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CHAPTER 04
Communicating and
Visualizing the Results

Objectives

• Differentiate between communicating results using statistics and

visualizations.
• Determine the purpose of your data visualization.
• Choose the best chart for your dataset.
• Refine your chart to communicate efficiently and effectively.
• Communicate your results in a written report.

Contents

• Differentiate between statistics and visualizations

• Determine the purpose of data visualization
• Choose the right chart
• Learning to create a good chart by (bad) example
• Refine your charts to communicate better
• Using words to provide insights

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Data Analytics are effective, but

they are only as important and
effective as we can communicate
and make the data understandable.

Differentiate between statistics and visualizations

Data with the same statistics can be interpreted differently.

Exhibit 4-2 Anscombe's Quartet (Data)

Differentiate between statistics and visualizations

Data with the same statistics can be interpreted differently.

Exhibit 4-3 Figure Plotting

the Four Datasets in
Anscombe's Quartet
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Differentiate between statistics and visualizations

What is Statistics?
Statistics involves the collection, analysis,
interpretation, presentation, and organization of
data to help us understand patterns, trends, and
relationships within the data set.

What is Data Visualization?

Data Visualization is the graphical
representation of data or information in a
way that is easy to understand and interpret.
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Differentiate between statistics and visualizations

Visualizations are preferred over text.

• People prefer visuals.
• The brain can process visuals faster.
• Visuals can summarize complex information

Differentiate between statistics and visualizations

Using the right type of chart will help you in many

ways:
• Charts make your data easy to understand
• Charts help people quickly see the key trends and the orders of
magnitude.
• Charts are easier to remember than large list of numbers
• Charts allow you to highlight the key insights your audience
should focus on to extract actionable information
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Determine the purpose of data visualization

Chart Types
• What type of data is being
visualized?
• Are you explaining results
or exploring the data?

Exhibit 4-4 The four chart types

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Determine the purpose of data visualization

Qualitative vs Quantitative data

• Qualitative data are categorical data (for example: count, group, rank)
• A. Nominal data is simple.
(for example: hair color)
• B. Ordinal data can be ranked.
(for example: gold, silver, bronze)
• C. Proportion shows the makeup of each category.
(for example: 55% cats, 45% dogs)

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Determine the purpose of data visualization

Qualitative vs Quantitative data

• Quantitative data are numerical (for example: age, height, dollar amount)
• A. Ratio data defines 0 as “absence of” something. (for example: cash)
• B. Interval data where 0 is just another number. (for example:
temperature)
• C. Discrete data show only whole numbers. (for example: points in a
basketball game)
• D. Continuous data show numbers with decimals. (for example: height)
• E. Distributions describe the mean, median, and standard deviation of
the data.
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Determine the purpose of data visualization

Declarative or Exploratory
• Declarative visualizations are • Exploratory visualizations are used to gain
used to present findings. insights while you are interacting with data.
(for example: financial results) (for example: identifying good customers)

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Determine the purpose of your data visualization

Chart Types
• Once you have defined
your data and the purpose,
you can find an appropriate
chart or graph.

Exhibit 4-5 The four chart types with details

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Choose the right chart

Appropriate charts for qualitative data

• When you want to show qualitative proportional data:
• Bar charts
• Pie charts
• Stacked bar chart
• Tree maps
• Heat maps
• Symbol maps
• Word clouds

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Choose the right chart

Appropriate charts for qualitative data

Exhibit 4-9 Pie Chart Showing Proportion Exhibit 4-10 Example Exhibit 4-11 Word Cloud Example from
of Stacked Bar Chart Chapter 2 Text

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Choose the right chart

Appropriate charts for qualitative data

Tree Maps Heat Maps Symbol Maps

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Choose the right chart

Appropriate charts for quantitative data

• The following charts can depict more complex quantitative data:
• Line charts
• Box and whisker plots
• Scatter plots
• Filled geographic maps
Note: There are many different methods for visualizing quantitative data. Except
for the word cloud, all of the methods mentioned in the previous section for
qualitative data can work for depicting quantitative data.

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Choose the right chart

Summary of chart types

• Here is a summar y guide of
when to use different
visualizations.
• Also check out
datavizcatalogue.com

Exhibit 4-12 Summary of Chart Types

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Choose the right chart

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Choose the right chart

When?
• You have a continuous dataset that changes over time.
• Your dataset is too big for a bar chart.
• You want to display multiple series for the same timeline. Line Chart
• You want to visualize trends instead of exact values.

When not?
Line charts work better wit h bigger datasets, so, if you
have a small one, use a bar chart instead.

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Choose the right chart

When?
Bar • Comparing parts of a bigger set of data, highlighting

Chart different categories, or showing change over time.

• You have long categories label — it offers more

space.

• If you want to illustrate bot h positive and ne gative

values in the dataset.

