OCSI's Tom Smith presentation to the iNetwork conference "Getting out the Facts: Open Data & Data Visualisation"

1. Data viz – telling stories with data
Tom Smith, OCSI

2. About OCSI
www.ocsi.co.uk +44 1273 810 270 info@ocsi.co.uk

3. Make an impact
Your data must
influence your
organisation & services

4. Get your message across
Data visualisation is
key way to communicate
stories from your data

5. Information from data. Order from chaos
• “data graphics can do much more than … substitute for
statistical tables…. [They] are instruments for reasoning
about quantitative information ”, Tufte, 1983

6. How can data visualisation help
local organisations?

7. Summarise issues for service managers
and senior staff
West Midlands Apprentices, Excel dashboard

8. Engage the public with your information

9. Causes of death for under 75s

10. Engage the public (2)
• Contribution of different diseases to
inequalities in life expectancy

11. Communicate key messages to ... staff,
commissioners, funders, volunteers ...

12. Data visualisation principles

13. Visualisation is communication
1. Design for
your audience
Good
communication
2. Keep it 3. Keep
accurate it clear

14. Principle 1: Design for your audience
• Key points for this visualisation for this audience
– Limit what you show. Be selective
• Know your audience
– What information does your audience want/ need?
– What will they quickly understand?
– What do they need to help them see the data story
• Test your visualisation - colleagues? managers?

15. Design for your audience – evolution 1
Crime rates by
ward for single
indicator. Targets.
Detailed.
Robert Radburn, Leicestershire. Changing how we present data to
Community Safety Team Management meetings

16. Design for your audience – evolution 2
Crime indicators
for all crimes, all
wards. 3 years

17. Design for your audience – evolution 3
Crime indicators
for all crimes, all
wards. Trends by
colour

18. Principles 2 & 3: Keep it accurate & clear
• Focus on the message(s) for the audience
• Show the data without distortion
– Avoid common pitfalls (do’s and dont’s)
• Don’t obscure the information
– Use the right type of chart
• Learn from others
– Look at examples and resources – there’s lots out there!

19. Data visualisation practical
Do’s and Don’ts

20. Simplify to emphasise key message(s)
OCSI analysis of Amaze UK cost-benefits

21. Annotate to emphasise the story
Warwickshire Quality of Life 2011

22. Additional visuals to strengthen the story
Metropolitan Police

23. Show the whole truth (trends)
3 points is not a
trend ...
Same dataset,
longer time series,
different story

24. Repeated elements for similar aspects
Warwickshire Quality of Life 2011

25. Use the right chart
Shouldn’t pie
charts add up
to 100?%
Hall of shame: “Criminal” pie-chart
via ONS Data Visualisation Centre

26. Just because you can, doesn’t mean you should
Hall of shame: Pictorial representation

27. 3D charts? No!
Hides the story
How much?
When?
“3D charts are the first refuge of
scoundrels”, Brian Derry, NHS-IC
Hall of shame: Excel 3D charts
via ONS Data Visualisation Centre

28. Keep it simple

29. Learn from others – lots of resources
• www.improving-visualisation.org.uk/links
visualisation support for public sector researchers
• www.visualisingdata.com (lots of links, tutorials, tools)
• Flowing Data, www.flowingdata.com (examples)
• www.gapminder.org (Hans Rosling videos)
• ONS Data Viz centre
www.ons.gov.uk/ons/interactive/index.html

30. Learn from others – lots of resources
extremepresentation.typepad.com/blog/2006/09/choosing_a_good.html

31. Summing up
• Your data must influence your organisation & services
– Make an impact
• Data visualisation is key way to communicate stories
from your data
– Get your message across. Lots of uses in local organisations
• Principles - design for audience, keep it accurate & clear
• Practicals - do's & don'ts
• Learn from others - resources
• Have fun

32. Tom Smith
Oxford Consultants for Social Inclusion (OCSI)
e: info@ocsi.co.uk
t: +44 1273 810 270
w: www.ocsi.co.uk

33. Data viz and photo credits
• Warwickshire Quality of Life 2011 report
• Brighton & Hove Annual Director Public Health 2012 report
• Leicestershire Research & Intelligence analysis and reports
• OCSI analysis for Amaze UK disability charity
• West Midlands Regional Observatory Apprentice Dashboard
• Guardian Public Spending wallchart
• David McCandless Map Venn diagram
• ONS Data Visualisation Centre , visuals and hall of shame
• DCLG / OCSI, Improving Visualisation for public sector researchers
• Chart Chooser
• Flowing Data
• Wikimedia Commons