Guidelines for Effective Graphics

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Guidelines for Effective Graphics

• Alan Schlobohm
• Senior Program Administrator
• Henry J. Kaiser Family Foundation

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Golden Rule for Effective Use of Graphics
Figure 1

• Keep it simple, but make
  sure its clear

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Average Annual Premium Costsfor Covered Workers,
2003
Figure 2
9,068
3,383
SOURCE Kaiser/HRET Survey of Employer-Sponsored
Health Benefits, 2003.
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What to Consider Before You Start
Figure 3

• In General
• Consider your audience
• Knowledge of the subject
• Interest in the subject
• For a Slide Presentation
• Consider how much time you have
• How many slides can you include
• General rule of thumb -- 1 slide/minute
• Consider the venue
• Size of room
• Technology available

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Figure 4
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Basic Items to Include on All Slides
Figure 5

• Make sure you use a single font throughout the
  presentation, including fonts for axis labels,
  data labels, legends, etc.
• Titles should all be the same size so should
  source notes
• Number all slides (figures, exhibits, etc.)
  also, number the pages of a handout.
• In titles, include the year of the data
• Use a source line on all slides
• Dont forget to label axes
• Use the masters
• You will avoid repetitive pasting of the same
  elements

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More Basics for All Slides
Figure 6

• If you are doing an overhead presentation, use a
  dark background with light colors
• Colors change depending on the quality of the
  projector do a run-through beforehand if you
  have time
• If you are using a handout, make a separate black
  and white file
• Check for accidental slide transitions in a
  presentation

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Problems to Avoid
Figure 7

• Busy Backgrounds and enhancements
• shadows, 3-D, busy patterns and wacky shapes
• Colors you cant see and letters you cant read
• Too much going on
• Titles and labels too long
• Too many slices in the pie or bars
• Too many colors or patterns
• Too many bars or pies on a page
• Data misrepresentation
• Skewed scale

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Differences in Use of Preventive Services in Past
Years by Insurance Status, 1997
Figure 8
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Differences in Use of Preventive Services in Past
Years by Insurance Status, 1997
Figure 9
Percent reporting
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General Guidelines Pie Charts
Figure 10

• Use a pie chart when discussing
• distribution, share, percentage of total
• Remember to always
• present clear and descriptive titles, labels and
  data points
• a total and a source
• try to limit to two the number of pies on a page
• Use the slide to help you make your point
• use color to emphasize be consistent

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State Medicaid Spending as a Percent of General
Fund Expenditures, 2001
Figure 11
A clear, brief, descriptive title.
Use colors/shading to highlight the key fact.
Use the same color for similar categories.
Leave some blank space.
Totals are included.
Total State General Fund Spending 489 billion
A basic source line.
SOURCE National Association of State Budget
Officers, 2001 State Expenditure Report, Summer
2002.
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Figure 12 Comparison of the percentage
distribution of children under age six living in
extreme poverty, and near poverty with those of
all children under age six, by race and
ethnicity, 1994
A Extreme Poverty
B Poverty
C Near poverty
D All young children
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Figure 13
Legend
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Adult Alcohol Consumptionin the U.S., 1983
Figure 14
Label
Heavier Drinker
Heavier Drinker
Lifetime Abstainer
Moderate Drinker
Former Drinker
Lifetime Abstainer
Distinctive colors for distinctive elements.
Moderate Drinker
Similar colors for similar elements
Light Drinker
Light Drinker
Former Drinker
WOMEN
MEN
Persons 20 years and older. Note Drinking
categories are based on ounces of ethanol
consumed during a 2-week reference period with in
the past 12 months. 0 oz. abstainers
0.01-0.21 oz./day lighter 0.22-0.99 oz./day
moderate gt/ 1.0 oz./day heavier. SOURCE
Adapted from Schoenborn CA, Cohen BH, 1986.
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Figure 15
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Relationship of the Disabled Elderlyto their
Caregivers, 1994
Figure 16
All Other 17
Professional 30
Sibling 2
Son 6
Daughter 20
Spouse 24
Total Caregivers __ million ?
Note All caregivers are included, not just
primary caregivers. Disabled is defined as __ of
ADLs (Activities of Daily Living) ? SOURCE The
Lewin Group, analysis of the 1994 National
Long-Term Care Survey
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General Guidelines Bar Charts
Figure 17