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Choose the right chart

When not?
• You’re using multiple data points.
• You have many categories, avoid overloading
Bar Chart
your graph.

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Choose the right chart

When?
• You want to compare values with different
measurements..
Combined
• The values are different in range. Chart
When not?
You want to display more than 2~3 types of
graphs. It’s better to have separate graphs to
make it easier to read and understand.
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Choose the right chart

Pie When?
Chart
• You show relative proportions and percentages of a whole dataset.
• Best used with small datasets.
• Comparing the effect of ONE factor on different categories.
• You have up to 6 categories.
• Your data is the nominal and not ordinal.

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Choose the right chart

When not?
• You have a big dataset.
Bar Chart
• You want to make a precise or absolute
comparison between values.

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Learning to create a good chart by (bad) example

Bad example: How does this chart illustrate bias?

• How big of a change does
this represent?
• Why might the creator make
this chart?

Exhibit 4-13 Bar Chart Distorting Data Comparison by

Using Inappropriate Scale
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Learning to create a good chart by (bad) example

A more appropriate scale is a good start.

Exhibit 4-14 Bar Chart Using Appropriate Scale for

Less Biased Comparison

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Learning to create a good chart by (bad) example

Stacking can reveal the real increase.

Exhibit 4-15 Alternative Stacked Bar Chart

Showing Growth

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Learning to create a good chart by (bad) example

Bad example: What is this chart trying to tell the
reader about whose computer is attacked more?
• Is Ann a Researcher?
• Is Steve an Administrator?
• Do we care more about the
people or roles?
• How do the users even
compare?

4-16 Difficult to Interpret Pie Chart

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Learning to create a good chart by (bad) example

If we care about individuals, an ordered bar chart is a
little clearer.

Exhibit 4-17 More Clear Rank-Ordered Bar Chart

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Learning to create a good chart by (bad) example

And a stacked bar chart is almost always easier to
interpret (in less space) than a pie.

Exhibit 4-19 Stacked Bar Chart Emphasizing Proportion of

Attacks by Job Function
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Refine your charts to communicate better

• Improving the Look of Charts

• Improving your charts comes down to choosing an
appropriate scale and using colors effectively.
• Consider scale and increments:
• How much data do you need to show?
• What do you do with outliers?
• What is the baseline? 0? Something else?
• Would context or reference lines make the scale more
meaningful?

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Refine your charts to communicate better

• Think about your use of color:

• What do the colors mean?
• Should red be used for positive outcomes?
• What color scheme would help your color-blind participants?
• Requirements of Words
• Get to the point. Be clear, unambiguous, correct, interesting,
and direct.

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Using words to provide insights

• Remember to use plain language throughout the IMPACT model

• I: Explain what was being researched and the purpose of the project.
• M: If appropriate, describe issues you encountered in the E T L process.
• P and A: Give an overview of your model and limitations you faced.
• C: Provide an explanation of the visual you chose. Describe any items that
stand out or that are interesting.
• T: Discuss what’s next in your analysis. How frequently will it be updated?
Are there trends or outliers that should be paid attention?

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Using words to provide insights

• Consider your audience and tone

• Place the focus on your audience.
• Craft different versions for different audiences.
• Use an appropriate tone.
• Provide the right content.
• Avoid too much detail.
• Writing and Revising
• Don’t forget to revise as needed. Ask other people to read though
your writing to make sure you are clear.

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Summary

• This chapter focused on the fifth step of the IMPACT model, or the “C,” to discuss how to
communicate the results of your data analysis projects. Communication can be done through a
variety of data visualizations and written reports, depending on your audience and the data you are
exhibiting.

• In order to select the right chart, you must first determine the purpose of your data visualization.
This can be done by answering two key questions:

• Are you explaining the results of a previously done analysis, or are you exploring the data through
the visualization? (Is your purpose declarative or exploratory?)

• What type of data is being visualized (conceptual qualitative data or data-driven quantitative data)?

• The differences between each type of data (declarative and exploratory, qualitative and quantitative)
are explained, as well as how each datatype impacts both the tool you’re likely to use (generally
either Excel or Tableau) and the chart you should create. 37

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Summary
• After selecting the right chart based on your purpose and data type, your chart will need to be further refined.
Selecting the appropriate data scale, scal e increments, and color for your visualization is explained through
the answers to the following questions:

• How much data do you need to share in the visual to avoid being misleading, yet also avoid being distracting?

• If your data contain outliers, should they be displayed, or will they di stort your scale to the extent that you can
leave them out?

• Other than how much data you need to share, what scale should you place that data on?

• Do you need to provide context or reference points to make the scale meaningful?

• When should you use multiple colors?

• Finally, this chapter discusses how to provide a written report to de scribe your data analy sis project. Each step
of the IMPACT model should be communicated in your write-up, and the report should be tailored to the
specific audience to whom it is being delivered.
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