Data Day Project 1

Instructions

As you’ve begun to see this term, there’s lots of data out there in the world (hotel reservation information, major U.S. cities, college president salary information, stupid cat survey information, etc.). There’s data in the news (for example, the New York Times Graphics), there’s data at organizations such as the Urban Institute and 538. Of course, if you hunt around you can also find other data and other visualizations.

Your task is to…

  1. Find a visualization that represents a data set

  2. Critique the visualization. Things to consider:

    1. Does it provide a clear way for the viewer to understand the data’s story or message?

    2. Are there aspects of the visualization that obscure the message of the data or lead to a conclusion that is not actually supported by the data?

    3. Are there aspects of the visualization that help it convey the message of the data?

  3. Upload a pdf file containing two slides, you can create pdf file using Quarto, .ppt, Google Slides, MS Word, Google Docs, etc. and rendering/exporting as a .pdf:

    1. Slide 1 - your name and link to the data visualization

    2. Slide 2 - the visualization

  4. Be prepared to talk for no more than 4 minutes about your visualization. You should include:

    1. A quick summary of what the visualization conveys (or is attempting to convey).

    2. Aspects of the visualization that helped you determine that message.

    3. Criticisms of the visualization, if any.

How this will work in class

Your slides must be submitted by midnight the night before the day you present. The slides you submit will then be put into one big file for presentation during class. When your name slide comes up, you will come to the front of the room and present your Data Day visualization including all the things listed in point 4 above.