How to Lie in Data Visualization

GOOD Magazine has a feature article discussing how easy it is to manipulate data visualizations to meet any end you prefer, showing examples of the CRATX stock listing.

When we introduce impact data to pictures, we tap into a deeply-rooted way humans understand the world, and we can inspire action—which is ultimately the point of measuring impact. But without a factual key or other clear guide that makes the image self-explanatory, data visualization can obscure understanding. All too often such visualizations are used to deceive. This can be hard to see through, partly because people seem to be naturally more skeptical of other people than we are of numbers or images.

They show powerful examples of manipulating axes, scales, and comparisons to make the data look far better or worse than it should.

via Fact and Fiction (and How to Tell the Difference) in Data Visualization | GOOD.

This story written by Randall Hand

Randall Hand is a visualization scientist working for a federal research lab, aiding researchers to discover the insights buried within their terabyte datasets generated on some of the most powerful supercomputers in the world. He also runs VizWorld.com .