Graphics Programs Reference
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to show. The presenter, however, assumed the audience members could see every fine
detail from their seats. Audiences quickly tire of data displayed without clarity or
meaning, especially when the data is difficult to see. The problem is usually not the use
of quantitative data, but rather the way the charts and graphs were created and
displayed.
Before you decide to display data onscreen, you need to be clear on its purpose. Is it
really necessary for the audience to see absolute numerical precision or do you merely
want to show trends and general relationships? In general, especially for presentations
to larger audiences, it can be difficult for people to see precise values in graphs.
Harvard psychologist Stephen M. Kosslyn clearly makes this point in his topic Graph
Design for the Eye and Mind (Oxford University Press, 2006): “The strong suit of
graphs is the illustration of the quantitative relations, and they are not appropriate if you
only want to convey precise values. If this is your goal, use a table.” As Kosslyn points
out, different data and goals require different visual formats:
• Tables are often best when the goal is to have people remember specific
numbers.
• Graphs, such as bar charts, can be very useful for complex comparisons.
• Line charts may be better for showing trends.
• Pie charts can be useful for making comparisons, at least when the values to be
compared are few.
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Clarity in Simplicity
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