Slices, Bars, Lines, and Cells:More
Information on Visuals
By Dr. Jennifer L. Bowie
Using Visuals• Always:
– Give it a table or figure number– Provide a short descriptive title– Refer to it in your text while letting the reader know
what they should be looking for (introduce & interpret it)
– Provide a caption (optional, but necessary if the visual is not interpreted within the text)
• Label tables as tables and all other visuals as figures.
Examples of the correct use:In the survey, I also asked for year in
college so I could compare differences based on college experience. Because the survey technical communication course is a sophomore-level course, I expected the largest number of students to be sophomores. However, there were equal numbers of sophomores and juniors who participated in the second level of research, 12 each. There were fewer first year students and seniors, four and five students respectively. Figure 4.4 shows a pie chart of the participants’ year in college.
12%
37%36%
15%
1st year
Sophmore
Junior
Senior
Figure 4.4: Participants’ Year in College
The cream text shows the interpretation, the pink text shows my introduction of the visual.
Tables• Best for organized lists of data• May be harder to understand• Two categories:
– Numeric: present quantitative information– Prose: present qualitative information
• Use to:– present exact numbers/values and see exact
comparisons– organize data so people can see relationships
themselves
Tables: Numerical Example
Gender and Sex Number of Participants
Androgynous Females 5
Androgynous Males 5
Undifferentiated Females 5
Undifferentiated Males 2
Feminine Females 5
Feminine Males 2
Masculine Females 4
Masculine Males 5
Table 4.1: Stratified Categories of Participants in Level Two by Gender and Sex
Tables: Prose ExampleArea Examinedfor Sex/GenderDifferences
ResearchQuestion
Methods
Navigation methods 1a Coded observations from theusability testing and answers frominterview questions (specifically 3and 8)
Orientation behaviors 1b Coded observations from theusability testing and answers frominterview questions (specifically 3and 7)
Back button use(frequency and typesof use)
1c Coded observations from theusability testing and answers frominterview questions (specifically 8)
Table 1.1: Methods Used for the Research Questions and Corresponding Areas
Graphs:• Display numeric relationships between data sets• Translate numbers into visuals• Display approximate values• Good for making judgments about data• Best for comparisons, changes over time,
patterns or trends• Horizontal axis list categories to be compared• Vertical axis displays range of values• 2 major types…
Graphs: Bar Graphs• Show discrete comparison
• Each bar represents a change in quantity
• Best used to either– Focus on one value OR– Compare values that change over time
intervals
Graphs: Bar Graphs Example
109
12
5
9
32
21
0
5
10
15
20
25
Androgynous Undifferentiated Feminine Masculine
Sex
# o
f P
arti
cip
ants
Females
Males
Figure 4.1: Stratified Categories of Participants by Gender and Sex
Graphs: Line Graphs• Can accommodate more data points than
a bar graph
• Help readers synthesize large bodies of info where exact values are not important
• Display data with values that change over time
0
5000
10000
15000
20000
25000
30000
Jan
Feb
Mar
chApr
ilM
ayJu
ne July
Aug Sept
Oct
Nov Dec
Month
Nu
mb
er o
f P
atro
ns
CoffeeHouse
Bookstore
Graphs: Line Graphs Example
Table 1: Patrons Trends for 2003
Charts• Figures that displays relationships
• Several types:– Pie Charts– Organizational Charts– Flowcharts– Gantt & PERT Charts– Pictograms
Charts: Pie Charts• Show parts or percentages of a whole• Normally easy to understand• Allow easy comparison of parts to each other
and whole• When creating make sure:
– Parts add up to a whole (100%)– Number of segments range from 2-8– Small segments can be combined into “other”
category– Keep labels horizontal for ease of reading
Charts: Pie Charts Example
28%
25%
33%
14%
Androgynous
Undifferentiated
Feminine
Masculine
Figure 4.2.A: Distribution of Females into the Four Genders
Charts: Organizational Charts• Divide organization
into management or administrative parts
Charts: Flowcharts• Traces process
or procedures from beginning to end
• Shows the steps in process
http://www.ldolphin.org/SciMeth2.html
Charts: Tree charts• Shows how
parts of concept or idea relate to each other (outlines, family trees)..
From: http://home.att.net/~wee-monster/skywalker/
Charts: Gantt and PERT Charts• Gantt:
– Shows process as a function of time
– Good for planning and tracking time
• PERT:– Related to Gantt– Used for scheduling
activities on a project
From: http://www.me.umn.edu/courses/me4054/assignments/gantt.html
Charts: Pictograms/Pictographs• Show numerical
relationships with icons or symbols of the measures instead of bars or lines
• Good for non-technical and multicultural audiences (as long as the icon transfers)
From: http://www.mathstutor.com/DataCharts.html#anchor590137
Graphic Illustrations• Show physical
relationships, instead of numerical relationships
• Include:– Diagrams– Maps– Drawings– Photographs
From: http://www.rollaway.com/3000_ex_diag.htm
Let’s Discuss:
The End