Dos and Don’ts of Data Visualisation
Whether on purpose or not, a statistician can mislead an audience with a chart. This article explains some chart design principles and common mistakes novice data analysts make. Think about the statistical charts you have seen on billboards, in the news, and in research studies. Using these principles as a guide, would you classify any of those charts as misleading? Be sure to take note of the suggestions for successful dashboards.
Choose your chart
Small multiples
Small multiples are an elegant and efficient way to display many data and to avoid cluttering in one single chart. They provide a narrative about the change displayed (if time is represented) and an overview that doesn’t sacrifice the details.
For maps, small multiples may also convey the message much better than an animation, so they are a good alternative to interactive visualisations.
Good practice is to:
- order the categories intentionally to show trends or ranking;
- possibly use a common scale;
- use a simple chart type;
- use the same colours for all charts.