Why extra effort is needed while reading charts

The source of a chart is vital, even though the part itself might mostly only occupy a small corner of the chart. Remember, the purpose of any chart is to display data in a more informative and understandable way so that readers can get the key information from a complicated data set easily. Therefore, if the data itself is questionable, then the chart based on it is like a house build on sand has no firm foundation.

Not only checking the data source is necessary, checking the definitions used in the data set is equally important as well. What has been counted and how things are counted make a direct difference to the chart and what it shows. Nobody can understand the real story of the chart without having a accurate understanding of the data itself.

In the present information explosion age, when everyone and anyone has the power to share anything, we are getting an insane amount r of unfiltered information on a daily bases. It’s a blessing, but if we use it the wrong way it could become a curse. During this time of unvalidated information prevail, a lot with the mere intention of a quick grasp of attention but telling the true story, it is more needed for us as readers to equip ourselves with proper knowledge and patience to take an extra moment to make sure what we share represent a proper reality instead of confusion.

Besides using untrustworthy sources, another way for charts to lie is through using inadequate amount of data. This means some charts may display information without any data like the graph that’s been tweeted by White House about immigration, some charts may display a seemingly large number of counts instead of ratio to distort the view of the readers, other ways of lying using inadequate data can include oversimplify data, showing too much information, etc.

The bottom line is, if you manipulate data long enough, you can almost make it to show anything you want to show. Therefore as readers, it is necessary to be extra careful in this age when we are bombarded with charts. Extra time and effort is needed to verify and decode the charts before believing it. And as designers, knowing the possible misleading effect our work can be can help us to stay alert on choosing the best data set and chart representation. Taking the article I read this week as an example, just a simple 45 degree rotation of the chart for maybe a better visual display can cause serious possible misunderstanding on Johnny Depp’s love life. Visual effects can important, but showing a more truthful story should always take priority.

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