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How to Lie with Data Visualization

posted by n1 on Monday April 21 2014, @10:58AM   
from the when-the-data-doesn't-fit-the-agenda dept.

AnonTechie writes:

Heap Analytics has an informative blog post on how visualizations can be used to misrepresent data.

Data visualization is one of the most important tools we have to analyze data. But it's just as easy to mislead as it is to educate using charts and graphs. In this article we'll take a look at 3 of the most common ways in which visualizations can be misleading.

• This always annoys me This always annoys me (Score: 3, Insightful) by silverly on Monday April 21 2014, @11:36AM

  by silverly (4052) on Monday April 21 2014, @11:36AM (#33905) Homepage

  Its almost common practice to portray data in a way to push a personal agenda in the mainstream media. The info-graphs are super example of it as well. I wish they would allow you to click through the graph and get to the raw data.

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• Re:This always annoys me (Score: 2) by davester666 on Monday April 21 2014, @07:41PM

  by davester666 (155) on Monday April 21 2014, @07:41PM (#34122)

  1. incredibly few people would actually take the time to review the raw data [or even the compiled data which the graph relied on], so it would be effort for nothing.
  2. giving easy access to the data would enable those few people who would go through it to create correct charts, and possibly be able to publicly shame the 'bad graph' people

  So, they have vested reasons to NOT make it easy for anybody to get the data behind the charts and graphs.

  Parent