by Dona M. Wong
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About the Book
This **is a great book that makes data visualization simple and clear. It’s offering easy-to-follow tips like labeling data directly and keeping charts clean, which helps anyone create better graphs fast. I like how it’s short but packed with examples. Like how the biggest pie chart slice should start at 12 o’clock. Dona’s clear writing and smart ideas, shaped by her time at The Wall Street Journal and learning from Edward Tufte, make it super useful. Honestly, it’s a handy guide that even pros enjoy for its practical!
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How to create effective charts
The best charting practice is to systematically follow four essential steps:
- Research
- Research from up-to-the-minute authoritative sources.
- Use an independent source for disputable data that is open to interpretation, such as market share, to avoid bias and conflict of interest.
- Obtain permission to use the data, if required.
- Edit
- Identify your key message.
- Choose the best data series to illustrate your point, e.g. market share vs. total revenue.
- Filter and simplify the data to deliver the essence of the data to your intended audience.
- Make numerical adjustments to the raw data to enhance your point, e.g. absolute values vs. percentage change.
- Plot
- Choose the right chart type to present the data, e.g. a line to show trend or a bar to show discrete quantities.
- Choose the appropriate chart settings, e.g. scale, y-axis increments and baseline.
- Label the chart, e.g. title, description, legends and source line. • Use color and typography to accentuate the key message.
- Review
- Check the plotted data against your sources.
- Use judgment to evaluate whether your chart makes sense.
- Try to look at the chart from the reader's perspective.
- Verify your data with additional sources and consult with experts in the field for questionable content and outliers.