audience. The meaning of your data is more important than the design or technology itself.
Finally, after assessing the accuracy of your data and determining the story you want to tell, consider the knowledge you want your viewers to gain from your visualization.
After you’ve looked at your data in your spreadsheet and examined what’s worth bringing to an illustration, consider who your audience will be. What is the knowledge level of your audience? Are your audience members students or experts? How much do they know about your topic? This may inform the aesthetics of your presentation as well as the amount of detail you include. Including only the information necessary to illustrate your story, will make your point clearer. Provide contextual information in the preceding text or a caption. Another thing to consider is whether your visualization will be viewed online or in print. If it is online, will it be interactive? If so, you may need to test your final version to be sure it works on multiple devices and platforms.
So now you’ve chosen what to illustrate, you know who you are communicating with, next you will need to think about the visuals themselves. Think about the colors you will use, and which shapes, images, or animations will tell your story most effectively. Be cautious not to overdo it with too [image of an overcrowded data viz] many visual elements -- you want to keep the data center stage. It’s all about the data and how you can effectively communicate the data impactfully to your audience.
To display your data, choose the most appropriate chart. The type of chart you use depends on the story you are going to tell. When in doubt, see if a bar chart is the best solution. A caveat about pie charts: pie charts can be helpful when you have numerical information that adds up to 100%. Pie charts only work when the slice sizes convey meaningful information to the viewer. Too many arbitrary slices can be confusing. [image: show example of confusing piechart] It’s not helpful to your story if your audience is unable to visually compare differences in the chart.
Charts can be easily generated from data stored in Excel and Google Charts. Once you have data in a spreadsheet you can insert a chart [image: show example of this]
You will have the chance to do this yourself in the next activity.
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