Visuals and technical communication

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Leading and misleading readers

• Visuals and technical communication

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Why use visuals?

• One good visual can replace a thousand words of
  explanation in technical communication
• As Edward Tufte says, there are data displays
  that reveal the truth and displays that do not
  (Visual 45).

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What are the right ways . . . to show data ?

• Each type of chart or graph is better suited to
  displaying one type of data
• Select the display that most clearly illustrates
  your point

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Select the right visual for the story

• Find in your data an intriguing point
• Never graph numbers just to include a visual
• Always make the visual accomplish something

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Types of visuals

• Pie chart
• Line graph
• Bar graph
• Dot chart
• Table

• Map
• Photograph
• Line drawing
• Gantt chart

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Pie chart

• Shows how a part or parts are related to the
  whole
• Data needs to add up to 100 for pie chart to
  make sense

Figure 2.7 Collies, shepherds, and retrievers
accounted for more than 70 of dogs placed at the
shelter last year.
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Line graph

• Line graph compares items over time, to show
  frequency or distribution or to show correlations

Figure 2.8 Busters weight gain from six weeks to
six months. He was born Jan 9. Source King St.
Veterinary Clinic medical records.
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Bar chart

• Bar chart compares items, compares items over
  time, shows frequency, distribution, or
  correlation.

Figure 2.9 Busters weight gain from six weeks to
six months. Buster was born Jan. 9. Source King
St. Veterinary Clinic medical records.
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Dot chart

• Dot charts show correlation
• Show clusters of data so viewers can see
  relationships

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Tables

• Tables display exact figures (when accuracy and
  detail are important)

Table 2.11 Experimentally Determined Optimal pH
of Micro-organisms
Organism Optimal pH
S. cerevisiae 5.1-6.9
E. coli 8.1 or higher
L. plantarum 3.0 or lower
S. aureus 8.1 or higher
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Maps

• Maps show location or compare two items

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Photographs

• To reproduce exact detail or show something being
  used
• To show size. With extra large or extra small
  objects, include a reference point to illustrate
  the size.

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Line drawings
Figure 2.15 The darkened areas of the sketch
clarify for viewers the path of the water in the
falls, as well as highlighting the location of
the falls' birdbath.
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Line drawings (contd)

• Line drawings emphasize specific details or show
  dimension
• They omit details that are irrelevant to your
  point

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Gantt charts

• Gantt charts indicate timelines
• Used on proposals or progress reports to track
  stages of project

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Conventions for using visuals

• A title
• All units labelled
• Source of the data
• Source of visual (if you didnt create yourself)

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Misleading visuals

• Conventions are sometimes subverted to obscure
  disadvantageous information

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Adding visual interest can obscure the information

• Chart junk

Figure 2.18 Sales figures for Sweetest Day are
increasing steadily and expected to continue to
do so over the new two years.
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Use uniform-sized icons

• Use icons of a uniform size so units can be
  compared accurately

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