Do you remember 'show and tell' when you were in grade school? Some kid would bring their favorite toy to class and tell you who bought it and why it is so special. Then they would show you what cool things the toy can do, and all of you would crowd around the toy and experience it up close.

Imagine if your classmate only ever vaguely described their toy but never actually showed you what it was or shared what made it so great. That would make for a boring show and tell, wouldn't it? Creating an effective data visualization is a lot like a great show and tell presentation: a delicate balance between presenting your data and telling a story. But trying to strike this balance can be challenging.

Now, I believe that there is no "perfect" way to present data. Some ways, however, are more effective than others. This post explores three common 'show and tell' pitfalls analysts and designers face when creating compelling charts – and how you can overcome them.

Misstep #1: SHOW + TELL (BIG SHOW, BIG TELL)

A common 'show and tell' misstep is to create a chart that contains everything but the kitchen sink. Imagine: a long (uninformative) title, a clunky legend, labels galore, a border, gridlines, all the colors of the rainbow… You get the idea: There is a little TOO much of everything.

Say you work for the Office of Innovation & Technology in your City. Every year since 2010, your Office has surveyed tens of thousands of people to get a sense of the types of devices adults use to access the internet. Eager to show off your results to your boss, you create the following chart:

What is the takeaway message? And, more importantly, where in the h!ck should you look? It is a little hard to tell because there is A LOT of information to process in this one chart.

A remedy: Declutter Your Design + Share a Story

Declutter your design by removing visual elements that distract your audience from your story. Consider what needs to be present on the chart for your message to make sense. Then, use text and color to strategically highlight what you want your audience to know. Here, I chose to focus on the growing share of adults who use a tablet to access the internet.

Misstep #2: SHOW + tell (BIG SHOW, small tell)

Other times a data visualization does not contain enough context. Context is the information your audience needs to make sense of the presented data. Without it, they will have a tough time interpreting the chart. I refer to this type of show and tell as: BIG SHOW, small tell.

Say you are a data analyst at a school district, and you receive a special request from the superintendent over the summer. They want you to visualize Grade 8 math test scores in the district's four schools for the previous school year (Fall 2018 semester to Spring 2019 semester). Importantly, the superintendent is interested in highlighting which school has made the greatest gains in math test scores. In response to their request, you create the following slope graph:

The graph clearly shows that schools differ with respect to their (Grade 8) math scores between Fall 2018 and Spring 2019. However, it is hard to tell by how much because there are no data labels! Omitting the data labels limits the amount of information that can be gleaned from the graph. The graph is also missing a key element: a title. An informative title can make your (data) message more memorable.

A remedy: Use Text (and Color) to Tell a Story

Text is your friend! Use text to communicate to your audience what you want them to know. An informative title can help highlight important data points and emphasize a key message. In addition to text, the careful use of color can enhance a display and can be used to draw viewers’ attention to a specific section of your design.

Now, your audience can see how test scores across schools have changed between Fall 2018 and Spring 2019 with the addition of data labels. School 1, the school with the largest gains in math test scores in the district, stands out. Color is used to emphasize this message in the title, subtitle, and plot area.

Misstep #3: show + TELL (small show, BIG TELL)

I like to call the final type of show and tell: small show, BIG TELL. Usually, this translates into a display that contains TOO much text or TOO many numbers.

Say you work as a data analyst for a school district in Accra, Ghana. Your boss asks you to pull and present information for the district's operating expenditures (budgeted and projected) for the previous fiscal year in three categories:

1. Salaries,

2. Benefits, and

3. (School) Supplies.

Your boss wants you to present this information to the entire office. You produce the following table for your presentation:

All the information your boss requested is in the table and the table is easy to read! However, during a live presentation, your boss (and colleagues) would have to do a fair amount of mental math to compare budgeted and actual expenditures.

A remedy: Show the Comparisons, but add precise data labels and an informative title

Charts are not inherently better than tables. The decision to use a chart vs. table depends on the message you want to communicate and how the message will be communicated. Tables tend to be best when your audience is interested in looking up an individual value (here, being precise matters!). Charts, on the other hand, work best when you want to communicate relationships between values. So, what to do?

A simple bar chart that compares budgeted vs. actual expenditures would pack a punch. The best part: you do not have to sacrifice form for function. Your audience can clearly compare budgeted vs. actual expenditures thanks to the careful color choice. Bonus: the title and data labels tell your audience what they need to know: actual expenditures did not exceed budgeted expenditures last fiscal year.

Want more information? Check out my blog posts on how to declutter your designs and use (color) contrast to create impact.

And if you find you need some help, we are always here to help. Contact us for a 1:1 consultation.