• Use a bar chart when comparing items
• Item A is more (less) than B, differences, ranks
• Remember to always include
• clear and descriptive titles for labels and axes
• data points (within reason)
• a source
• Try to keep it simple
• Limit number of bars
• Drop axes and gridlines if possible

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Bar Chart Basics Axes
Figure 18
Number of Employees Per Region
Keep the chart uncluttered by not including a Y
axis unless truly needed.
The Y axis is needed in Example 1, because the
scale has been adjusted to highlight data
differences.
Number of Employees Per Region
The Y axis is not needed in Example 2, because
the scale has not been adjusted, data points are
shown, and a descriptive label is included
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Bar Chart Basics Legends and Gridlines
Figure 19
Legend
Gridlines
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Figure 20
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Almost Two-Thirds of Elderly Nursing Home
Residents Receive Social Services at Admission
Figure 21
Percent of Nursing Home residents Age 65 at
admission Receiving Selected Services, 1995
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Medicaid Expenditures Per Enrollee by Acute and
Long-Term Care, 1997
Figure 22
Long-Term Care
Acute Care
10,803
8,878
1,873
1,157
Note Expenditures do not include DSH or
administrative costs. SOURCE Urban Institute
estimates, 1998
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General Guidelines Time Series
Figure 23

• Use a time series for
• trends, to show fluctuations or variations over
  time
• Remember to always include
• beginning and end dates
• clear and descriptive titles for labels and axes
• data points (within reason)
• a source
• Can use a line or bars (useful when you want to
  give the data)

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Trends in Coverage for Children,1987-1997
Figure 24
Percent
Employment-Based
66.7
59.7
Medicaid
20.5
15.5
15.0
13.1
Uninsured
SOURCE Employment Benefit Research Institute,
1998.
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Trends in Coverage for Children,1987-1997
Figure 25
Percent
Medicaid
20.5
Uninsured
15.5
SOURCE Employment Benefit Research Institute,
1998.
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General Guidelines Maps
Figure 26

• Use maps to show
• regional variation, patterns
• Remember to always include
• clear and descriptive labels
• data points (within reason)
• a source
• Try to limit number the number of levels
• no more than four
• use colors to help viewer, lightest to darkest

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Figure 27
Hypothetical Presidential Election Example 1
States won by Candidate A
States won by Candidate B
By gt5 (23 states)
By gt5 (11 states DC)
By 5 or less (7 states)
By 5 or less (9 states)
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Figure 28
Hypothetical Presidential Election Example 2
States Won by Candidate A
States Won by Candidate B
By gt10 (18 states)
By gt10 (10 states DC)
By 5-10 (6 states)
By 5-10 (5 states)
By lt5 (6 states)
By lt5 (5 states)
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Figure 29
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General Guidelines Bullet Slides
Figure 30

• KEEP IT BRIEF!!
• Use parallel construction in the bullets. For
  example, they should all be sentences or all be
  fragments (but not both).
• Use bold text
• Space out text
• You can do this by going to Format then to
  Line Spacing

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Implications of Global Funding Caps
Figure 31

• Loss of open-ended federal Medicaid matching
  funds
• For higher than expected costs
• For new initiatives
• New fiscal incentives to reduce Medicaid spending
  on elderly and/or disabled beneficiaries
• Reduces risk of reaching cap
• Frees up resources to refinance existing
  state-funded prescription drug programs
• If they need to cut in response to caps, states
  have many options under current law
• Reduce optional expansions of eligibility
• Drop or modify optional benefits
• Scale back home and community-based care waivers
• Reduce nursing home payment rates
• Caps may apply to a significant portion of a
  states Medicaid budget

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Implications of Global Funding Caps
Figure 32

• Loss of open-ended federal Medicaid matching
  funds
• New fiscal incentives to reduce Medicaid spending
  on elderly and/or disabled beneficiaries
• If they need to cut in response to caps, states
  have many options under current law
• Caps may apply to a significant portion of a
  states Medicaid budget

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Effective Graphics
Figure 33

• Be consistent with styles, fonts, and colors
• Include essential documentation
• Keep your presentation user-friendly, even if
  your data isnt