This document discusses best practices for presenting data visualizations. It begins by emphasizing that visualizations should provide insight rather than just pictures. It then provides tips for presenting visualizations in PowerPoint, including serving insights clearly, being brief and consistent, and providing memorable takeaways. The document also covers dealing with complex charts, common visualization pitfalls like 3D and scaling issues, and following Tufte's data-ink ratio principle of using ink only for data presentation.

1. Presenting data visualizations
Datalicious, 17th December 2014

2. quantilicious
“The greatest value of a picture is when it
forces us to notice what we never expected
to see.” - John Tukey, 1977

3. Today
 Presenting visualizations in PowerPoint decks
 Dealing with graphical complexity
 Common visualization pitfalls
 Tufte’s data-ink ratio
3

4. Presenting Visualizations
in PowerPoint Decks

5. quantilicious
“The purpose of visualization is insight, not pictures”
― Ben Shneiderman

6. Presenting Visualizations in PowerPoint Decks
 Serve your insights on a platter
 Stay brief and to the point
 Know when to move on
 Be prepared to shift course
6
 Tell a consistent story
 Have supporting slides ready to go
 Do the cognitive work for your audience
 Provide memorable ‘takeaway’ sound bites

7. Serve Your Insights on Platter
7
CEO salary has risen
and fallen over time

8. Serve Your Insights on Platter
8
CEO salary has risen
and fallen over time
• Not clear whether the insight is referring
to Average Salaries or Maximum Salaries
• Forces the reader to do the work
• No time reference
• Does not tell the whole story (maximum
salary rose, then fell, then rose again)

9. Insight Generation Tips
 Point to the trend, outlier or feature
 Describe the trend, outlier or feature
 Refer to the greater context that may
not feature in the data
9
 Include a time reference
 Add value beyond what is obvious on the chart
 Leave no chart variable behind

10. Serving Your Insights on a Platter
10
Maximum
salaries fell over
2008-2009,
coinciding with
the GFC.
Whilst
maximum
salaries
recovered in
2012, they have
still not reached
pre-GFC levels.
On average,
CEO salaries
have not
increased in real
terms over
2007-2012

11. Show Your Insights
11
Maximum
salaries fell over
2008-2009,
coinciding with
the GFC.
Whilst
maximum
salaries
recovered in
2012, they have
still not reached
pre-GFC levels.
On average, CEO
salaries have not
increased in real
terms over the
previous 6 years
GFC

12. Super Smash Brothers Melee Character
Rankings

13. Super Smash Brothers Melee Consistent High Performers

14. Super Smash Brothers Melee Consistent High Performers
Consistent high
performers
remained in the
top 5 over the
study duration

15. Super Smash Brothers Melee Biggest Improvers

16. Super Smash Brothers Melee Biggest Decliners

17. Create Memorable Soundbites
17
 “Jollibee has gained 5% market share
relative to McDonalds”
 “Digital marketing spend consumed a
greater proportion of the total marketing
budget.”
 “Jollibee fries 5% from Macca’s Market Share”
 “From data to dollars: digital marketing is
an increasingly important channel”

18. Borders vs Amazon Growth and
Volume
18
Amazon
Borders

19. Borders Has Drowned in the Amazon
19

20. Dealing with Graphical Complexity

21. Higher Levels of Chart Complexity
21
 Dual Axes Charts OK
 Know your subject matter
 Serve your insights on a platter

22. Insights with Higher Levels of Chart Complex
22
More
opportunities
closed in April-
May led to higher
sales revenue in
May-June (EOFY)
More opportunities lost in
July-August followed by a
period of low sales
End of
FinancialYear

23. Dual Axes, Quad Variable Time Series and Ba
Chart
23
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Sales
CentsPerUnit/%Distribution/TVRs
Week
TVRs Price Distribution Volume Sales

24. Staged Introduction of Layered Time
Series
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CentsPerUnit
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25. Staged Introduction of Layered Time
Series
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120.00
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CentsPerLitre/%Distribution
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Price Distribution

26. Staged Introduction of Layered Time
Series
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TVRs
Week
Series1

27. Staged Introduction of Layered Time
Series
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Sales
TVRs
Week
TVRs Volume Sales

28. Staged Introduction – The Final
Product
28
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CentsPerUnit/%Distribution/TVRs
Week
TVRs Price Distribution Volume Sales

29. Paste as Excel Objects
29
 Hover for exact values
 Give Upper Management
ownership of your numbers (to
push your business case)
 Delete variables on the fly
0
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70.00
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61
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Sales
CentsPerUnit/%Distribution/TVRs
Week
Price Volume Sales

30. Common Visualization Pitfalls

31. Issues with 3D Visualization
3D Can Be Misleading
31

32. 3D Can Be Misleading
32
Issues with 3D Visualization

33. 3D Pie Charts = Visual Bias
33
Poll:
Issues with 3D Visualization

34. quantilicious
“Above all else show the
data.”
―EdwardTufte

35. Avoid 3D, Avoid Tilt
35
Resist 3D and Tilt Temptations

36. 3 Fictitious Firms
36
Axis Scaling and Origin Setting

37. 3 Fictitious Firms
37
The Origin

38. Which chart shows the most accurate trend?
38
Axis Scaling

39. 39
$60.0
$66.2
$79.2 $81.6
$76.8 $79.2
$84.0 $84.0 $84.0 $81.6 $79.2
0
10
20
30
40
50
60
70
80
90
CompanyValuation($Billions)
Facebook, Inc.: Company Valuation
Be Mindful of Gridlines and Borders

40. If there are significant differences in the slice sizes, a pie chart can be OK (although a bar chart is better)
40
Pies vs Bars

42. Tufte’s Data-Ink Ratio

43. Data-Ink Ratio Formula
43

44. 44
The Data Ink Ratio

45. Further Reading
 If you want to just read one book, make it this one
45

46. Further Reading
46

47. Thank You