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What Makes a Good
Data Visualization?
Christine Zhang
christineyzhang.com
Tales from The Times
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https://www.nytimes.com/by/christine-zhang
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Understand your data.
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Distribution of kept and cut awards by $
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Choose an effective
chart type.
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Seek the truth,
which is variable.
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https://twitter.com/gaufre/status/1022522967086051328
https://twitter.com/jshkatz/status/1022927839425912838
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https://github.com/underthecurv
e/four-ways-precinct-maps
https://elections.maryland.gov/elections/2018/results/
general/gen_results_2018_2_by_county_02-1.html
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“Any chart, no matter how well
designed, will mislead us if we
don’t pay attention to it.”
Alberto Cairo
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Where appropriate,
show the uncertainty.
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NOT REAL
POLLING DATA
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https://friendly.github.io/6135/papers/Uncertainty
_Visualization_Padilla_Kay_Hullman_2020.pdf
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Annotate.
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Use color to your
advantage.
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Have fun!
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Your turn as
graphics editor
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https://www.opentable.com/state-of-industry
https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1XjICn2GNcpfoZIcIKdRxGNjZ_6TROioMgGyY9rdJ_UQ/edit?usp=sharing
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https://www.stlouisfed.org/on-the-economy/2025/may/broad-continuin
g-rise-delinquent-us-credit-card-debt-revisited
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Source: U.S. Census Bureau American Community
Survey 5-Year Estimates 2013-17
https://factfinder.census.gov/bkmk/table/1.0/en/ACS/
17_5YR/B03002/0400000US24.05000
Maryland’s
population, by
race/ethnicity for
each county
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https://github.com/underthecurve/bars-pies-waffles