'Chart junk’ is a feature of a chart or graph that doesn’t help you understand the data. Getting rid of chart junk is a basic data visualisation rule. This presentation shows how to make-over a graph to eliminate the chart junk and make it quicker and easier to read.

3. This graph is readable..
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Ordinary votes cast before Election Day 2014
Wellington Central Electorate

4. ..but takes a bit of time to
understand.
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Ordinary votes cast before Election Day 2014
Wellington Central Electorate

5. 4500
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3D is a
real
gimmick
Ordinary votes cast before Election Day 2014
Wellington Central Electorate

6. 4500
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Ordinary votes cast before Election Day 2014
Wellington Central Electorate
These
lines
clutter the
view

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Sloping
text takes
a bit
longer to
read
Ordinary votes cast before Election Day 2014
Wellington Central Electorate

8. If we remove the chart
junk, you’ll be able to read
the graph quicker.

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Ordinary votes cast before Election Day 2014
Wellington Central Electorate
Dump the 3D
effects

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Black on
white is
easier to
Ordinary votes cast before Election Day 2014
Wellington Central Electorate
read

11. Ordinary votes cast before Election Day 2014
0 500 1000 1500 2000 2500 3000 3500 4000 4500
ACT New Zealand
Aotearoa Legalise Cannabis Party
Ban1080
Conservative
Democrats for Social Credit
Focus New Zealand
Green Party
Internet MANA
Labour Party
Māori Party
National Party
New Zealand First Party
NZ Independent Coalition
The Civilian Party
United Future
Wellington Central Electorate
Horizontal text
is quicker to
read than
angled text

12. Ordinary votes cast before Election Day 2014
0 500 1000 1500 2000 2500 3000 3500 4000 4500
National Party
Green Party
Labour Party
New Zealand First Party
Internet MANA
Conservative
Māori Party
ACT New Zealand
United Future
Aotearoa Legalise Cannabis Party
The Civilian Party
Ban1080
NZ Independent Coalition
Focus New Zealand
Democrats for Social Credit
Wellington Central Electorate
Size order is
quicker to
read for this
graph than
alphabetical

13. Ordinary votes cast before Election Day 2014
166
144
79
34
26
10
4
2
2
1
68
385
2423
3451
4278
National Party
Green Party
Labour Party
New Zealand First Party
Internet MANA
Conservative
Māori Party
ACT New Zealand
United Future
Aotearoa Legalise Cannabis Party
The Civilian Party
Ban1080
NZ Independent Coalition
Focus New Zealand
Democrats for Social Credit
Wellington Central Electorate
You can
show the
values
without
clutter

14. Before:
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Ordinary votes cast before Election Day 2014
Wellington Central Electorate

15. After:
Ordinary votes cast before Election Day 2014
166
144
79
34
26
10
4
2
2
1
68
385
2423
3451
4278
National Party
Green Party
Labour Party
New Zealand First Party
Internet MANA
Conservative
Māori Party
ACT New Zealand
United Future
Aotearoa Legalise Cannabis Party
The Civilian Party
Ban1080
NZ Independent Coalition
Focus New Zealand
Democrats for Social Credit
Wellington Central Electorate

16. Eliminating chart junk
improves a graph’s ‘data-ink
ratio’ – a term coined
by Edward Tufte in the
1980s.

17. It’s the ratio of data-ink to
non-data-ink.
The better the ratio, the
easier the graph is to
read.

18. With flashy, distracting Excel
graphs only a click away,
chart junk and the data-ink
ratio are useful concepts to
keep in mind.

19. For more information try:
Edward Tufte
Stephen Few
Stephanie Evergreen

20. Feedback welcomed.
Cheers
Kay
kay.e.baxter@gmail.com