Pet Peeves
We all have them – those things that get under our skin or drive us mad. We just can’t understand why someone would do that or even think that what they are doing is sensible.
In my office, everyone knows my pet peeves. My colleagues always know how to get me going by showing me presentations of information or data that doesn’t help the viewer to understand what is happening or doesn’t help anyone to make a decision.
Here are just a few things that really get me going.
Pie charts and donut charts
Why people use them at all is a mystery to me. Maybe it is because there are no edges or it reminds them of playing with a ball, but seriously, what do they tell you? If you want to make sense of them, you usually have to add so much information to them that you may as well have just presented the information in a table. Here’s what I mean.
Pies and donuts are for eating, I say!
Overly decorated tables, or tables with too much information
I realise that for most of us, a great deal of work goes into analysing information, but you don’t really have to put it all in a table, do you? People can only absorb so much information at one time and you need to help them focus on what is important. I try to distil everything down to what is needed to understand what is happening. If you really want people to see how hard you worked and all the calculations you did, then use an appendix, otherwise you are wasting their time.
If you have to use colour or borders everywhere then you are going to mask or hide what is important. And don’t forget about those who are colour blind who won’t be able to see what you are presenting in many cases!
See what I mean!
Infographics
Don’t get me wrong, infographics do have their place, and those that are well done can not only be enlightening, but also entertaining. However, I am sure that we have all seen some that not only try to tell you too much, but also leave you scratching your head over what was being said. Here’s an example from the New Zealand Ministry of Education. I particularly like the baby swinging from the star at the bottom right hand corner – not sure what it means though. I am certain that there would have been many ways of presenting the information contained in the infographic in other ways that would have made much more sense.
And if you want more examples, there is a wonderful website called WTF Visualizations. Check out WTF Visualizations here! They have an archive, but also allow you to submit examples for other to enjoy.
So, have I missed the mark or do these things bother you too? What are your pet peeves? Does anyone have examples of good and bad they would like to share?
Kathie Rabel
AAIR President