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Data Visualization

Using data to make agile decisions and to tell your story is a common challenge. This guide will provide information and resources on presenting data visually.

Tips

7 Common Quantitative Relationships and Graphs

Stephen Few: "Eenie, Meenie, Minie, Moe:  Selecting the Right Graph for Your Message" September 18, 2004  http://www.perceptualedge.com/articles/ie/the_right_graph.pdf

  1. Nominal Comparison: categorical subdivisions - bar graph
  2. Time series: value changing through time - line graph
  3. Ranking:  relative performance of items, sort in descending or ascending order - horizontal bar
  4. Part to whole: individual categories as ratio to whole - vertical bar
  5. Deviation:  2 sets of values differ from each other - line graph for overall pattern
  6. Range:  frequency distribution across a range - vertical bar graph
  7. Correlation: both scales quantitative - scatter plot

Pie Charts or Not?

Stephen Few on Pie Charts:  "Our Irresistible Fascination with All Things Circular" http://www.perceptualedge.com/articles/visual_business_intelligence/our_fascination_with_all_things_circular.pdf

 

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