ELIZABETH S. WEBBINK, PH.D.

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PRODUCTIVITY IMPROVEMENT THROUGH BETTER DATA
VISUALIZATION

• National Association for Business Economics
• Teleconference
• December 4, 2002

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THIS IS A DIALOGUE ON DATA VISUALIZATION

• So we will attempt to
• visualize, as we verbalize
• consider some principles of good data design
  and
• compare examples that apply
• --and fail to apply--them
• N.B. Always provide handouts
• This presentation is designed to be used
• as a handout, i.e., put in the hands of
  the audience,
• not as an overhead, i.e., kept out of
  their reach
• Handouts allow the user
• - to be in control, going faster or
  slower than the presenter and
• - to participate by engaging with the
  information provided

THIS IS THE BIBLE OF INFORMATION GRAPHICS Edward
R Tufte is Professor Emeritus at Yale University.
His work has been described as "a visual Strunk
and White. The Visual Display of Quantitative
Information Envisioning Information Visual
Explanations Images and Quantities, Evidence
and Narrative
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MAPQUEST BE CLEAR, BUT NOT
SIMPLE Mapquests view of Nantucket is clear,
but simple and flat. Examples of rich, densely
packed graphics abound in every port,
(illustrated here by a clear but information-rich
map of Nantucket Harbor)
With permission of Youngs Bicycle Shop, Steamboat
Wharf, Nantucket, MA 02554 www.youngsbicycleshop.c
om/frame.html
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Toll payers contend with several payment options
keyed to colored signs. The sign over each
booth is (unnecessarily) paired with a smaller
number which the driver must match to numbers
painted on the approach lanes. This is
further complicated in the Northbound lanes where
-- numbers are painted on the road prior to a
curve and -- before the numbers are discernible
GARDEN STATE PARKWAY TOLL BOOTHS This is
definitely not user-friendly Graphic User
Interface (GUI) design.
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MINIMIZE MAPPING Place descriptive
information as close as possible to the data it
describes Color code scales with data series Do
not force the viewer to map between legends and
data
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MINIMIZE MAPPING (cont.) Common scales
facilitate comparison of datasets such as the
income by state time series shown here.
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WORLD BANK 1969 MINIMIZE MAPPING
(cont.) Color doesnt represent an improvement
if it just adds complexity to the datas
interpretation rather than to its
structure WORLD BANK, 2002
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TREE OF LIFE CROSS-POLLINATE Look for
examples of good design in other fields such as
BioInformatics, an integration of Biology and
Computer Science Shown here is a Branch from the
Tree of Life. David Hillis, Paul Lewis, and
their collaborators are working on new
methodologies for the analysis of extremely large
data sets.
Reprinted with permission of David Hillis,
University of Texas, Austin, TX
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COMPARE CONTRAST A well-organized display
can yield unexpected information. For example,
researchers arrayed the DNA sequence, in a row,
from a type of Leech without blood coagulating
capability. They then compared it with DNA
sequences, arrayed in columns, from coagulating
Leeches. The interruption in the diagonal match
of patterns identified the sequence responsible
for coagulation.
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Keeping the numerator constant in these risk
ratios probably had the opposite visual impact
from what was intended.
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PRESENT DATA ON A COMPARABLE BASIS.
In a ratio, normalize the denominator.

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,,, Then again, a simple bar chart might have
been clearer. Even here, much can be done to
focus the viewer on the data, rather than on
the capabilities of the graphics application.
MAXIMIZE THE DATAINK RATIO AND ELIMINATE
CHARTJUNK
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BRONX ZOO USE SMALL MULTIPLES TO MAKE A BIG
IMPRESSION as in the zoos robins egg
exhibit I In nature you start with 100 robins
eggs II about 74 eggs become hatchlings III
approximately 52 hatchlings grow to fledgling
stage IV and roughly 10 fledglings survive to
be adult robins -- and make more
eggs Photography by Kate Webbink
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• LEGGS HOSIERY
• COMBINE MULTIPLES WITH MULTI-DIMENSIONAL ELEMENTS
  
• - rows,
• groups of
• columns and
• individual
• columns within
• those groups
• organize merchandise by
• - style
• - color and
• - size

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OVERLAY DIFFERENT INFORMATION ON A COMMON
ELEMENT
REUSING THE BASIC ELEMENT TO DISPLAY NEW
INFORMATION
HERE THE BASIC MAP ELEMENT IS USED w/6 TYPES OF
INFORMATION
"HOMELAND SECURITY How Infotech can combat
homeland insecurity. FORTUNE MAGAZINE, Monday,
July 22, 2002
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A little creativity can make todays spreadsheets
powerful tools for data visualization and
productivity improvement. USE ELEMENTS LIKE
MULTIPLES TO BUILD DATA STRUCTURES
FACILITATING RAPID ASSIMILATION AND ANALYSIS OF
LARGE AMOUNTS OF INFORMATION
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STANDARDIZE ELEMENTS TO MAXIMIZE THE
PRODUCTIVITY GAINS FROM YOUR DATA VISUALIZATION
STRUCTURE INCORPORATE ALGORITHMS TO GENERATE
TEXT AND KICK START YOUR ANALYSIS
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• DONT USE GRAPHS WHEN THERE ARE
• FEW DATAPOINTS OR
• HIGHLY LOCALIZED COMPARISONS, I.E., A LOT OF
  VARIABLES RELATIVE TO THE NUMBER OF OBSERVATIONS

GETTYSBURG POWERPOINT PRESENTATION
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REVIEW

• Use Handouts
• Be Clear, but not Simple
• Minimize Mapping
• Cross-Pollinate
• Compare and Contrast
• Normalize the data
• Maximize the DataInk Ratio Eliminate Chartjunk
• Use Multiples to reduce the amount of new
  information to be filtered
• Combine Multiples with Multidimensional Elements
• Layer Information
• Build data structures that facilitate rapid
  assimilation and
• analysis of large amounts of information
• Standardize elements
• Integrate words and numbers
• DONT use graphs for few data points or highly
  localized comparisons
• DO enjoy the time savings and productivity
  improvements
• of better graphic design

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Productivity improvements dont have to mean more
output they could mean less time working and
more time just enjoying life and developing other
interests! Photography by Greg Webbink