On April 12 we talked about the basics of functions for tables and charts.
In Learning Module 8, we talked more about visual rhetoric, rhetorical choices involved in making charts, how charts can sometimes be misleading because of visual components (e.g., axes), and some methods of non-traditional visualization techniques (e.g., motion, color).
On April 19, we talked more about design and accessibility, which are also relevant to visual components of making quantitative arguments.
In the Data Visualization Revision assignment that was introduced in Learning Module 8, and the point to that is to be more purposeful and intentional with choices in your visualizations. Questions like these can help:
Why did you organized it in the way that you did?
What argument is foregrounded?
Can it stand alone?
What is its title and why?
How is it integrated with the text around it?
What components help make meaning and how do they do so? (e.g., color, font, size, motion, imagery, interactivity)
How is it memorable? How does it stir emotions?
How is it transparent in its formation? How does it avoid misleading people? What methods and contexts are conveyed and how?
Remember: don’t let your technical capabilities hold you back here. The Process Note portion of the assignment is a space to talk about what the idealized version of the assignment would look like.
Also: check out the free software options (some of which are very easy to learn and use) to see what could help make something close to your vision: Non-Traditional Data Visualizations – ENG 4950: Data and Writing Toward Social Change, Spring 2021 (cuny.edu)
Task
After reviewing last week and this week so far, what are some of your initial thoughts for what you might do for your Data Visualization Revision?
Are you going to revise a visualization already present in your white paper? How and why?
Are you going to add a new one? How and why?
In a comment below, reflect on what you might do for the assignment and ask any questions you might have about your ideas so far.
After commenting below with some initial thoughts, click on the button below to continue:
I think I’m going to provide a visual that captures the disparities in the COVID-19 vaccine distribution to these high risk nation. The chart I was looking at was very effective in providing a strong argument for a deeper aiding to these severely impoverished nations. No questions.
I think I am going to revise the statistics part that shows the increasing number of hate crimes across 16 states. I may use a different chart that will allow for a better interpretation of the data because the current chart doesn’t seem to add much to the persuasion of my paper.
I do not have any questions.
I think I will revise charts and analyses that were created previously as they did not tend to be easy to understand and persuasive. The data visualization presents in my white paper is not well-done so I would spend more effort on modifications. For instance, add more labels to charts and select data that would reflect my central idea, which would make the analysis more persuasive.
I do not have any questions.
I will likely merge the visual used in my white paper, with one that I create from the original data set that led me to this topic. The purpose of the visual will be to show that the department of education is not doing enough to support minority communities.
In my White Paper revision I will add more visuals to it and provide more historical context related to my topic.
After revising my paper I will add a visual to it. I forgot to add one the last time.
I think I will try to plot my data on a map to show geographically which borough shows that students are dropping out of high school. Providing I can get access to tableau and insert it in my paper. If not I will just do descriptive statistics to outline the dropout rates or a line graph to show the distribution of male vs female graduates.
I am thinking of both revising the visualizations that I already present in the first draft, making them clearer with adding on some explanations to expand the idea. And, will add a new visualization if necessary.
I am going to revise the visualization that I presented on my white paper, with the last class I learned other sources that can be more helpful to understand my data. Although I have a clear idea of my data set, I think that I need to work on the visualization to make it more clear for my audience.
I like the data that I have shown but I have to make clearer paths between the data and my point. I don’t have any questions.
I would like to add charts that will represent my data best using color and size to highlight the key message to my audience for example the changes over time, comparisons, to further breakdown/compare contrast the categories of my topic.
I am going to change one of the pictures of a data table in my paper because it is a little hard to read and replace it with one that is clearer (it terms of being less blurry) I am also going to include more visuals, I don’t have as many as I think I should have. I think by adding photos from protests, it can evoke more an emotional response from the readers.
I’m going to add a chart that shows how income inequality has been increasing for the past few years. I will use different colors to emphasize what I’m trying to show and help audiences understand.
I don’t have any questions.
I am going to add charts and visuals to make it more appealing to the audience. I will also use some graphs to represent my data.
In my data visualization revision I plan on adding more creative visuals with new secondary data. I plan to use tableau.
In my data visualization I used a graph that was a lot more to the point and also greater in magnitude and scope so that my argument is illustrated better.
I will revise a visualization and make a better one hopefully so it helps get my point across better. The one I used before was meh but the new one will hopefully help more in my argument and show the data more clearly for the reader.