When To Visualize Numbers and When Not To
By: Olga Kouzina
Tags: Metrics, Learning, Data Visualization, Insights, Information Visualization

Today I would like to revisit some basics of data visualization, showing when we get value from having numbers visualized and when such a visualization would be inappropriate.

One of the main reasons that data visualization exists at all — be it smooth infographics or slick project reports — is the fact that it saves us time needed to digest some quantitative information, i.e. the information that has numbers in it. Visuals present numbers in an appealing way, making them easier to read. Sometimes, however, they use visualized numbers with no substantial ground. If no meaning is ingrained into the graphical cuteness, a visual would make no sense. Some other technique for information rendering has to be used then, such as a text.

Take a look at one such case where numbers pretend to be visualized with some meaning while actually failing to provide value.

One can see similar images quite often on the web pages that advertise for events. Such a visual is supposed, presumably, to convince potential attendees that this event — a conference, likely — holds some value for them. However, I don’t see how this row of numbers can possibly help get an idea of what a conference is about. There’s no universal converter that would work for each and every individual, rendering those hours of keynotes, workshops, trainings, and the count of speakers into a meaningful answer to one question: “Will I learn something new and useful for me personally?” How are these flat numbers capable to attend to the unique knowledge landscape of any given individual? No way, they can’t do it. Those looking to decide if a conference is worth going to might as well skip this “hippish” part with the useless numbers and proceed straight on to the text piece about the speakers, keynotes, workshops and training (which usually comes after such images). Bad news for someone who did this visual: they wasted both their time, and the time of the web page visitors.

Here’s the other example that shows how visualized numbers can actually help in project management:

This image includes several instances of sparkline reports, and while it has numbers that seem to hold no meaning to an external observer, an insider who looks at the graph is likely to know the project context: how user stories and bugs are sized in general, how much effort does it take to have them completed, and how these numbers can be rendered into a diagnostics report about the project health. Compare the sparkline graph and this text: “This report covers the last 16 weeks. Designers had their backlog full with 13 user stories in the first week, with fewer and fewer new stories added in the next weeks. They completed 3 stories and had 2 more added to their backlog in the current week”. Of course, the sparkline communicates this info in a more compact and time-saving way.

As a summary, before we hurry to create a visual report, or an infographic with numbers, we need to consider if a user or a reader will get the info they want fast from this visual. Some information can be rendered best as a piece of text, like in this first example from a web-site of a conference. Words would have taken readers to the core of the matter faster. In the second example, it’s the other way round. It would take more time to convey the same information with words.

Related:

Visualization and 5 Senses

Visualizing Music

Visualization: Why The Fusion of Art and Tech Matters

My Favourite Ways to Visualize Ideas