This post has been a long time coming. Stephanie Evergreen and I knew some time ago that evaluators and social scientists had a thirst for better graphs, a clear understanding of why better graphs were necessary, but they lacked efficient guidance on how, exactly, to make a graph better. Introducing the Data Visualization Checklist.

DataVizChecklist

Download this checklist and refer to it when you are constructing your next data visualization so that what you produce rocks worlds. Use the checklist to gauge the effectiveness of graphs you’ve already made and adjust places where you don’t score full points. Make copies and slip them into your staff mailboxes.

What’s in the Checklist?

We compiled a set of best practices based on extensive research, tested against the practical day-to-day realities of evaluation practice and the pragmatic needs of our stakeholders. This guidance may not apply to other fields. In fact, we pilot-tested the checklist with a dozen data visualists and found that those who were not in a social science field found more areas of disagreement. That’s ok. Their dissemination purposes are different from ours. Their audiences are not our audiences. You, evaluator, will find clear guidelines on how to make the best use of a graph’s text, color, arrangement, and overall design. We also included a data visualization anatomy chart on the last page of the checklist to illustrate key concepts and point out terminology.

What’s Next?

Stephanie and I know that the best practices need more graphic examples. Over the next couple of months we will publish blog posts that depict each of these best practices and show the transition of a data visualization that scores no points to one that scores full points (so subscribe to both blogs!).

We will present the final checklist and our collection of visual examples at the American Evaluation Association’s annual conference in October. Let’s high five there!

Our presentation will be so much cooler if we can get a bit of your help. Please please please can you take a picture of your existing data visualization, apply the checklist, and then take another picture? We’d LOVE to include your before and after example in our blog posts and in our conference session. your redesign to me. Show people how awesome you are!

 

Big thanks to our pilot reviewers: James Coyle, Amy Germuth, Chris Lysy, Johanna Morariu, Jon Schwabish, David Shellard, Rob Simmon, Kate Tinworth, Jeff Wasbes, and Trina Willard.