Visualization Rules. Provide Information Correctly. Part 1

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Visualization

Do you want to stand out from groupmates? Is it possible to make your articles and reports professional, interesting and accessible to a wide audience? Read on!

Today, this theme is especially important, as people are lost in abundance of surrounding facts and it takes too much time to perceive them. Therefore, boring obscure texts are often left without attention. A reader will not waste time to understand them. You can order a presentation on essayspark.com.

Visually presented information in comparison with plain text and tables:

  • attracts a lot more audience;
  • increases involvement of readers;
  • is perceived faster;
  • is easier to remember.

There are many ways to visualize. We will talk about the most popular forms.

Rule #1. The Right Type of a Diagram

Use the correct type and format.

The main goal is to simplify and accelerate perception of what you want to show. The selected format of a diagram should facilitate this, rather than interfere.

For example, if there are more than three or five values, your graph becomes unreadable. It is better to choose a usual bar chart in this case.

Another example of an unsuccessful use is when the sum is not 100%. This is a gross error, because data is simply distorted.

It is equally important to ensure that generally accepted standards are not violated. Time axes should always be located horizontally from left to right, this is intuitively clear. If they are placed vertically, this will greatly complicate understanding.

Remember that an unsuccessfully chosen type and format immediately reduces credibility of information presented.

Rule #2. Logical Order

Most often, it is consistently from bigger to smaller.

If you show results of a survey on a diagram, where there is a division into positive and negative answers, then it is more logical to build them in this order: "Yes, Rather yes, No, Rather no, I am difficult to answer".

Data can be built from smaller to larger, if this is consistent with the goal of your message. The goal is always primary. Before you begin to build a diagram, clearly formulate which idea you want to convey to readers, what you want to pay attention to.

Rule #3. Simple Design

Design should not distort data and interfere with understanding.

Avoid useless design elements, such as gradients, shadows, 3D effects. They only distract reader's attention from the essence of your message.

Your diagram does not become beautiful and impressive from the fact that it is drawn three-dimensional. It could have surprised twenty years ago, in the Excel's heyday, when very few people knew how to build charts. Moreover, 3D graphics can cause an optical illusion.

Remember, if visualization is performed beautifully, it does not mean that it is performed well. Principles of good design are clarity, simplicity and minimalism.

Rule #4. Easy Comparison of Data

Visualization

Do you want to stand out from groupmates? Is it possible to make your articles and reports professional, interesting and accessible to a wide audience? Read on!

Today, this theme is especially important, as people are lost in abundance of surrounding facts and it takes too much time to perceive them. Therefore, boring obscure texts are often left without attention. A reader will not waste time to understand them. You can order a presentation on essayspark.com.

Visually presented information in comparison with plain text and tables:

  • attracts a lot more audience;
  • increases involvement of readers;
  • is perceived faster;
  • is easier to remember.

There are many ways to visualize. We will talk about the most popular forms.

Rule #1. The Right Type of a Diagram

Use the correct type and format.

The main goal is to simplify and accelerate perception of what you want to show. The selected format of a diagram should facilitate this, rather than interfere.

For example, if there are more than three or five values, your graph becomes unreadable. It is better to choose a usual bar chart in this case.

Another example of an unsuccessful use is when the sum is not 100%. This is a gross error, because data is simply distorted.

It is equally important to ensure that generally accepted standards are not violated. Time axes should always be located horizontally from left to right, this is intuitively clear. If they are placed vertically, this will greatly complicate understanding.

Remember that an unsuccessfully chosen type and format immediately reduces credibility of information presented.

Rule #2. Logical Order

Most often, it is consistently from bigger to smaller.

If you show results of a survey on a diagram, where there is a division into positive and negative answers, then it is more logical to build them in this order: "Yes, Rather yes, No, Rather no, I am difficult to answer".

Data can be built from smaller to larger, if this is consistent with the goal of your message. The goal is always primary. Before you begin to build a diagram, clearly formulate which idea you want to convey to readers, what you want to pay attention to.

Rule #3. Simple Design

Design should not distort data and interfere with understanding.

Avoid useless design elements, such as gradients, shadows, 3D effects. They only distract reader's attention from the essence of your message.

Your diagram does not become beautiful and impressive from the fact that it is drawn three-dimensional. It could have surprised twenty years ago, in the Excel's heyday, when very few people knew how to build charts. Moreover, 3D graphics can cause an optical illusion.

Remember, if visualization is performed beautifully, it does not mean that it is performed well. Principles of good design are clarity, simplicity and minimalism.

Rule #4. Easy Comparison of Data

One of the main purposes of visualization is convenient and intuitive comparison of two or more indicators.

Therefore, in order for your diagrams to be valuable and useful, show correlation. If you break the same type of information into many separate diagrams, your work becomes meaningless.

It is rapid comprehension of different values, trends and correlations that is the main advantage in comparison with a conventional table or text. Diagrams should convey your ideas much faster and more clearly. If this is not the case, change the chart type.

Rule #5. Minimum of Elements

Remove all non-informative elements from your charts and diagrams, leave only necessary ones. Accumulation of unnecessary facts makes perception difficult.

For example, if there are signatures of values, grid lines and an axis are not needed since this is a duplication and a graphic "garbage". The main and auxiliary grid lines, if they are nevertheless necessary, should be simple and not conspicuous. The emphasis should always be on the main idea, and not on auxiliary elements. If you follow this advice, then right information immediately comes to the fore.

We will continue to consider rules in the second part of the article.

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