In this chapter we discussed why well-designed data graphics are important and we described a taxonomy for understanding their composition.
The objective of this assignment is for you to understand what characteristics you can use to develop a great data graphic.
Each question is worth 5 points.
To submit this homework you will create the document in Rstudio, using the knitr package (button included in Rstudio) and then submit the document to your Rpubs account. Once uploaded you will submit the link to that document on Canvas. Please make sure that this link is hyper linked and that I can see the visualization and the code required to create it.
Question #1
Answer the following questions for this graphic Relationship between ages and psychosocial maturity
Answer #1: a. The visual cues in the graph include the x-axis and y-axis representing the age of the individual and psychosocial maturity score, respectively. The coordinate system is Cartesian with the x-axis being the horizontal axis and the y-axis being the vertical axis. The scale on the x-axis starts from 10 years and goes up to 30 years, with every 2-year interval. The scale on the y-axis starts from 0 and goes up to 20, with every 2-point interval.
Two variables are depicted in the graph: age and psychosocial maturity score. The age variable is linked to the x-axis and the psychosocial maturity score is linked to the y-axis.
The taxonomy described in the lecture to critique this data graphic includes accuracy, clarity, efficiency, and aesthetics.
Accuracy: The graph appears to be accurate, as it correctly represents a positive linear trend of the relationship between age and psychosocial maturity.
Clarity: The graph is quite clear. The labels for the x-axis and y-axis are legible, and the scales are clearly marked.
Efficiency: The graph is moderately efficient in conveying the main message. However, the use of different symbols for males and females may increase the time taken to interpret the graph.
Aesthetics: The graph is simple and clean, with no unnecessary elements.
Overall, the graph is reasonably effective in conveying the relationship between age and psychosocial maturity, but could be improved in terms of efficiency.
Question #2
Answer the following questions for this graphic World’s top 10 best selling cigarette brands 2004-2007
Answer #2: a. The visual cues in the graph include the vertical bars, the x-axis labels for the cigarette brands, and the y-axis labels for the number of cigarettes sold in billions. The coordinate system is Cartesian with the x-axis being the horizontal axis and the y-axis being the vertical axis. The scale on the y-axis starts from 0 and goes up to 200, with every 50 billion interval.
One variable is depicted in the graph: the number of cigarettes sold in billions for each of the top 10 cigarette brands. This variable is linked to the y-axis, which is the vertical axis. The x-axis shows the names of the cigarette brands.
The taxonomy described in the lecture to critique this data graphic includes accuracy, clarity, efficiency, and aesthetics.
Accuracy: The graph appears to be accurate, as it correctly represents the number of cigarettes sold in billions for each of the top 10 cigarette brands.
Clarity: The graph is very clear. The labels for the x-axis and y-axis are legible, and the scales are clearly marked. The vertical bars effectively represent the differences between the sales of each brand. The graph is easy to understand.
Efficiency: The graph is efficient in conveying the main message. The use of only one variable and the simple design of the graph make it easy to understand the relative sales of the top 10 cigarette brands.
Aesthetics: The graph is simple and clean, with no unnecessary elements.
Overall, this graph is accurate, clear, efficient, and aesthetically pleasing.
Question #3
Find two data graphics published in a newspaper on on the internet in the last two years.
Identify a graphical display that you find compelling. What aspects of the display work well, and how do these relate to the principles that we have just gone over in lecture. Include a screenshot of the display along with your solution (Hint:use the following in a code chunk: knitr::include_graphics(“your_graphic”).
Identify a graphical display that you find less compelling. What aspects of the display don’t work well? Are there ways that the display might be improved? Include a screenshot of the display along with your solution (Hint:use the following in a code chunk: knitr::include_graphics(“your_graphic”).
Question #4
Briefly (one paragraph) critique the designer’s choices. Would you have made different choices? Why or why not? Note: Link contains a collection of many data graphics, and I don’t expect (or want) you to write a full report on each individual graphic. But each collection shares some common stylistic elements. You should comment on a few things that you notice about the design of the collection.
Answer #4:
The collection of data graphics in the link seems to be designed with a consistent and clear aesthetic. The use of simple, bold fonts and a limited color palette contributes to the overall clarity of the graphics. However, some of the graphics use small type, which can make it hard to read the information being presented, and the use of icons and symbols can sometimes be confusing. Overall, I think the designer’s choices are effective. I would have made similar choices in terms of color and typography, but may have less reliance on symbols to convey information.
Question #5
Briefly (one paragraph) critique the designer’s choices. Would you have made different choices? Why or why not? Note: Link contains a collection of many data graphics, and I don’t expect (or want) you to write a full report on each individual graphic. But each collection shares some common stylistic elements. You should comment on a few things that you notice about the design of the collection.
Charts that explain food in America
Answer:
The collection of data graphics in the link is well-designed and effectively conveys information about various aspects of the American food system. The use of bright colors and simple, clear graphics helps to make the information presented in each graphic easily digestible and engaging. Overall, I think the designer’s choices are effective in creating a visually appealing and informative collection of data graphics. I may have included more explicit labeling to help readers better understand the information presented in each graphic.
