Data Visualization and Its Importance

WEEK:1

Question 1What is data visualization?

• Using information technology practices to search for and gather data

• Using cognitive meditation practices to memorize information

• Using any process to capture any type of data.

• The communication of numerical or quantitative information in a visual manner.

Correct Explanation: While the design of charts and graphs is part of what a data visualization practitioner does, it’s not all a data visualization practitioner does.

Question 2 Select each acceptable medium for a data visualization. (Select all that apply.)

• Print

• An interactive web page

• Modeling clay

• Crayons on paper

Question 2 Print, an interactive web page, modeling clay, and crayons on paper are all acceptable media for a data visualization.

• True

• False

Correct Explanation: These are all acceptable media for data visualization. While some of them may be unorthodox, that is no reason to avoid using any of them to make a data viz.

Question 3Approximately when do we estimate the first data visualization happened?

• Pleistocene era

• Jurassic era

• Early 1800s

Correct Explanation: Pleistocene era

Question 4What is one of the earliest documented examples of data visualization?

• The Turin Papyrus map

• The Mercator map projection

• The map of Napoleon’s Russian campaign

Correct Explanation: The Turin Papyrus map dates back to about 1160 BCE, and shows the location of stone needed to build the tomb of King Ramesses the 4th.

Question 5 The information-seeking mantra states:

• Overview first, zoom and filter, then details on demand.

• Visualization is good for cleaning up your data.

Correct Explanation: 

Show everything on the screen at once to give an overview, then let the user zoom in on what they want and filter what they don’t. Then they can click a marker to get the details.

Question 6 What is the goal of visualization?

• Insights

• Pictures

Correct Explanation: The goal of visualization is insight, not pictures.

Question 7 Which of these limitations apply to Tableau Public? (Select all that apply.)

• You must limit the number of rows in your data source.

• You cannot save visualizations locally.

• It is very expensive

• It cannot be downloaded by individuals, only companies.

Question 7Which Tableau product is free and used to make new visualizations?

• Tableau Desktop

• Tableau Prep

• Tableau Public

Correct Explanation: Tableau Public is the free version of Tableau Desktop, which allows you to connect to data sources and make new visualizations.

Question 8 Select all of the skills I used when making my Google Sheets visualization. (Select all that apply.)

• Patience 

• Responsive design

• Brute force

• Flexibility & Creativity

• Critical thinking

• Deciding when it’s done

Correct Explanation: Perfect is the enemy of good, or as Confucius said, “A diamond with a flaw is better than a pebble without.”

Question 9 Whose opinion matters the most when making a visualization?

• Your boss’ opinion

• Your end user’s opinion

Correct Explanation: If your end user doesn’t understand what your viz is trying to say, that’s when you still need to keep working on it.

Question 10 When making a visualization, it is important to stick to using the tool defaults.

• True

• False

Correct Explanation: It is important to be flexible and creative, even tricking the program sometimes by finding hacks around persistent tool defaults that you don’t want to use.

Question 10 Did you install Tableau Public?

• No

• Yes