Unit 03: LO 6 - 6.1 - Data Visualisation

Data visualization serves multiple critical functions, especially when dealing with complex datasets or large volumes of information. Here's a simple breakdown of its purpose:

To Communicate the Data

• What it means: Transforming raw data into a graphical or visual format makes it easier to understand and interpret.

• What it means: Data visualization is like turning a bunch of numbers or facts into pictures, like graphs or charts, so it's easier for people to understand what's going on.

• High School Analogy: Imagine your report card. Instead of just seeing a list of grades, what if there were pie charts showing how much time you spent on each subject? It'd be way easier to understand where you're doing well or need improvement.

• High School Analogy: Imagine trying to describe a friend's appearance using just words versus showing a picture. A picture instantly communicates a lot more information.

To Help Create a Narrative from the Data

• What it means: Visualizations can tell a story, providing context and making the data meaningful. This helps in decision-making processes.

• What it means: You can use these visuals to tell a story, like how a certain event happened or why you should care about something.

• High School Analogy: Think about creating a presentation or a poster for a class project. You use pictures, videos, and diagrams to make your point, right? That's the same idea. A well-made chart can tell a whole story on its own.

• High School Analogy: Think of data visualization like creating a comic strip. Each data point is like a frame in the strip that, when put together, tells a complete story.

To Identify Patterns or Trends

• What it means: Visual representations can quickly highlight outliers, trends, and patterns that might not be immediately apparent in the raw data.

• What it means: When you look at a good chart or graph, you can quickly see trends or patterns that you might miss if you're just looking at a bunch of numbers.

• High School Analogy: It's like spotting a trend in fashion at school. You might not notice everyone's new sneakers by looking at each person individually, but if you see the whole school together, the trend becomes obvious.

• High School Analogy: Imagine you're on the school soccer team, and your coach shows you a heat map of where you usually kick the ball during games. You might notice you always kick to the right side and hardly ever to the left. That's a trend you might not have spotted just by thinking about the games you've played.

So, next time you see a graph or a chart, remember it's not just about making things look cool. It's a quick way to get what's happening, like a shortcut to understanding something more deeply.