Archive for the ‘Charts and Data Visualization’ Category
Thursday, April 28th, 2011
As much as we love numbers, we find ourselves often advising clients against using numeric scales in their surveys. A numeric scale is any response format that asks people to give a number within a certain range to indicate the strength of their feeling or opinion. The insanely popular survey question used to calculate Net Promoter Scores is a good example:
“How likely is it that you would recommend Acme Solutions to a friend or colleague? Please answer on a scale from zero to ten, where zero means not at all likely, five is a neutral score, and ten means extremely likely.”
There are many good reasons to use numeric scales and many types of research for which numeric scales are optimal. The NPS scale is good because it has eleven points with meaningful endpoints and a meaningful midpoint. Research shows that scales like this can be highly reliable and valid, with sufficient variability to allow for sophisticated statistical modeling.
But if your objective is to use survey data for marketing materials, public relations, news releases, or white papers, numeric scales make things difficult. They are not easy to summarize in words, and if you want to use charts that tell quick, compelling stories, you will end up having to do something like this:
A Poor Fit: Pie Charts and Numeric Scales
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Tags: charts, communication, Data Collection, journalism, media, news, omnibus, Public Relations, stories, Survey Design, visualizing data
Posted in Charts and Data Visualization, Data Collection, Omnibus Surveys, Presenting Research, Public Relations, Survey Design, Survey Tips, Turning Data into Stories | No Comments »
Wednesday, August 18th, 2010
At its core, data visualization is about using visual techniques as shortcuts to understanding patterns in data. Some of the newer tools available in common programs like Excel provide an excellent means for visualizing data. This can save you time and it can point you in the right direction for rigorous analysis.
Here is an example from our recent work. We had a working data set with 107 variables. We wanted to know whether we could reduce these down into a smaller set of variables using techniques like factor analysis and scaling. We were planning to use linear regression techniques as well, so we wanted to be aware of any collinearity issues.
Our first step in getting familiar with the data was to run a bivariate correlation matrix. This resulted in a matrix of 11,449 coefficients. High correlations would suggest potential collinearity and opportunities for data reduction. Not so long ago, it was not feasible to review so many coefficients in a single matrix. But now we can use color rules in Excel to create a “heat map” that makes this possible:
107x107 Correlation Matrix with Excel Color Rules Used to Flag Higher Correlations
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Tags: visualizing data
Posted in Charts and Data Visualization, Data Analysis & Analytics, Methods & Tools | 1 Comment »
Friday, August 13th, 2010
Does data displayed in charts and graphs, rather than tables, lead to better decisions? Not according to the latest research reported in this month’s Journal of Marketing Research.
The authors looked at various types of biases that creep into business managers’ decisions when based on data presented to them. They did this by conducting experiments with business school students and managers who are members of the American Marketing Association. Some were presented with numeric data in tables, while others were presented with data in charts or graphs. All tables, charts, and graphs were clear and well-designed. (more…)
Tags: bias, charts, communication, data, Market Research, statistics, stories, visualizing data
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Friday, July 9th, 2010
Telling a story with data is one part finding the right words, and one part finding a compelling visual way to present numbers. Good visualization of data conveys the “big picture” at a glance. At the same time, it includes details so that the audience understands and sees both the whole and the parts. Effective charts also invite visual comparisons so that the viewer sees (without having to think about) the trends and patterns we are highlighting in a story.
We highly recommend learning about theories of presentation, perception, and data visualization, and we are big fans of Edward Tufte’s approach to visual explanations. At the same time, we recommend learning the basics of using simple tools, like pie charts, bar charts, line graphs, and so on. One good source for developing a mastery of the basics is a book called Graphing Statistics & Data: Creating Better Charts, from which we have learned a few tips about using bar charts: (more…)
Tags: charts, communication, data, statistics, stories, visualizing data
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Thursday, March 25th, 2010
A truly effective research report is both parsimonious and richly nuanced. In other words, (1) it is short and to the point, and (2) it captures the complexity of reality. But how do you do both? (more…)
Tags: charts, communication, research, stories, visualizing data
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Friday, January 29th, 2010
Data visualization will likely be one the biggest areas of innovation and development over the next several years. This is a good. A chart that clearly and succinctly displays detailed data in a way that captures the viewer’s attention and helps interpret the data can be incredibly powerful. Edward Tufte, a pioneer in this area, has been making that case for years. Of course a lot of Tufte’s examples have required sophisticated graphics and professional designers, which have put the “ideal” out of reach for most.
As fancy charts and graphics become more accessible to everyday users, we think it is critical to revisit the basics of charts. Many charts, even easy ones, are poorly conceptualized and poorly executed, which is even worse than showing your manager no chart at all. It is critical to understand what kinds of charts best display different types of data and highlight specific kinds of relationships you are trying to show. (more…)
Tags: charts, communication, data, visualizing data
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Thursday, January 7th, 2010
In the previous post we noted that our industry is driven by data and information, which meant huge changes in the nature of our work over the last ten years. Looking ahead, here are what we predict will be the five biggest trends that will shape market research challenges in the decade to come: (more…)
Tags: charts, data, Data Collection, Focus Groups, Market Research, research, survey technology, visualizing data
Posted in Charts and Data Visualization, Data Collection, Focus Groups, Future Trends, Market Research, Methods & Tools | No Comments »
Friday, December 11th, 2009
Making sense of data and statistics is not just a matter of being clear and precise, nor is it just a matter of keeping things simple (though all of these are important). To make numbers really compelling, we need to relate them to people’s experiences. If we want our audience to grasp the importance of a number intuitively, then we need to link it to what they already know really well.
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Tags: communication, data, numbers, statistics
Posted in Charts and Data Visualization, Presenting Research, Turning Data into Stories | No Comments »
Wednesday, October 28th, 2009
There is a lot of buzz about new programs that analyze data visually rather than with numbers and tables. We are big fans of Edward Tufte’s approach to visual explanations. But even the basics of visualizing data can be challenging and it is worth thinking about how and when to use some of the simplest tools, like pie charts and bar charts. (more…)
Tags: charts, insight, stories, survey technology, visualizing data
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