Presentation Techniques_2.pptVIP

Why Worry About Graphics? “Data graphics are mainly devices for showing the obvious to the ignorant” “They have to be alive, communicatively dynamic, decorated, and exaggerated; otherwise all the dullards will fall asleep in the face of those boring statistics” Graphics are instruments for reasoning about quantitative information… They reveal data.” (Tufte 1983) Principles of Graphic Excellence Graphical excellence….. consists of complex ideas communicated with clarity, precision, and efficiency. is that which gives to the viewer the greatest number of ideas in the shortest time with the least ink in the smallest space. is nearly always multivariate (illuminating relationships between numerous variables) requires telling the truth about the data Some Rules of Thumb Graphic displays should….. show the data avoid distorting the data induce the viewer to think about the substance of the graphic rather than the methodology, graphic design, or something else make large amounts of data coherent encourage the viewer to use the graphic as you intend, e.g. make comparisons be closely integrated with statistical and verbal descriptions of the data be as simple as possible Design Guidelines To enhance visual quality: use a properly chosen format use words, numbers, and graphics together display an accessible complexity of detail have a story to tell about the data produce technical details with care avoid chartjunk Effective Communication “You can communicate more effectively with tables, graphs, or charts, if your {information has} these characteristics” (Booth et al. 1995): They include discrete elements (cases) that are well defined, well understood, and stable - persons, places, things, or concepts. The discrete element is an ‘independent’ variable, that does not change in response to other variables. The discrete elements are systematically related to quantities or qualities, called dependent variables, that do not change in response to external causes. Tabular