Do’s and Don’ts of Data visualization

by Nokulunga Ziqubu and Aphelele Xulu

Data visualization is the practice of converting data from raw figures into a graphical representation such as graphs, maps, charts, and complex dashboards. Choosing the right visualization is essential, your data is only as good as your ability to understand and communicate it. The average person responds far better to visual information compared to just plain text. Whether you are buying a product or revising for an exam, visual stimulation over text translation allows the brain to consume the material with ease. Visually displayed data is easier to understand and analyse, making it faster for decision makers to find patterns, including new and hidden, and to understand even difficult concepts. Data visualization can be helpful in identifying issues and deficits, choosing the best product and business operation strategy, forecasting sales volumes and stock prices, fine-tuning project management and resource administration, and so on.

Bar charts are best used to show change over time, compare different categories, or compare parts of a whole.

References

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Visme. (n.d.) The do’s and don’ts of chart making. Accessed on 2018-12-06: https://blog.visme.co/dos-and-donts-chart-making/

Zoss, A. (2014) Top ten dos and don’ts for charts and graphs. Accessed on 2018- 12-06: http://coalition.psesd.org/wp-content/uploads/2016/10/Mini-Session-Data-Visualization-Handout-2.pdf

Learnevents. Imagery vs text: which does the brain prefer? Accessed on 2018-12-11: https://www.learnevents.com/blog/2015/09/07/imagery-vs-text-which-does-the-brain-prefer/